Contra Costa County Lawyers

Gordon Young is a 25-year litigator, specializing in financial, trust and securities litigation. Gordon tries and arbitrates cases for trustees, beneficiaries, financial professionals, investment advisors, stock brokers, Wall Street banks, and broker-dealers. These cases include civil, probate and regulatory claims based on breach of fiduciary duty, breach of trust, fraud, suitability, mismanagement of mutual funds and managed accounts, the prudent investor rule, as well as employee promissory notes, up-front loans, raiding, trade secret, unfair competition and related employment claims. Gordon has successfully assisted numerous investment professionals with FINRA related expungement actions. Gordon has been recognized eleven times...

Mr. Wood began his legal career with the view of developing a personally rewarding practice by working directly with individuals and families. He draws upon his financial background to apply creative approaches to complex Bankruptcy issues. Mr. Wood currently provides Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 services to his clients. Prior to establishing his firm, Mr. Wood worked at a prominate Bankruptcy Law Firm counseling clients in the areas of Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 Bankruptcy and in Consumer Litigation. Mr. Wood has also worked as a project manager for Morgan Stanley Capital International and in portfolio management at Mellon...

Ms. Johns is a civil trial lawyer who has tried more than one hundred cases to verdict. She is the managing partner for Hillary Johns, Trial Lawyer which maintains offices in Beverly Hills, the Bay Area and New York City. She graduated from Occidental College in 1990 and Golden Gate University School of Law in 1993 where she graduated with Dean’s List and class honors. She is licensed to practice law in California, the California Southern, Central and Northern U.S. Federal District Courts, the District of Columbia, Montana, New York, and the New York Eastern and Southern U.S....

Christian Pedersen was born in Seattle and raised in Solano County. He graduated in Brigham Young University majoring in finance, and then was admitted to Arizona State’s law school and MBA program. While in school, Mr. Pedersen earned a certificate in Law, Science, and Technology from the Sandra Day O’Connor school of law, and worked in a legal clinic that provided legal services to startup businesses. Mr. Pedersen focused on entrepreneurship and solar energy technology. Mr. Pedersen worked in the solar industry performing transactional legal work and business analytics. After drafting thousands of documents, Mr. Pedersen decided...

Leigh E. Johnson is a practicing trial lawyer, and principal of “Trial Whisperer” Trial Consulting. Leigh is dedicated to assisting lawyers preparing for trial in both civil and criminal arenas. Her expertise is in developing an effective storyline that serves as the vortex for opposing counsel. She accurately identifies issues and reconstructs them to achieve positive outcomes within a variety of legal forums from arbitration to trial. Leigh’s philosophy is that in order to obtain the best results regardless of forum, you should always prepare your case as if it were going to trial. Leigh’s passion and primary focus...

Jeffrey Nadrich is a successful and nationally-recognized personal injury lawyer specializing in all aspects of personal injury, mostly: Auto accidents, Motorcycle accidents, Bicycle accidents, Truck accidents, Dog bite injuries, and Wrongful Death cases. Mr. Nadrich is a 1972 graduate of the University of California Berkeley. He is also a 1975 graduate of the University of California Hastings College of the Law. Mr. Nadrich was admitted to the California State Bar in 1976. Mr. Nadrich is a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocate Forum, STLA, AAJ, CAALA, LACBA, ABA, and many other prestigious legal organizations. Nadrich Accident Injury...

Mr. Muñoz has over a decade of experience serving clients as an attorney. He began his career practicing criminal law as both a prosecutor and defense attorney gaining valuable jury trial experience. Armed with this experience and teamed with Mr. Franco, René Muñoz now advocates on behalf of you, the injured worker. He never forgot his roots and is extremely excited to represent your interests and fight for justice. Mr. Muñoz initially practiced in Workers' Compensation advocating for employers and insurance. His experience working on behalf of institutional clients gave him a better understanding of what motivates defendants in Workers' Compensation...

