PASADENA, CA – Lagerlof, LLP attorneys Mark Flewelling, Michael Rapkine, and Gene Wu were named 2025 visionaries in the L.A. Banking & Finance: Trends, Updates, and Visionaries magazine by L.A. Times Studio. 

L.A. Times Studio has been releasing its annual list of Banking and Finance Visionaries over the past four years highlighting banking and finance individuals who have been flexible, versatile, and ahead of the game in their field. 

According to the magazine, professionals within the banking and finance sector along with their readers were invited to nominate professionals and experts who exemplify the banking and financial sectors. “We present the profiles of those select visionaries who represent the top class of trusted advisors – routinely rising to meet ongoing challenges and help create financial security.” 

“It’s great to see Mark, Michael, and Gene recognized for their work in the banking and financial industry,” Managing Partner of Lagerlof, LLP, Joshua Driskell shared. “They are experts in what they do and have notable matters and clients to show for it. They are truly knowledgeable advisors to their clients, and we are thrilled that they are being recognized as visionaries.” 

Mark is a Partner at Lagerlof, LLP, specializing in litigation and appellate.  

Mark has represented financial institutions, businesses and entrepreneurs in a wide variety of litigation for over 40 years. His business litigation practice has included real property purchases and financing, investment fraud, import/export transactions and partnership disputes. Mark’s banking practice has included consumer class actions, lender liability disputes, negotiable instruments cases, and commercial lending matters.   

He and his team have also defended thousands of state and federal lender liability cases throughout California and the Pacific Northwest. One of those cases resulted in a precedent setting decision from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which held that national banks for purposes of federal court jurisdiction are citizens only of the state where they have designated their main office.   

Michael is Senior Counsel in Lagerlof, LLP’s litigation department.  

His practice focuses on a broad range of state and federal litigation with an emphasis on financial services litigation, business torts, and contract disputes. Michael’s banking litigation experience includes the defense of lender liability actions, prosecution of equitable subrogation cases, title disputes, and resolution of bankruptcy matters. 

Michael was a part of a legal team who represented the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Priceline.com, Rabobank, as well as First Community Bancorp and its wholly owned subsidiary, Pacific Western National Bank. 

Gene Wu is a partner in Lagerlof, LLP’s litigation department. 

Gene specializes in business litigation matters and has represented clients in complex litigation, class actions, bankruptcy adversaries, arbitrations, mediations and appeals, and is a licensed patent attorney. His areas of expertise include federal preemption and jurisdiction, lender liability, commercial loan agreements, Americans with Disability Act (ADA) and California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, trade dress and copyright. He is also experienced in handling development agreements, real estate leases, partnership agreements and dissolution, and insurance coverage. 

Prior to joining Lagerlof, LLP, Gene was an associate at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, LLP. Gene’s significant cases include Haggarty v. Wells Fargo Bank, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 143405 (N.D. Cal. Oct. 3, 2012); Campidoglio, LLC v. Wells Fargo & Company, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 142624 (W.D. Wa. Oct. 2, 2012); DeLeon v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., 729 F. Supp. 2d 1119 (N.D. Cal. 2010); Nguyen v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., 749 F. Supp. 2d 1022, 1033 (N.D. Cal. 2010); and Pakravan v. Halajian, 2009 Cal. App. Unpub. LEXIS 1581(2009). 

The feature will be in L.A. Times Studio’s March 23, 2025, edition in print and online.