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By M. Jonathan hayes
Our incoming President, Kyle Ellis, invited me to his home in Glendale on a pleasant Saturday afternoon recently. It seems he and his wife recently purchased the home, settling in happily with their two daughters, most likely for a long time.
Kyle rears from San Diego where he graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a degree in history. “What particular area of history,” I asked? “History of Science - more particularly, the History of Science, Physics and Astronomy.” He loves history he told me and went on to earn a Master’s Degree at Oregon State University, known for its History of Science Department.
So how did he make the leap into law? “Well, there simply weren’t a lot of job opportunities in my field as you might suspect. I was looking for a different trajectory, and felt that law was a good place to go.” He got a scholarship to Fordham Law School and lifted his roots, moving to the Lincoln Square area of Manhattan in New York. “Yes, I definitely found something different,” he laughed, “and wound up being there during Hurricane Sandy.” He even spent some time teaching History at a nursing college in Harlem while in law school.
“Fordham was fantastic,” he recalled. “Tons of really smart people, tons of fun.” After graduating in 2015, Kyle and his wife drove cross-country back to San Diego. Soon after, his wife found a position in Los Angeles in pharmaceutical research, specializing in Chemistry. “We agreed that whoever found the better job first would decide where to move and she won.”
Kyle did some contract work in San Diego before joining the Los Angeles County Superior Court as a legal research attorney. His first assignment was in Lancaster where he worked for two civil judges. “That was really a ton of fun,” he said. “Everything was new for me; there were interesting new legal issues every day.” He remembered working on a Motion to Strike a Motion for Summary Judgment, feeling puzzled with the concept, and a Motion to Set Aside a Voluntary Dismissal of a case. “I don’t know how you can set aside a voluntary dismissal, but I did the research, the judge granted the motion, and it was the right result.”
After two years in Lancaster, he transferred to Burbank for another year, this time as the sole law clerk for Judge William D. Stewart. “That was lot of fun too. There were a lot of studios in the area, so we had a lot of studio-related contract disputes, a lot of investment visa cases, where individuals can a long term visa by investing in the U.S. economy.”
Kyle eventually applied for and was appointed as the Supervising Research Attorney, where he supervised the family law group at the Superior Court alongside some independent calendar attorneys. In family law, he oversaw seven lawyers who provided research support for almost eighty family law courtrooms. “Seems a little skimpy on the support side,” I commented. “Yes,” he acknowledged, “the judges could always use more help, but on the other hand, there is less law and motion work in the family courts.”
Kyle also helped to supervise roughly ten research attorneys for independent calendar courtrooms, mostly in the North, including in Chatsworth, Lancaster, and some departments in Stanley Mosk. “Supervising,” he explained, “means making sure we are providing quality service to the judges, coordinating training, and handling recruitment and turnover.”
After nine years with the court, Kyle decided to move to the City Attorney’s Office in their Appellate Group, which represents the City of Los Angeles in appeals. “I wanted to return to research and writing; I missed research, and I wanted to get back into the trenches of law practice. I’ve been assigned five or six appeals so far which I will argue before the court of appeals when and if the time comes. I’m very happy with this new adventure.”
When I asked Kyle how he came to be involved in the San Fernando Valley Bar Association, he said, “I wanted to connect with the community. Law is a wonderful experience. I learned how to be a good professional by going to the programs and the various activities. It’s unfortunate that more people aren’t involved, attending the professional development activities. Everyone’s busy but the people and the experience is more than worth the effort.”
As to stepping into the role of SFVBA President, Kyle is looking forward to it. “The Board of Trustees meets monthly to take care of association business and try to ensure that the various groups are supported.” He added that the finances have been more challenging since Covid but there are fun things to do such as the recent event at Dodger Stadium on September 20, 2025. “That was fun. It was Clayton Kershaw bobblehead night!” He has been planning a board retreat so they can step off the treadmill for a bit and see where we are, how they can make it better.
As Amanda before him, Kyle was quick to praise Executive Director Seth Chavez’s contributions to the association. “Seth is great; he’s been very good for us. He has a lot of experience with bar associations. I hope he stays with us for the next 20 years.”
Would Kyle chose law again if he had to do it over? “Yes,” he answered without hesitation. “It’s been a good experience for me. I know it can be difficult but it’s also been fun.” Would he encourage his daughters to go to law school? “I wouldn’t push them but I’ll tell them I love the profession, the challenges, the satisfaction, and professional rewards of helping others.”
Any advice for young attorneys facing those challenges? “Be honest, be accurate, focus on being the sort of professional you want other lawyers to be.”
Before wrapping up, I asked Kyle about his hobbies. “Probably too many,” he admitted smiling. He motioned me to a small cabinet in the hallway containing several five-gallon jugs of homemade Cabernet. “I make my own wine,” he said proudly. “Did you know it takes about 75 pounds of grapes to make a five-gallon jug?” He planted his own vines in 2020, and in 2021, harvested, fermented for about two months, bottled, corked, and labeled everything himself. The result? “One bottle of terrible wine,” he laughed. “In 2023, I got two bottles. The 2025 batch is on the way—we’ll see how that turns out.”
I feel like I found a new friend. For one thing, we both love genealogy. He has family in the U.S. back to the pilgrims; ancestors that fought in all the wars.
The SFVB is lucky to have Kyle Ellis as its new leader. He will be sworn in at the Installation Gala on November 13, 2025 at the Odyssey Restaurant in Granada Hills. I’ll be there. Say hi if you see me.
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M. Jonathan Hayes is Senior Counsel at RHM Law LLP in Encino, California. He has practiced bankruptcy and appellate law for 44 years in the San Fernando Valley. He currently focuses on bankruptcy, both debtor and creditor, and appeals. He can be reached at jhayes@RHMFirm.com.
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