Celebrating the Holidays at Theia
With an unprecedented number of events this year due to our talented and dedicated Social committee and HR team, Keystone closed out the year with one last big celebration: our annual holiday party. This year’s festivities were held at Theia, a Mediterranean restaurant in West Hollywood. With over 70 attendees, the firm rented out the entire restaurant. It was a great night with delicious food, yummy cocktails, a full dessert bar, a DJ playing great music leading to an epic dance party and even a fire dancer who performed throughout the evening.
Keystone also held our annual White Elephant gift exchange where the most popular, and stolen gift of the night, was a “Baguette” pillow.
“I was the first to get that pillow but it was stolen twice after me so I hope whomever got it enjoys it!” said Legal Assistant Sophia Dakan.
Managing Partner Shawn Kerendian made a toast congratulating the team on their hard work and success this past year and highlighting some of the firm’s growth and major accomplishments. Last but definitely not least, the firm announced Monica Yun’s promotion to Partner.
Partner Lindsey Munyer spoke about the promotion, saying “Monica is truly an inspiration and her journey at Keystone, from Junior Associate (back when we were calling it that) to now Partner, is a testament to who she is and to her value to the firm,”
Check out our below to see a much-deserved promotion and our firm holiday party.
Keystone Raises More Than $17K to Help Kick Cancer
Keystone is fortunate to have the resources to support causes that its employees are passionate about. One of these causes is the fight against breast and ovarian cancer. For the third year in a row, the firm participated in the Lynne Cohen Foundation’s Kickin’ Cancer walk, which was held on November 13th in Brentwood.
Keystone was a gold-level sponsor of the event, contributing upward of $17,000 to the charity — which is more than the firm has raised in any previous years. We attribute our success in supporting this important cause to our employees, who worked hard to raise funds, which Keystone then matched dollar for dollar.
Thanks to our team members and community for their generosity and participation!
Check out Keystone’s video recap of the annual charity walk below
Ushering in the Holiday Season With an Employee-Created Cookbook and Potluck
Since the holidays tend to go hand-in-hand with food, we thought the best way to usher in the season would be with a team potluck and a cookbook created by Keystone’s very own employees.
To launch this fun project, Keystone asked its employees to provide some of their favorite holiday recipes. These recipes were then compiled by our legal assistant Julia Sukhong into a one-of-a-kind cookbook, which was distributed to all of our employees and will forever serve as a memory of the wonderful times they shared with their co-workers during the 2022 holiday season.
While a Thanksgiving potluck had been a Keystone tradition for years, it had been put on hold because of the pandemic. Thankfully, we were able to bring it back for 2022, holding it during our November team meeting. With over 30 dishes, the potluck boasted everything from bacon-wrapped dates and green beans, to mashed potatoes, homemade smoked brisket and a variety of delicious desserts.
Watch how we celebrated together with a fun-filled potluck and mini baby shower
Getting into the Halloween Spirit with a Costume Contest
Keystone got into the Halloween spirit this year when it decorated the office with spooky decorations and held a costume contest in which the entire team was encouraged to participate. Before entering their votes, remote employees had an opportunity to show off their costumes virtually, while in-person employees showed off their costumes at the office.
With all the participants bringing their A-game, the contest was competitive, but our legal assistant Sophia Dakan was ultimately able to take home the first-place prize dressed as the horror movie cult doll Chucky. She was followed by our second-place winner, Firm Administrator Biana Kerendian, who was dressed as Isabela from the film Encanto, and by our third-place winner, legal assistant Tino Diaz, who was dressed as a firefighter.
Being that it would not be Halloween without treats, Keystone served confections from Sidecar Donuts and Porto’s Bakery to round out its festivities for the day.
Check out our video of our costume contest below!
Hosting a Fun-Filled Family Day
As Keystone continues to grow as a firm, so do the families of its employees — and we want to be there for it! This is why we decided to bring the team together for Keystone’s first Family Day.
Hosted at the Cheviot Hills Recreation Center park, Family Day was an opportunity for Keystone employees and their families (including puppies) to meet and enjoy a fun-filled day in the park with music, coffee, lunch and arts and crafts for the children.
Keystone is not a place where its employees just come to work; we are a community. To keep up with this mission, we plan to continue hosting Family Day once a year, as well as other family-oriented events.
Keystone Sparks Joy for the Holidays, Participates in Uplift with a Gift
This holiday season, the Keystone team donated over 60 gifts to children in need, participating in “Uplift with a Gift” through the Children’s Law Center of California. The program pairs organizations with children and families in the foster care system who wouldn’t otherwise be receiving holiday gifts. Keystone sponsored 10 children, giving us the opportunity to purchase clothes, toys, gift cards and an iPad to help make this holiday a special one.
“This was a great experience being able to give back to children who may not have had presents to open this Christmas,” said Marketing Coordinator Jennifer Soares.
In addition to purchasing gifts, the whole team took another opportunity to spend time together. We gathered in the conference room after work on December 8th for a pizza, wine and gift-wrapping party before delivering the presents to the families.
“I had a fun time with my coworkers wrapping gifts and eating pizza while at the same time being able to give back to my community,” said Partner Roee Kaufman.
Keystone Team Convenes for Happy Hour in Venice
In conjunction with our quarterly partner meetings, the firm hosted its entire team for a fun-filled happy hour at the California-style Mexican restaurant Chulita in Venice. Attending the event were not only Keystone’s current employees, but also its future law clerks, who are due to start next summer. The team socialized over margaritas, tacos, taquitos, churros and more. All in all, the evening was a great success in strengthening the bonds of Keystone’s team members