My law practice focuses on representing injury and death victims and their families. Many of my cases have involved personal injury, car accidents, accidental death, wrongful death, truck accidents, big-rig accidents, motorcycle accidents, products liability, defective products, dog bites, nursing home injuries, pedestrian accidents, bicycle accidents, and dangerous property. I have been highly successful in favorably resolving my clients' cases and obtaining monetary compensation for my clients for over 22 years. My clients have suffered catastrophic injuries, death of a family member, serious injuries requiring hospitalization or surgery and many other types of injuries including coma, brain injuries, quadriplegia, triplegia, loss of...

OLIVER GREENWOOD is the principal of the Law Offices of Oliver Greenwood in Pleasant Hill. He is the author of chapters 1, 4, 12, 16, and 17 in the CEB Guardianship Handbook. Mr. Greenwood received his B.A. degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and his J.D. from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. A frequent speaker regarding probate matters and a member of the Judicial Council's Probate & Mental Health Advisory Committee. Mr. Greenwood is also a contributing author to CEB's conservatorship and powers of attorney and health care directives books. Mr. Greenwood's areas of practice include conservatorships, guardianships,...

Attorney Adam M. Carlson is managing partner at Casper, Meadows, Schwartz & Cook. While he is skilled in various areas of law, he focuses the majority of his practice handling cases related to wrongful death, civil rights, and personal injury. He believes that tailoring each case to each client’s needs is key to providing aggressive and compassionate legal representation.

Before joining the firm, Carlson served as an intake assistant for our team, where he was responsible for fielding calls from potential clients. It was at this time that Carlson decided he wanted to do more. He found that he was passionate...

For more than 30 years, Mike Appel has devoted his practice exclusively to personal injury and wrongful death cases. He represents clients throughout California, both in State and Federal courts. Born and raised in Redondo Beach, Mike attended St. Mary’s College of California, Moraga, California, where he majored in English. He was an editor of the college’s literary magazine, "The Phoenix." He also played rugby for the Gaels, and was a member of the team that went on the first annual rugby tour of the East Coast. Mike received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1970. At graduation he also received...

Mr. Cross is an expert in the field of criminal law. Mr. Cross will fight more aggressively than anyone to bring you the best outcome possible. He passionately cares about defending his clients and does everything within his power to help them. Having attended the University of California, Berkeley for Undergraduate studies, he received a B.A. in Legal Studies. He subsequently attended the prestigious San Francisco Law School to receive his J.D. He is a member of many associations, including the State Bar Association, the Alameda County Car Association, the San Mateo County Bar Association and the Delta Theta Phi...

Shahrad Milanfar is a Trial Attorney and Mediator who has focused his career on serious personal injury, automotive, asbestos and other types of product liability, transportation/ trucking, and habitability cases. Since the beginning of his career, Shahrad has worked on catastrophic injury cases such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), serious orthopedic injuries, including quadriplegia and paraplegia.

Shahrad gained his trial and courtroom experience while working with the district attorney’s office and as a civil trial attorney. He has handled cases form inception to verdict as the primary trial attorney. Over the past 20+ years, Shahrad has managed serious personal injury and...

Mr. Poulin is experienced in the areas of real estate, business, and construction litigation. He has trial experience in both state and Federal court, and has experience in all aspects of dispute resolution. Mr. Poulin has successfully represented clients in broker disputes, foreclosures, neighbor disputes, title insurance coverage, fraud, breach of contract, breach of lease and landlord-tenant issues. Real estate issues include construction defect cases, damages on behalf of contractors, subcontractors, architects and engineers in mechanic's liens, stop notice, payment and performance bond actions. Prior to joining The Williams Firm, Mr. Poulin was an associate at the law...

I am a former police officer and deputy district attorney in Contra Costa County. I received my Bachelor's Degree from California State University Sacramento and a Juris Doctor from John F. Kennedy University, School of Law. As principal attorney of this firm, I guide the firm’s staff and manage major cases and matters on behalf of individual and business clients. I have tried numerous cases to verdict and have appeared before the California Court of Appeal, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal. Our firm practices real estate, labor and employment, and business litigation. Our firm also drafts wills, trust...

