Independence Lawyers

The Law Office of Matt Sullivan is dedicated exclusively to criminal defense. The office defends individuals accused of felony and misdemeanor offenses throughout the Bay Area. The office has successfully defended many clients, including small business owners, tech workers, college students, nurses, firefighters, police officers, attorneys, and regular citizens. Matt Sullivan is a University of San Francisco Law School graduate. Mr. Sullivan was selected to the 2018-2024 Northern California Super Lawyers list in the practice area of criminal defense. Prior to opening his own office he was a trial attorney in the Marin Public Defender's Office, and he also worked...

Hanlen J. Chang provides legal services in Business Law, Real Estate, Estate Planning, and International Tax matters. He was recognized as a Super Lawyers rising star in 2015. Prior to establishing his own practice Hanlen was a research attorney at the San Mateo County Superior Court Probate Department. He has also worked for several Southern California and Bay Area law firms as a litigation attorney representing business owners and professionals . Hanlen grew up in Bubendorf, Switzerland and attended...

As a partner at Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas LLP (SSEK Law Firm), Kirk G. Smith focuses his practice on securities law. Representing individual and institutional investors against banks, brokerage firms and trust companies, Mr. Smith generally handles cases involving issues such as retirement losses, broker and brokerage firm misconduct, investment derivatives, fraud and financial product failures. He serves clients throughout the U.S.

Before earning a Juris Doctor from the South Texas College of Law Houston, Mr. Smith attended Loyola University New Orleans. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts.

Previously working as an investment advisor for a large brokerage firm and...

Catherine D. Holmes is an accomplished Business and Securities Law attorney, concentrating on Finance and Investment Law matters. With clients all over the world, she advises on raising, investing and managing capital from both U.S. and non-U.S. investors.

Cathy has practiced law for over 40 years. With a wealth of knowledge and skill, she is dedicated to providing exceptional legal representation. Cathy has been recognized for her extensive experience and success, having been named a Southern California Super Lawyer for 10 years. In addition, Cathy was honored by EB5 Investors Magazine as among the Top 15 Corporate Attorneys in 2017 and...

If you are trying to obtain disability benefits because you are unable to do your job as a result of an illness or injury, my law firm can assist you. We can also help with any type of insurance claim that has been wrongfully denied whether it be medical insurance, homeowner’s claims, property damage or personal injury claims. Mr. Kalkin has practiced in the areas of Long Term Disability, ERISA Litigation, Personal Injury, Civil Appeals and Insurance Bad Faith for over thirty-five years. In 1989 he was elected to the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association and...

U.S. registered patent attorney with many years of experience in obtaining patents and obtaining favorable results in federal court in the field of intellectual properly litigation. Mr. Nielsen is the current chair person of the Intellectual Property Section of the Marin County Bar Association. For potential clients who are unable see Mr. Nielsen in Marin County, web conferences and/or telephone conferences are available. Mr. Nielsen currently serves clients located throughout the world.

With decades of immigration and business immigration experience, Angela Warren has helped hundreds of individuals, families and businesses navigate US immigration issues and procure legal US visas.

I am an accomplished and resourceful attorney with over thirty years of successful experience in legal and business. Having started my career as an engineer, I know firsthand the challenges of having big ideas and the struggle to bring them to fruition. I am well-equipped to guide you through the essentials of starting up and growing your business, explaining complex concepts in a language that is easy to understand.

Feras Mousilli is a founding partner of Lloyd & Mousilli and regularly advises business clients on a range of technology law issues. He specializes in counseling technology companies from start-ups in their early formation and development, through support of multi-billion dollar business operations of the largest companies in the world.

Mr. Mousilli has served as Senior Corporate Counsel for both Apple Inc. and Dell Inc., where he counseled clients on product development and intellectual property matters, including advertising & marketing, copyright, and trademark strategies and risks. Prior to serving as corporate counsel, Mr. Mousilli practiced with DLA Piper in the intellectual...

Ryan is the founder of Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, Inc. Ryan formed the law firm in 2005 on the principle that injured people and their families should have access to the same quality legal representation as large insurance companies.

Ryan has handled numerous six, seven, and eight figure cases to successful resolution or verdict. Ryan’s recent litigation success includes the following verdicts and settlements: a settlement in the case of D.L. v. HMS Construction, Inc. et al. for $21.5 million; a jury verdict in the case of Rittger v. The Cliffs et. al. for $6.7 million; a settlement in the case...

Shay Aaron Gilmore provides superior corporate, commercial, and outside general counsel services to cannabis and hemp operators and investors throughout the legal California supply chains. Focusing on mergers and acquisitions, commercial contracts, and other transactional matters, Shay has counseled and guided some of the most successful operators and investors in the U.S. cannabis and hemp markets. Shay is the Chair of the California Lawyers Association Cannabis Practitioners Group and has been recognized by The Los Angeles/San Francisco Daily Journal as one of the Top 20 Cannabis Lawyers in California. Super Lawyers Magazine has listed Shay as a Northern California Super...

