Our team
Carlos Colorado
Senior Associate
Carlos brings 20+ years of litigation experience to X-Law Group, with a background that spans both sides of the courtroom — including eight years at an Am Law 100 multinational firm, where he represented major U.S. corporations in some of the most complex cross-border litigation in the country.
Born in El Salvador and raised in New York, Carlos studied at Boston University before earning his JD from USC Law School in 2003. He began his legal career at Jones Day, where he defended prominent U.S. companies in complex litigation arising in Latin America. He was part of the trial team that successfully defended Dole Food Company in Tellez v. Dole — the first U.S. trial involving alleged DBCP exposure in Latin America — and worked on the team defending Chevron against environmental claims in Ecuador in proceedings that spanned decades.
His talent was recognized early. Carlos was named a Super Lawyers Rising Star by Los Angeles Magazine in 2007, 2013, and 2014 — an honor reserved for the top 2.5% of attorneys in the state.
Carlos has also distinguished himself as a leader within the legal profession. He is a former President of the Hispanic Bar Association of Orange County and has served on the boards of the Orange County Bar Association, the Orange County Bar Foundation, the St. Thomas More Society of Orange County, and the UCI Law School Dean's Executive Board. Currently he serves on the board of the Long Beach Bar Foundation.
Beyond the law, Carlos is recognized as a scholar of Salvadoran human rights icon St. Oscar Romero, canonized in 2018. In connection with this work, he was selected as one of 60 participants in the 2023 cohort of the Presidential Leadership Scholars — a prestigious program jointly administered by the presidential centers of George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Lyndon B. Johnson.
Carlos is fluent in English and Spanish, with a working knowledge of Italian. Most recently, he spearheaded the opening of The X-Law Group's Long Beach office, which he now leads — extending the firm's reach and bringing its specialized expertise to a broader community of clients across Southern California.
Thomas Gray
Senior Associate
Thomas Gray's passion for civil litigation was ignited at Harvard Law School, where an early immersion in the most complex and high-stakes areas of legal practice set the foundation for everything that followed. Since joining X-Law Group, he has established himself as one of the finest legal researchers and writers in the industry, routinely producing work of a caliber that the largest and most renowned firms in the country would envy.
Class action litigation is where Thomas truly excels. He brings rare depth, precision, and genuine passion to this practice area — playing a central role in constructing the complex, multi-layered cases that have come to define X-Law's class action practice. His ability to dissect intricate legal frameworks, identify the arguments that matter most, and translate them into compelling, airtight briefs is extraordinary. It is the kind of work that wins cases, and Thomas does it at an exceptionally high level.
That reputation was cemented in Lomas v. Delta Air Lines Inc., where Thomas took a lead role in the litigation and was appointed class counsel — a testament not only to the quality of his work but to the trust and confidence that appointment represents. His contribution to that landmark matter exemplifies what he brings to every case he touches.
Thomas's experience spans both state and federal courts across a broad range of civil litigation — including class actions, False Claims Act cases, technology-related litigation, and product liability matters. That breadth of experience gives him a versatile, well-rounded foundation that makes him a powerful force across the full spectrum of X-Law's practice, and an invaluable member of the team on the firm's most significant and complex matters.
Rick Davis
Senior Associate
Rick Davis brings something genuinely rare to X-Law Group: over three decades of litigation experience, including an extensive career representing the other side. Having spent much of his career defending product designers, manufacturers, and distributors against complex product liability claims, Rick knows how the opposition thinks, how they build their cases, and where they are most vulnerable. That perspective is an extraordinary asset when the goal is to hold those same corporations accountable.
Admitted to practice in California in 1992, Rick's career has taken him through some of the most respected firms in the country — from Booth, Mitchel & Strange and Kelley Drye & Warren to Stroock & Stroock & Lavan — before he founded his own successful practices, Davis DeYoung LLP and the Law Offices of Richard W. Davis, both focused on complex commercial litigation. Over the course of that journey, he built deep expertise defending industry giants including Life Fitness, Brunswick Corporation — across its Boston Whaler, Sea Ray, and other divisions — and Mercury Marine, representing them in product liability and breach of warranty matters across state and federal courts nationwide.
That career-long immersion in the defense of complex product liability cases is precisely what makes Rick such a formidable advocate on the plaintiff side. He joined X-Law Group in 2024, and his ability to anticipate defense strategy, identify weaknesses in corporate arguments, and leverage decades of hard-won courtroom experience gives X-Law's clients a decisive edge.
When Rick says he understands how product liability defendants think, he means it — because for thirty years, he was their first call.
