Our People

Scott is a co-founder and the managing partner of Nave & Cortell. He represents private and public clients on a variety of matters including business formation, corporate governance, business transactions, real property transactions, ethics and compliance, employment, and litigation matters.

Scott is general counsel to Tehachapi Hospital, Kern Valley Hospital, Inyokern Airport, and Mojave Air and Space Port. Scott also serves as special counsel to Southern Inyo Hospital and Clearlake Oaks County Water District. His public entity practice includes advising these clients on The Brown Act, Public Records Act, and Political Reform Act; board governance; public works projects, including bidding, bid disputes, change orders, and contract disputes; and conflicts of interest and AB 1234 ethics training. Scott’s private clients include technology businesses, 501(c)(3) entities, and water companies.

Scott is married with three sons. He is Scoutmaster of a local Boy Scout troop, and coaches soccer and baseball.

Mark is an experienced general counsel, and has broad expertise in managing and executing strategic change, and driving continuous process improvements in technology, manufacturing and consumer products companies. Mark’s expertise is in transactional work, with an emphasis on mergers & acquisitions, dispositions, integration planning & execution, venture capital, securities, and finance. He also regularly advises clients on general corporate matters as well, including corporate governance, compliance, ethics, litigation management, risk management, product safety, human resources management, and payroll & benefits administration.

Mark is both a Licensed Attorney and Certified Public Accountant.

Mark has represented both public and private companies including Water Pik Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: WPTI), Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE: TDY), Move, Inc. (NASDAQ: MOVE), VirtualTourist, Inc., Baja Fresh, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, and Kinko’s, Inc. (n/k/a FedEx Office). Prior to becoming an attorney, Mr. Cortell worked as a Senior Accountant for KPMG Peat Marwick and as a financial consultant.

Mark is a co-founder of the Firm, and is currently the full-time Chief Legal & Administrative Officer for Zodiac Pool Solutions, a Carlyle Group portfolio company.

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Mark has lived in Westlake Village since 1978. Mark enjoys music, spending time at Lake Tahoe, and coaching his sons’ sports teams.

Janet Kerr is Of Counsel to Nave & Cortell, and Professor Emeritus of Law at Pepperdine University School of Law where she has taught for 30 years. She is passionate about law and entrepreneurship. Janet provides expertise in startup counseling; corporate organization and governance; mergers, acquisitions, and other strategic relationships; and seed, angel, venture capital and other financing arrangements. In addition to her work with the Firm, Janet is CEO of Kerr Strategic Consulting.

At Pepperdine, Janet founded and was the first Executive Director of the Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship & the Law, was the first professor to hold The Laure Sudreau-Rippe Endowed Chair, and served as Associate Dean of the law School from 1987 to 1990. During her tenure, Janet was twice awarded the Harriet and Charles Luckman Distinguished Teaching Fellow Award (1991-1996 & 1996-2001) for excellence in teaching. In 1996, she was honored as a distinguished alumna by Pepperdine University's Seaver College.

Janet has served on the board of directors of several companies. She is Independent Director at TCW Strategic Income Fund, Inc., a New York Stock Exchange listed closed-end registered investment company (NASDAQ: TSI); TCW Funds; Independent Director at La-Z-Boy, Inc. (NYSE: LZB), and Chairperson of its Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee; and Independent Director at Tilly's, Inc. (NYSE: TLYS). From 2004 to 2010, she served as a member of the Board and Chairperson of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee for CKE Restaurants, Inc. Janet was appointed by ISS/Risk Metrics to serve on the Governance Exchange Advisory Council, and she served as a Director/Member of Advisory Board at Larta Institute. She is also a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors and Women Corporate Directors.

Janet has founded several technology companies, including X-Labs, a technology company co-founded with HRL Laboratories. She serves as an advisor to MobileCause Inc. Janet was Chief Strategy Officer of Exemplify, Inc., and became a strategic advisor to Bloomberg BNA after it acquired Exemplify.

Janet has served as a consultant to various companies regarding Sarbanes-Oxley Act compliance and corporate governance. She is a well-known author in the areas of securities, corporate law, and corporate governance, having published numerous articles and a book on the subjects. Janet has also been an advisor on corporate issues and entrepreneurial strategies to France, Thailand, and the People's Republic of China. She has also represented the U.S. Department of Commerce at several international events.

Janet began her law career in 1979 as a Staff Attorney in the division of enforcement at the Securities and Exchange Commission, serving in the Los Angeles regional office from 1979 to 1980, and in the New York Regional Office from 1980 to 1981. She was an attorney at the law firm of Hahn & Cazier from 1981 to 1983, specializing in matters relating to corporate, securities and financial institutions law.