I provide legal counsel surrounding Intellectual Property, Brand Protection and Creative Content, including the life-cycle of Trademarks and Copyrights, from registration and licensing to enforcement.

Brandon is a business and startup attorney, focusing on assisting new and emerging businesses in all of their transactional matters. He has represented clients from a wide array of industries, including tech and app developers, filmmakers, breweries, wineries and restaurants, real estate companies, and even chocolate makers. He has counseled clients on corporate formation, late stage preferred financing rounds, mergers & acquisitions, and everything in between. He also serves as outside-inside counsel, providing general counseling on all day-to-day matters, including licensing, brand management, and employee stock incentive plans. Brandon was formerly a computer programmer in the U.S. Air Force, and...

Vaughan has been serving clients internationally for over 35 years. He began his practice in California in 1981 with a clear vision of ensuring that his clients have the critical information they need to make the best decisions for themselves and their families.

As the son of an immigrant, Vaughan understands firsthand the importance of the decisions his clients are making when they choose to pursue EB-5 for themselves and their families. He knows that it is much more than an investment decision – it shapes the future for his clients' families, including generations to come.

Vaughan is a 1981 Cum Laude...

Founder and Attorney & Counselor at Law at Rose Law Firm of Napa Valley, Inc. Trevor J. Rose specializes in Estate Planning and Administration, Business, and Real Estate/Title Transactions. He currently sits on the board of directors for the Napa County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce as Vice-President and the Young Lawyers Division of the Napa County Bar Association as Past President. Trevor was born and raised in Napa, CA and became fully bilingual after spending a year studying Spanish Language, Linguistics and Literature at the University of Barcelona in Spain. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa with high honors from...

Kevin Courtney is an attorney at the Military Law Center. He is dedicated to protecting service members' Reputations, Careers, and Freedoms, and restoring HONOR to veterans. His military law practice focuses on representing service members at courts-martial, administrative hearings, and through appeals. His veterans law practice includes representing veterans petitioning the boards of corrections for military records, upgrading military discharges, and expunging DNA records from military databases (but he does not do VA Disability Claims). Kevin previously served in the Marine Corps and worked as a defense attorney, clerked for the Navy and Marine Corps Court of Criminal...

David M. Boertje, Esq., has dedicated his professional life to defending those accused of crimes and has personally handled hundreds of criminal cases. Mr. Boertje is experienced in handling all misdemeanor and felony cases including DUI defense, domestic violence, theft crimes, white collar crimes, drug crimes, probation violations, violent crimes, strike cases, and murder. Mr. Boertje has obtained successful results for many of his clients including case dismissals, not guilty verdicts, reduced charges, and favorable plea bargains. Mr. Boertje has received some very impressive results for his clients.

Mr. Boertje received his Juris Doctor degree at the University of San...

Mr. Kouretchian provides strategic counseling and customized legal service to individuals, families, entrepreneurs, estates and businesses. He specializes in the areas of Wills and Trusts and Corporate/Business Law (Formation, Governance, Finance).

Ms. Charbonneau is a highly regarded Orange County family law practitioner and was a founding partner in one of Orange County’s premier law firms. Ms. Charbonneau is well known for her uncanny ability to get to the heart of a case and get it resolved. While compassionate and understanding, she is tenacious in her resolve to get divorcing couples to focus on common ground to reach a fair and responsible resolution. She is very skilled in dealing with the range of emotions that go with a divorce and is able to relate to the parties like few...

Ian Pike is an associate at Haeggquist & Eck, LLP and focuses his practice on representing employees in a wide range of matters throughout California for claims including wrongful termination, discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, and wage theft. A former columnist whose career included a lengthy stint at the San Diego Reader covering food, theatre, and the arts, Ian graduated summa cum laude from the University of San Diego School of Law. While at USD, he received CALI Awards for the highest grades in contracts, legal writing and research, evidence, remedies, civil rights theories, administrative law, and discrimination law. Ian was the...

What makes me unique is that I am both a Business Owner and a Corporate & Business Law Attorney. I actually started my first business at age 8 when I launched “Dan’s Bird Farm.” As the owner of the Kehr Business Law PC, I provide business, corporate general counsel, technology, Internet, e-commerce and tax law, as well as trust, will, estate and succession planning legal services. I founded, managed and have run my own law firm for over 17 years. My experience as a business owner makes me uniquely suited to approach legal representation from the business owner’s perspective. I...