Simon Horwell
Chief Operating Officer
Simon Horwell is a seasoned executive, entrepreneur, and operational architect with a career built on one core competency: taking businesses from where they are to where they need to be. Whether navigating complex turnarounds, building operational infrastructures from the ground up, or driving companies through critical growth phases, Simon has consistently delivered transformative results — and done so with the instincts of an entrepreneur and the discipline of a seasoned executive.
Born and raised in the southeast of England, Simon emigrated to Spain in 2001 before relocating to the United States in 2003, where he has since built his career across Los Angeles and Chicago. That international journey shaped not only his worldview but his professional versatility — Simon is fluent in both English and Spanish and brings a genuinely global perspective to every organization he leads.
His academic foundation is equally strong. Simon holds a dual honors BA in Economics and Political Science from the University of Sheffield and an MBA from the University of Liverpool Management School — a combination that underpins both his strategic thinking and his rigorous approach to operational excellence.
Over the course of his career, Simon has led small and medium-sized businesses as both COO and CEO, and has operated as a senior executive in larger corporate environments with over 600 employees under his leadership. His specialization is change management — the art and discipline of reimagining how organizations function, align, and grow. In 2017, that track record earned him a place on the Forbes 40 Chicago CEOs Under 40 list, a recognition of the impact he had made on some of the city's most dynamic businesses.
At X-Law Group, Simon serves as Chief Operating Officer, bringing that same transformative energy to one of Los Angeles' most distinguished boutique litigation firms — building the operational foundation that allows X-Law's attorneys to focus on what they do best.
Tom Cassaro
Senior Case Manager
Tom Cassaro is a seasoned civil litigation case manager who has mastered every phase of complex case handling — from initiation through to trial. A UCLA graduate with a double major in Political Science and History, earned Magna Cum Laude, Tom went on to earn his JD from Southwestern Law School in 2008, where he distinguished himself as a competitive moot court oralist and served as President of the Native American Law Student Association.
His sharp research and writing skills, combined with an exceptional eye for detail and a talent for strategic case planning, make him one of the most effective case managers in the business. At X-Law Group, Tom is the operational backbone of complex, multi-year litigation — the person who ensures nothing falls through the cracks and every case is built on the strongest possible foundation.
Outside the office, Tom is a dedicated father, a passionate advocate for social justice, a firm believer that excellence in work and richness in life are not mutually exclusive, and an avid birder.
Sarah Osborne
Operations & Case Manager
Sarah Osborne is the kind of person every high-performing firm needs and very few are lucky enough to have. Calm under pressure, relentlessly positive, and possessed of an attention to detail that borders on extraordinary, Sarah is the operational heartbeat of X-Law Group — the person who ensures that nothing slips, nothing stalls, and everything runs the way it should.
Her role spans the full breadth of the firm's operations, from case management and client communications to workflow coordination, financial tracking, and administrative strategy. She works across both the legal and business sides of the practice with equal fluency, and her contribution to X-Law's ability to handle complex, multi-year litigation with precision and efficiency cannot be overstated. In a firm where the margin between good and exceptional is everything, Sarah's work ethic and meticulous standards make a tangible difference every single day.
Her academic background is as impressive as her professional one. Sarah holds dual bachelor's degrees in Sociology and Chicano/Latino Studies from UC Irvine, a Master of Arts in Psychology from Touro University Worldwide, and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Business Psychology at The Chicago School, with a focus on business consulting. That blend of psychological insight and business acumen brings a uniquely thoughtful dimension to everything she does.
Outside the office, Sarah is a dedicated weight trainer currently working toward her NASM Personal Trainer certification — a pursuit that reflects the same discipline and commitment she brings to her professional life. She lives in the San Fernando Valley with her boyfriend and their three dogs: a husky, a German Shepherd-husky mix, and a chihuahua who is absolutely, unshakeably convinced he is the largest of the three.
Danielle Penberthy
Marketing & PR
Danielle Penberthy is a Marketing and Public Relations professional who brings equal parts strategy and instinct to everything she touches. Known for her creativity, fearless approach, and genuine passion for storytelling, she has built a career at the intersection of brand engagement and audience connection — where the most compelling work happens.
A Pittsburgh native now based in Los Angeles, Danielle has a rare gift for turning personal passion into brand narrative that actually resonates. Her trajectory through automotive, motorsports, and media speaks for itself: she was hand-selected as a global ambassador for Husqvarna Motorcycles, a role that reflects not just her communication polish, but the authentic credibility she brings to every platform she operates on.
Her expertise spans social media strategy, content creation, event coordination, and full-scale PR campaigns. She thrives in environments that demand both innovation and precision — and has a track record of delivering work that moves the needle. At the heart of it all is a deep commitment to honest, meaningful storytelling grounded in a real understanding of what audiences want and why it matters.
Driven, personable, and results-oriented, Danielle helps X-Law Group connect, engage, and grow in a media landscape that never sits still.