Areas of Expertise

Business advice and counseling
Contract drafting and review
Corporate structure and transactions
Licensing and regulation
Employment and labor negotiation
Insurance coverage and claims handling
Education

B.A., Colgate University, 1991
Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude
J.D., University of Wisconsin Law School, 1994

Martin is an experienced business attorney who facilitates transactions while minimizing the risks and pitfalls facing his clients. Martin takes a “can-do” approach to legal problems that focuses on crafting deals through an integrative and value creating process rather than conflict.

Stephen offers experienced business and legal counseling to individuals and corporations throughout the Bay Area, including: (1) Business litigation and dispute resolution services involving misappropriation of trade secrets, non-compete/solicitation agreements, mechanics lien and payment bond claims, commercial leases, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, fraudulent misrepresentation and unfair, unlawful or fraudulent business practices (Bus. & Prof. C. sec. 17200); (2) Construction contracting; (3) Intellectual Property licensing and distribution; and (4) E-commerce, website terms of use, privacy policies and data protection and security.

I serve personal injury clients throughout the entire East Bay from my offices in Danville and Pleasanton. I know how devastating an injury can be. Aside from physical pain, it can also accompany financial hardship, a complete change of lifestyle and livelihood, family duress and more. I understand the full scope of what an injury can bring and has dedicated his life to helping those who through no fault of their own suffer at the negligence of others. I am a strong advocate for your rights and has fought hard for over 20 years to make our communities a...

Melanie is a distinguished advocate for those who have been wronged or exploited, earning the moniker "the people's attorney." Her unwavering dedication to justice fuels her tireless representation of individuals from all walks of life—consumers, employees, business owners, private members, and homeowners. If you have suffered harm due to the dishonest or unlawful actions of others, Melanie stands ready to champion your cause to restore what you've lost. While on a different life and career path, fate stepped in and the legal profession found Melanie. After overcoming her own legal challenges, largely due to an attorney's advocacy, she felt called to...

A resident of Oakland, Len spent much of his legal career with prestigious, top-ranked, San Francisco law firms. Mr. Watkins brings the same level of expertise, and standard of excellence, to his practice in the East Bay. Focusing on consumer bankruptcy and business law, Mr. Watkins’ depth of experience and training include: A Masters of Business Administration, concentrating on finance, from the University of California, at Davis A stock brokerage license (inactive) from the National Association of Securities Dealers A California Real Estate Broker’s license Previous Experience Business Attorney Norris & Norris (now...

Alexandra Danielle Wilson is a Calfornia State Bar member and a Contra Costa County Bar Association member. She is a passionate member of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) and American Immigration lawyers Assocation (AILA). She volunteers at several Bay Area non-profit organizations. Alexandra graduated from University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

Alexandra is fluent in Spanish and passionately advocates for immigrant's rights.

While in law school, Alexandra focused almost exclusively in the area of immigration. She participated in the Refugee and Human Rights Clinic during which she travelled to Guatemala on a fact-finding trip to gather information...

Mr. Prutton graduated with high honors in 1979 from Michigan State University with a B.S. in Forestry. He received his law degree in 1982 (J.D. cum laude) from one of the top schools in the country, the University of Illinois College of Law. From 1982 - 1985 he practiced law with Baxter & Hammond in Grand Rapids, Michigan representing insurance companies and corporations. From 1985 - 1987 he represented similar interests while an associate with Low, Ball & Lynch in San Francisco. In 1987, Mr. Prutton opened his own law office in the Bay Area, switched sides...

Eric Farber is the Founder of Pacific Workers, the Lawyers for Injured Workers. We represent injured workers in their fight for justice against the insurance companies. With a solid team of well trained, caring and compassionate professionals, it is easy to see why Pacific Workers has garnered numerous awards and accolades but more importantly, over 250 five star reviews from clients.