Carlos A. Gómez handles all types of personal injury cases, including catastrophic car accidents, orthopedic injuries, brain injuries, wrongful death, and more. He is a successful personal injury litigation attorney at The Dominguez Firm and has recovered millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts on behalf of accident victims who have been seriously injured.

Attorney Gomez graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a BA in Political Science and History. He then attended the University of Southern California, Gould Law School, under a Merit Scholarship, where he received his Juris Doctor.

While studying law, Gómez was an executive member of...

Scott Sheldon is a Civil Law Attorney serving clients in the Inland Empire. He represents individuals and small businesses with Civil and Probate disputes including but not limited to: business litigation, business transactions, trust administration disputes, elder financial abuse, estate litigation, and probate administration. Before becoming an attorney, Scott Sheldon completed a BA in Business and an MBA. He uses his business knowledge and experience to better represent his clients and their interests.

Cindy Nguyen is the managing partner at Amity Law Group and has had extensive experience in estate planning, probate, employment law and business litigation. Ms. Nguyen loves to work with families to help them create an estate plan that will avoid taxes and protect them against probate.

Ms. Nguyen also provides preventive counseling to employers regarding claims of discrimination, harassment, disability accommodation, wage and hour violations, ADA violations, misclassification, and other alleged claims of employer misconduct. She represents employers in state and federal courts, and before administrative agencies such as the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement and the U.S....

Houman Fakhimi, the founding partner of the Criminal Defense Team, has amassed deep expertise in the area of criminal defense law thanks to years of experience. He oversees all litigation carried out by the firm, and he has demonstrated mastery in a variety of relevant legal domains. He's an alumnus of the University of California, Irvine and Whittier Law School. In addition to being an active member of the State Bar of Californias Criminal Section, Mr. Fakhimi also boasts accreditations from he Association of Federal Defense Attorneys, the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice, and the California Public Defenders Association.

My journey as an estate planning attorney was driven by my desire to assist families. The complexities and intimidation of the legal system can be overwhelming, but I firmly believe it doesn't have to be that way. My approach involves communicating in plain English, ensuring that you fully comprehend your options, and aiding you in making informed and astute decisions. Through effective planning, we can circumvent future headaches and expenses while securing a lasting legacy for your family's well-being, even beyond your lifetime. My commitment lies in providing personalized attention to each client, offering one-on-one counseling, and maintaining open and responsive...

Since 1987, I have been dedicated to serving disabled workers as a Workers Compensation attorney. My commitment to the community drives me to ensure that my clients are well-informed about their rights, enabling them to navigate the complexities of the WC system effectively. I understand the importance of connecting with competent doctors, as this is crucial for achieving favorable outcomes in WC cases. My firm has earned respect from judges and defense offices alike. More importantly, my clients have expressed high satisfaction with the outcomes of their cases. The court determines our fees, which are typically 15% of the recovery amount, making it...

I am a California attorney and law professor helping technology and digital-age service employees, executives, creatives, franchise owners, licensed professionals, fire service and EMS employees, entrepreneurs, organizations, public agencies and business owners find practical solutions to legal challenges involving employment and partnership disputes, workplace investigations, contracts, mediation, compliance, trade secrets, unfair competition, interference, severance agreements, labor and employment law, and civil litigation. I am based in the Los Angeles and Sacramento areas, practicing statewide. EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE Attorney Joe Rose received his Juris Doctor with honors from Lincoln Law School of Sacramento, where he excelled in many academic subjects and trial...

Mr. Shaw stand as the founder of Shaw 3 Law Firm (S3LF), where he serves as the principal attorney overseeing the firm's specialized practice areas. His expertise is particularly focused on Immigration cases, Juvenile Dependency cases involving CPS & DCFS Defense, and DUI/DWI Defense matters. Notably, he specializes in the Inland Empire region, encompassing San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, as well as handling cases in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. As a Criminal Defense attorney, Mr. Shaw's reputation as a meticulous Trial Lawyer is well-established. His approach is characterized by rigorous attention to detail and a profound understanding of case nuances...

extensive business and international trade experience as in-house counsel for major global company and COO of international trading & project management company; practice focused on commercial and international trade matters, risk management, and dispute resolution, including litigation in state and federal courts, arbitration and mediation

Ted J. Schneider is a partner at the Oxnard-based law firm of Schneiders & Associates, L.L.P. where he practices in the areas of business and corporate transactions, employment, municipal and public law and homeowners associations. Ted advises and represents small local businesses to publicly traded multinational companies, entrepreneurs and homeowners associations in various corporate transactions, including incorporation, mergers and acquisitions (stock and asset sales), corporate governance and employment law matters. Ted consults with his clients to draft, review, and negotiate contracts related to buy-sell agreements, lease agreements, service contracts, releases and waivers, property agreements, shareholder agreements, operating...

