Ileana is a seasoned attorney who focuses on a wide range of complex litigation matters in the health insurance and managed healthcare industries. Ileana advises and defends major health plans and insurers in coverage disputes, unfair competition actions, investigations and enforcement actions, bad faith denial of benefits suits, out-of-network provider reimbursement disputes, and Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) suits. She’s actively involved in all phases of litigation, from prelitigation counseling through trial and appeal. And she represents clients in state and federal courts, mediation, arbitration, and administrative proceedings.
Before cofounding Hernandez Laska LLP in 2025, Ileana spent more than 25 years at the national law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, where she most recently led Manatt’s Chambers-ranked healthcare litigation group. She also served as a judicial extern to District Court Judge Audrey B. Collins in the Central District of California.
In addition to her client work, Ileana sits on the Board of Trustees for Mount St. Mary’s University, Los Angeles, an independent Catholic university primarily for women and nationally recognized for its academic and leadership programs. She’s also actively involved in pro bono work, representing Spanish-speaking clients seeking assistance with asylum, adoptions, permanent guardianships, and unlawful detainer actions.
Joe defends managed health care plans and health insurers in complex state and federal litigation, arbitration, and regulatory and administrative disputes. His clients include several of the nation’s leading health care plans and health insurers, as well as the trade groups representing them. Joe works with these clients to successfully navigate complex litigation, trials, class actions and settlements, regulatory disputes and negotiations, and appeals. Joe’s practice places particular emphasis on class actions, ERISA litigation, and the evolving area of mental healthcare and mental health parity, and he frequently speaks and writes on these topics.
Before cofounding Hernandez Laska LLP in 2025, Joe spent more than 23 years at the national law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, where he worked his way up from summer associate to equity partner in Manatt’s Chambers-ranked healthcare litigation group.
In addition, Joe is actively involved in pro bono and charitable work, including serving on the national board of Music Will, a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring and revitalizing music education in public schools across the country.
JJ is a trial attorney with deep experience in managed care, health insurance, and other healthcare disputes. He has represented some of California’s and the nation’s most well-known health plans and insurers in complex healthcare disputes in state and federal courts. He also represents clients in government investigations, enforcement actions, and administrative and regulatory proceedings.
As a trial attorney, JJ has taken cases to verdict in jury and non-jury trials and administrative proceedings—most recently first chairing a team to a jury verdict in favor of a health plan in a bad faith dispute.
JJ is also a seasoned class action defense attorney. He has successfully defended clients against class claims involving medical and pharmacy benefits, coverage determinations, behavioral health, experimental treatments, member and provider reimbursements, premium increases, and other areas. JJ has an excellent track record defeating class claims at the certification stage but has also taken class actions through trial and appeal.
Although JJ specializes in trial work, he always looks for opportunities to secure pretrial wins for clients. JJ has obtained dismissals, won summary judgment, and defeated class certification for managed care clients in a wide array of matters against some of California’s leading plaintiffs’ attorneys.
JJ is also deeply committed to public service. He has represented clients on a pro bono basis in immigration court and impact litigation advancing the rights of LGBTQIA+ people and other marginalized groups. He currently serves as Commissioner on the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and chairs the diversity committees of the ABA’s Health Law Section and the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Litigation Section.
During law school, JJ was a judicial extern to the Honorable Kim McLane Wardlaw in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and a law clerk for Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund.
Before practicing law, JJ taught at the middle school through university levels for more than a decade. He taught communications studies, public speaking, and argumentation; served as head coach of the U.S. national high school debating team; and trained national and international speech and debate champions. JJ’s experience as a speaker and coach makes him a better trial attorney. And his experience with young children makes him better at dealing with lawyers.
Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, J.D., 2011
University of La Verne, M.Ed., 2005
University of La Verne, B.A., 2000
Law360 Editorial Board, Trials, 2025
State Bar of California’s Wiley W. Manuel Award for Pro Bono Legal Services, 2012-2015
American Bar Association, Dean Henry J. Ramsey, Jr. Diversity Award, 2011 (chaired winning committee)
California Bar Foundation, Public Interest Scholar, 2010
Obtained jury verdict in favor of a health plan after trial of a bad faith action.
