The OCBA is pleased to announce that OCBA member Mary-Christine “M.C.” Sungaila was awarded the Richard L. Neumeier Excellence In Service Award by the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC). This award honors those who have made outstanding contributions to the IADC. Over the past six years, Sungaila served as a leader of the IADC's Amicus Curiae and Appellate Practice committees, as well as editor-in-chief of the group’s Defense Counsel Journal.

Known for her expertise as an appellate lawyer, Sungaila is a partner at the Orange County office of Haynes and Boone. She has also served as a committee leader at the American Bar Association and as a past chair of the OCBA Appellate Law Section. Sungaila is an adjunct professor at Whittier Law School and formerly a lecturer at UC Irvine School of Law. She received her J.D. from UCLA School of Law and her B.A. at Stanford University.