Alana Yakovlev is a stellar trial lawyer with a heavy emphasis on criminal defense and civil rights. Rated one of the top trial attorneys in the country, Ms. Yakovlev's advocacy leads to immediate and effective results for her clients.

For nearly 30 years, Sa'id Vakili has successfully represented businesses and individuals in areas including complex business divorces, business disputes, business torts, shareholder disputes (both direct and derivative), complex contracts, and intellectual property litigation (covering patent, trade dress, copyright, trademark, and trade secret disputes), as well as all forms of employment claims. He has also handled all varieties of injury tort claims, including those related to products, along with claims arising under maritime and aviation law. Over the years, he has litigated hundreds of cases, achieving multiple results in the seven and eight figures while successfully defending cases of equal...

Jerod Gunsberg is the founder and lead attorney of the Law Offices of Jerod Gunsberg. He is a seasoned criminal law defense attorney, representing clients in all California state and federal criminal matters. He focuses his practice on many different types of criminal cases, including misdemeanors, violent offenses, complex narcotics, white collar crime, medical marijuana defense, sex crimes, elder abuse, computer crime and juvenile criminal issues. Mr. Gunsberg spent the early part of his career in the entertainment industry and even owning his own independent record label for a time. When he decided to follow his life long dream...

I am an attorney based in California with 46 years of experience. Here's a summary of information about me: I started working in lawyer's offices before I went to law school. By the time I passed the California bar exam, I had been working in various capacities for lawyers for five years, so I hit the ground running when I was admitted to the practice of law. I have experience in Civil Rights (including ADA, Discrimination, Fair Housing, Police Misconduct, Privacy Law), Employment Law (including Employee Benefits, Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, Whistleblower, Wrongful Termination), Personal Injury Law, General Litigation, Insurance Bad Faith,...

Margaret A. Sedy is an attorney at Law Office of Margaret A. Sedy and represents clients in Business Litigation, Business Disputes, Corporate Formation, Contract Drafting and Negotiation, Technology, Internet and Privacy Law, and Regulatory Compliance Margaret Sedy also counsels and represents businesses regarding Employment Litigation, Employment and Labor Law compliance, including wage and hour, wrongful termination and discrimination claims. Margaret Sedy was awarded the Rising Stars designation in 2021, 2022 and 2023 by Super Lawyers, a distinction only awarded to 2.5 percent of top-rated practicing attorneys selected through extensive evaluation. Margaret Sedy graduated in the Top 10% of her class...

I was inspired to become a lawyer after my family experienced work-place violence first-hand, which left us and the other victims with minimal legal remedies. Even though the desire to figure out why my family could not be helped didn't transpire into my practice area, the personal nature of my "why I became a lawyer" impacts how I work with clients dreaming of starting a business, running an established business, or buying and handling real estate on a daily basis. I'm also a Detroit area native who made the cross-country drive to Southern California four days after graduating law school. Early...

Welcome to Koohanim Law, Southern California's premier firm specializing in dependency law. Our dedicated team is passionate about safeguarding the welfare and rights of minors. Our practice areas include: Child Abuse & Neglect: Representing all parties involved when child abuse or neglect is suspected. Foster Care: Expert advice and representation for foster parents, biological parents, and children in care. Termination of Parental Rights: Navigating the complex proceedings of parental rights termination. Adoption: Assisting families in legally adopting children from state custody. Guardianship: Establishing and contesting guardianship arrangements. Juvenile Delinquency: Representing children in the dependency system facing delinquency charges. Appeals: Expertly...

Liliana Gallelli is an attorney since 2004 and has specialized in immigration, business and post-conviction law matters. She has represented hundreds of clients before immigration agencies, immigration courts, the Board of Immigration Appeals, federal district courts, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Her work involves applications for business visas (L1s, E2s, H1bs, among others), family petitions, removal proceedings/deportation, asylum, and U visas, among others. She speaks Spanish fluently and conversational Portuguese, Italian and French.

Ms. Gallelli also represents clients in business law including:
Business Formation (LLC’s, S and C Corporations)
Sales Agreements
Partnerships
Applications for Alcohol License
Applications for Contractors...

Salar Atrizadeh, Esq. is licensed to practice in the State of California, District of Columbia, and the United States District and Bankruptcy Courts. He has an extensive background in technology and holds a bachelor's of science degree in computer information systems with a minor in database management systems. Mr. Atrizadeh has litigated legal actions in state and federal courts over the course of many years. He has conducted seminars regarding artificial intelligence, augmented/virtual reality, privacy, cloud computing, cybersecurity, crowdfunding, cyberpiracy, cyberespionage, data protection, digital currencies, e-commerce transactions, electronic discovery, internet of things, online security, online sales tax laws, wire fraud, and...