The following is a biographical sketch of the some of the members of Strange & Carpenter.

Brian R. Strange

         Brian R. Strange is an experienced and respected trial lawyer and litigation strategist and has lectured before the California State Bar Convention on class actions. Mr. Strange has been involved in such noted litigation as the MGM Grand Hotel fire litigation; the "Crandall" gem case; the San Juan Dupont Plaza Hotel fire litigation in Puerto Rico; litigation arising out of the Iran-Contra scandal; and numerous consumer class actions against various banks and insurance companies. The San Juan Dupont Plaza Hotel fire litigation has been described as the largest mass disaster case ever tried. See In re Allied Signal, Inc. 891 F.2d 967, 968 (1st Cir. 1989), cert. denied sub. nom. ACW Airwall, Inc. v. U.S. District Court for Puerto Rico, 495 U.S. 957 (1990). Trial victories include a $160 million judgment against the principals of an investment scam in a case tried in Los Angeles Superior Court in 1991. In February 1993, Mr. Strange obtained a $21 million dollar punitive damage verdict against First State Insurance Company, reportedly one of the largest verdicts in California in 1993. In May 1993, Mr. Strange obtained the first punitive damage verdict in 17 years in a courtroom in Santa Barbara on behalf of a homeless family. In 2000, Mr. Strange acted as lead counsel in several class action cases with settlements obtained in excess of $50 million, including settlements with Citibank and Chase Manhattan.

         Mr. Strange received his Bachelor of Arts, in Economics from the University of California at Los Angeles, and his law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of Law, where he was a David Snodgrass Moot Court winner. He is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the California Supreme Court and all federal and state courts in California. Mr. Strange authored "Municipalities: Welcome to the Antitrust Restraints of the Free Market," Century City Bar Journal, Spring, 1982.

Gretchen A. Carpenter

         Gretchen Carpenter is a named partner in the Los Angeles office of Strange & Carpenter. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Theatre, cum laude, from the University of California at San Diego, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Ms. Carpenter received her law degree from UCLA School of Law, where she was an editor of the Women's Law Journal.

         Ms. Carpenter is an experienced class action litigator having been successful in helping analyze, draft and argue numerous class certification motions. Ms. Carpenter's recent victories include Griggs, et al. v. Pace American Group, Inc., et al., District of Arizona Case No. CIV-96-277-TUC-RHW; where the court held in favor of Strange & Carpenter on a securities law class action. Egerstrom v. Topa Insurance Company, L.A.S.C. Case No. BC 099052; where the court reversed a ruling in favor of Strange & Carpenter with respect to an insurance dispute. Ms. Carpenter has extensive knowledge of Rule 23 procedures and her superior drafting and analytical skills has earned her a position as a named partner in Strange & Carpenter (formerly Strange & Hoey) in the year 2001.

Tamina Spurney

         Tamina Spurney is an associate of Strange & Carpenter. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric, with a Distinction in General Scholarship, from the University of California at Berkeley. Ms. Spurney received her law degree from UCLA School of Law, where she was Director of Development of the Women’s Law Journal and Vice Magister of Phi Delta Phi. She is admitted to practice before all courts in the State of California, the United States District Court for the Central District of California, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals

Jill Hood

        Jill Hood is a paralegal of Strange & Carpenter. She received her Associate of Science and Bachelor of Science degrees in Paralegal from the University of La Verne, where she served as Secretary to the Paralegal Association. Ms. Hood has been with Strange & Carpenter since 1997 and has many years of experience in complex litigation matters. Ms. Hood has extensive experience involving preliminary and final approval of class action settlements, including claim administration and distribution processes. Ms. Hood has extensive experience handling settlement classes consisting of multi-millions of members. Ms. Hood also has extensive experience in investigating claims and corporate wrongdoing.

         Not all associates and paralegals are included in this biographical sketch.