In 2003, Carl R. Gustafson graduated from UCLA Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelors in History. In 2005, he was a legal intern for Global Justice in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he drafted sections of human rights situation reports and submitted them to the United Nations and other international bodies. He also researched issues of international jurisdiction and the enforcement of international treaties. Carl went on to graduate with honors from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law in 2007, where he was also an associate editor for the Ecological Law Quarterly. It was Carl's yearning to right wrongs...

I have litigated many contract disputes. I taught the law of contracts at JFK University Law School for ten years. I know contracts from the practical as well as the academic point of view.

Karen S. Fenchel

Professional Biography

Karen Fenchel is a sole practitioner in Walnut Creek, CA. She is a Certified Family Law Specialist and has focused on all areas of family law. Her practice is settlement oriented and includes both family law mediation and collaborative law. Karen has a strong commitment to helping clients resolve issues without going to court. She utilizes her training in both mediation and collaborative practice to assist families in crisis and help them gain control of their lives. Through mediation, collaborative process and negotiated settlements, she works toward equitable solutions that consider the...

Certified Family Law Specialist (CFLS), State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization; LLM Taxation; Member California State Bar; Hawaii State Bar; Arizona State Bar; Contra Costa County Bar Association; Family Law Section Hawaii State Bar; Family Law Section Arizona State Bar, Trust and Estates Section Arizona State Bar. The law offices of Doyle Golde Grossman Family Law Group provides family law, divorce, estate planning and trust administration services in the Contra Costa County providing the community with deep legal talent and a professional result based representation.

Helen has provided quality mediation services in Alameda, Contra Costa and Solano counties since 1993. Her process permits private , effective resolution of legal disputes.

I have been practicing all aspects of employment law for more than 20 years, including representation of both employers and employees. I assist with all types of employment contracts, wage and hour issues, employment discrimination issues including sexual harassment, employee manuals, workplace safety, wrongful termination, discipline issues, and so on. And when a lawsuit cannot be avoided, I will also handle your litigation needs.

Otto P. Cipolla, Jr. is the founder and owner of The Law Offices of CIPOLLA, CALABA, MARRONE, WOLLMAN & SILVA. Mr. Cipolla founded the firm in 1995. He has since grown the firm from 2 attorneys to 30 attorneys. The firm now has seven offices throughout California. Mr. Cipolla has taught, lectured and given seminars in all aspects of Workers’ Compensation Law for employers, insurance carriers, brokers and third party administrators. Mr. Cipolla has been a Judge Pro-Tem not only at the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board but also in both Municipal and Superior Court. CCMW&S practice is...

Mehlman Law Group is an East Bay (Walnut Creek, CA) real estate, business, and civil litigation law firm. We practice in all San Francisco Bay Area state and federal courts. I believe all clients should have access to high-quality legal services. Many of my clients see me as their "in-house" counsel or trusted personal legal advisor. For legal advice or representation, contact me at (925) 935-3575 or steven@mehlmanlawgroup.com for a free consultation. I have thirty years of experience representing small businesses and individuals. I consult with, provide guidance to, and refer clients to other professionals, including real estate and mortgage brokers, accountants,...

GinnLaw, P.C. emphasizes real property and construction law. We assist clients with construction and real estate matters, including mechanic's liens, stop payment notices, payment bonds, home improvement contracts, construction contracts, payment disputes, defective work claims, delay claims, public works construction claims, private commercial and residential disputes, partition actions, easements, quiet title actions, purchase and sales, disclosures associated with sale of property, leasing, lease disputes, and assistance to small businesses. David Ginn has been an attorney for over thirty-five years. He is the President of GinnLaw, P.C., a professional corporation. Mr. Ginn is one of the authors of...

After 22 years as a trial attorney, I have decided to limit my practice to furthering the cause of disability access and ending disability discrimination in the workplace, at home and in public places. If you are disabled temporarily or permanently, you have special rights but no government agency to enforce them. If you think you have been the victim of discrimination, call us now for a free consultation.