Obtained judgment in favor of real estate developers after trial of complex breach of contract case involving long-term lease agreement and development of public land.
Successfully defended water district in trial of complex breach of contract case involving the exchange of Colorado River water.
Defeated certification of a class of health plan members whose plan contracts had been terminated for nonpayment.
Defeated certification of a class of health plan members who had received less coverage for applied behavioral analysis therapy than they requested under their plans.
Obtained summary judgment in favor of a health plan in a breach of contract and bad faith lawsuit involving reimbursement for prescription drugs.
Obtained summary judgment in favor of a health plan in a multiparty wrongful death action in which the plaintiffs alleged that the plan was required to provide coverage for experimental cancer treatment.
Obtained summary judgment in favor of a health plan in a breach of contract and bad faith action alleging that the plan was required to provide residential treatment.
Obtained summary judgment in favor of a health plan in a putative class-action alleging that the plan had unlawfully raised premiums without notice.
Represented a social media platform in an investigation by the California Automatic Renewal Taskforce (CART). Negotiated the then-lowest settlement in CART history.
Successfully compelled individual arbitration and enforced class action waivers in dozens of cases for clients in the healthcare sector and other industries.
Represented the California State Controller’s Office in one of the state’s largest software implementation lawsuits. Member of team that successfully negotiated a $59 million settlement in favor of the state.
Represented a class of Hurricane Maria survivors against FEMA in an action to prevent their eviction from temporary housing.
Represented an asylum seeker in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Prevailed at trial after remand to immigration court.
Speaker, “22nd Annual Federal Court Boot Camp: The Nuts and Bolts,” Pincus Professional Education Webinar, May 7, 2026
Speaker, “Mastering the Deposition 101: The Nuts and Bolts,” Pincus Professional Education Webinar, March 12, 2026
Speaker, “Automatic Renewal Laws: Year End Review for 2025 and What’s Ahead for 2026,” Association of National Advertisers & Manatt Webinar, February 10, 2026
Speaker, “Introduction to Health Law,” American Bar Association, Emerging Issues in Healthcare Law Conference, University of California, Irvine School of Law, April 2, 2025
Speaker, “Renew This: The New FTC ‘Click to Cancel’ Rule and State Automatic Renewal Laws,” Manatt Webinar, January 29, 2025
Speaker, “Automatic Renewal Laws: Everything to Know About the Surge in Litigation and Regulatory Enforcement,” Manatt Webinar, April 18, 2023.
Speaker, “Diversity and Inclusion in Healthcare Litigation and Risk Management: Overcoming Obstacles,” American Bar Association Webinar, April 4, 2023
Speaker, “TCPA Guide for Health Care: Trends, Requirements and Strategies to Mitigate Risk,” Manatt Health Webinar, March 16, 2023
Speaker, “Experimental Medicine: The FDA’s Role, Litigation & Risk Management Trends,” American Bar Association, Emerging Issues in Healthcare Law Conference, April 28, 2022
Nat is an experienced litigator focused on healthcare industry disputes. He has represented a range of entities, most often including managed care organizations and health insurers, in complex litigation in federal and state courts. He also represents clients in investigations, counsels clients before litigation arises, and advises clients on other health law matters. In particular, Nat has a wealth of experience in class action defense, ERISA litigation, and a variety of bad faith disputes.
Nat previously served in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the General Counsel in Washington, D.C., and as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the civil division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland. At HHS, he focused on administrative law and federal information privacy and transparency matters for stakeholders across the department.
Tom’s practice focuses on complex healthcare litigation in both state and federal court. Before joining Hernandez Laska LLP, Tom worked at a global law firm with an international litigation practice. Throughout his career, Tom has worked with clients across the insurance industry, including in health insurance, and has successfully handled matters from the pleading stage through trials and appeals.