Associates David Saldamando and Gloria J. Medina have been named 2026 Rising Stars by Law360, a prestigious recognition honoring a select group of attorneys whose exceptional accomplishments and influence in the legal profession far “belie their age.”  Recognized as part of the next generation of legal leaders, David was recognized in the Class Action category and Gloria was honored in the Cybersecurity & Privacy category.

David was recognized as a Class Action Rising Star for his exceptional work representing institutional investors and consumers in high-stakes class action litigation.  Among his many successes, David played an integral role in the team that secured a $126.3 million settlement mid-trial against Alta Mesa, a $78 million settlement against Catalent, and a $47.5 million settlement against Olaplex, among others.  In addition to his securities work, he was also a key member of the trial team that achieved the historic jury verdict against Meta, finding the company liable for its role in the unauthorized collection and commercial use of highly sensitive health data from the Flo Health app. 

In his profile, Law360 further highlights David’s role on the trial team in In re Alta Mesa Resources Inc. Securities Litigation, which achieved the largest securities fraud recovery on behalf of SPAC investors.  David explains that he is drawn to securities litigation because it sits at the intersection of finance and law while offering the opportunity to represent broad groups of investors through class actions.  “Our clients are able to represent the interests of not just one person, but millions of investors nationwide. I consider that as having millions of clients,” he says.  Turning to the future of securities litigation, David expects the growing prominence of artificial intelligence to generate more “AI washing” cases involving companies that exaggerate their AI capabilities, potentially misleading the market and causing significant investor losses when the truth emerges.  Reflecting on his professional development, David credits mentors Carol C. Villegas and Jake Bissell-Linsk with giving him substantive opportunities early in his career.  “I’ve been blessed to have great mentors along the way that gave me these opportunities that are substantive in nature,” he notes.  “The Firm prides itself in giving its associates a lot of real hands-on experience.”

Gloria was recognized as a Cybersecurity & Privacy Rising Star for her exceptional work representing consumers in complex cybersecurity and data privacy litigation.  Most notably, Gloria was a key member of the trial team that secured the historic jury verdict against Meta Platforms, one of the first cases in which a jury held a major technology company accountable for its handling of consumers' sensitive health information.  She also plays a significant role in litigations against Amazon, PowerSchool, NBCUniversal, and other companies involving alleged cybersecurity and data privacy violations, where she has helped secure significant procedural victories in this emerging area of law. 

In her profile, Gloria reflects that, alongside major victories such as the jury verdict against Meta, some of her proudest moments are the quieter ones—including receiving a personal note from a client or colleague thanking her for her efforts and seeing a case idea she originated approved for further development.  As she explains, “Those are the moments that make the hard work worthwhile.”  Law360 also highlights Gloria’s significant work on cutting-edge matters involving Amazon, PowerSchool, Tempus AI, and NBCUniversal.  Discussing what drew her to cybersecurity and data privacy litigation, Gloria notes that these matters “present cutting-edge issues that affect all of us” and offer an opportunity to do work that “fills regulatory gaps and has the potential to make a real difference by keeping the private sector accountable.”  Looking ahead, Gloria expects artificial intelligence to continue reshaping the privacy landscape, particularly through emerging practices such as surveillance pricing.  “Companies will grow hungrier for consumer data while becoming better able to harness it for troubling ends like dynamically pricing your groceries or deploying chatbots that steer you toward the company’s other products,” she cautions.  “The stakes are only going up.”

Law360's Rising Stars awards recognize attorneys under the age of 40 whose outstanding legal accomplishments, leadership, and impact have distinguished them among the profession's most promising young attorneys.   David and Gloria's recognition reflects both the exceptional caliber of their work and their growing influence in their respective practice areas.