Independence Lawyers

Dennis Sandoval, paralyzed in a 1992 car accident, turns personal adversity into advocacy in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. California's sole attorney certified in estate planning, elder law, and taxation, Dennis earned distinctions like Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA) and Accredited Estate Planner® (AEP). His financial expertise, including Enrolled Agent, CFP, and RFC designations, enriches his estate planning, elder law, and tax controversy practice. For seventeen years, Dennis directed education for the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys (AAEPA), contributing to NAELA and the National Elder Law Foundation. In 2014, he became a Fellow of the National Academy of Elder Law...

Irvine attorney Nicole Dolle dedicates 100% of her practice to personal injury cases, focusing on catastrophic injury cases like TBI, broken bones, and permanent disfigurement from serious car and truck accidents, premises liability cases, and dog bites, among many others. She has deep roots in our local community, having grown up in North Tustin before attending the University of California, Berkeley for her undergraduate degree, and then returning home to receive her Juris Doctor from Chapman Law. Her success in law school led Nicole to follow her passion and pursue a career as a plaintiff’s trial lawyer. Since then she...

David D. Bibiyan is a Los Angeles local who received his Bachelor of Arts (BA) from UCLA and his Juris Doctorate (JD) from The University of Chicago Law School, consistently ranked one of the top 5 law schools in the country by U.S. News & World Report.

Before becoming an attorney, Mr. Bibiyan held several prestigious legal positions, including as a legal extern for The Honorable Robert N. Kwan of the United States Bankruptcy Court of the Central District of California and The Honorable Debre Katz Weintraub of the Central District of the Los Angeles Superior Court. Mr. Bibiyan also volunteered...

As a grandchild of immigrants, attorney Adam L. Fleming is dedicated to helping others establish their lives in the United States. He has years of experience, working inside and outside of government, which he now uses to resolve all kinds of immigration issues.

Adam’s principles are simple: Treat everyone with dignity and respect. Explain complex matters as clearly as possible. Work hard to serve others.

David E. Mastagni is a partner with the law firm of Mastagni Holstedt, APC, who specializes in labor and employment law representation of public safety employees, including trial and appellate litigation in California and federal courts. In particular, he handles complex civil, class action and collective action litigation, claims arising out of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the U.S. and California Constitutions, the California Public Records Act (CPRA), the Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights (POBR), the California Labor Code, the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act, and other statutes protecting the rights of employees.
Among his other legal activities, David is an...

Jennifer R. Posey was admitted to the California Bar in 1991 graduating Magna Cum Laude and Salutorian from American College of Law with her Juris Doctorate in Law. Ms. Posey was also admitted to U.S. District Court, Central District of California. Previously a professor of Appellate Advocacy and Evidence, Ms. Posey has been practicing in Family Law litigation, Child Custody, Child Support, Spousal Support, Dissolution, Property Divisions and related family law matters for over 20 years. As a member of her legal community, Ms. Posey has served on the Orange County Superior Court Panel for Minor's Counsel....

Michael Wise brings 30 years of criminal trial experience to the Courtroom. He has served as both a prosecutor and defense attorney. In that capacity, Mr. Wise has earned the respect of the local bench, law enforcement and prosecutors throughout northern California. Having secured several acquittals on a variety of cases, including homicide, sexual assault, rape, fraud, assault, domestic violence and others, Mr. Wise is regarded as the premier criminal defense attorney in Sacramento and Northern California. Mr. Wise is frequently invited to speak as a guest commentator on television. Likewise, he frequently teaches Advanced Officer...

Mr. Batchelder is certified by the Board of Legal Specialization of the State Bar of California, as a Specialist in Workers Compensation Law. For more than a decade, he has frequently served as a Workers Compensation Judge Pro Tem. He has served as a member of the Education Committee of the California Applicants Attorneys Association, putting together educational programs in workers compensation law for California attorneys.

He was admitted to the California Bar in December 1976, and is a member of the bar of the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and...

Hasan Abdullah was born in Toronto, Canada, and has been living in the United States since 2000. He received his Juris Doctorate (JD) degree from Santa Clara University (SCU) School of Law, and has held membership in the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) since 2008.

In 2005, while studying at SCU, he interned at their community law center and focused on family-based immigration, VAWA petitions, political asylum, and criminal victim (U-Visa) cases.

Since 2008, he joined a full-service immigration law firm for nearly seven years, and was quickly promoted to manage and train the staff of attorneys and paralegals. While practicing he...

Jenny L. Doling is a Certified Bankruptcy Specialist and is the founding member of J. DOLING LAW, PC, a bankruptcy and insolvency firm serving Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada, with its main office in Palm Desert, California. Ms. Doling represents trustees, creditors and debtors in chapter 7, 11, 12, and 13 bankruptcy matters. In addition, she will be representing clients under the new SBRA - Small Business Reorganization Act (aka Sub Chapter 5) which takes effect February 2020. Ms. Doling is a serious advocate for her clients.

She is an active member of the bankruptcy bar. She...

Since 2007 our office has been dedicated to representing San Francisco and Sacramento area employees and victims of serious injuries in a wide range of employment, wrongful termination and injury cases. Individual approach to each client and each injury or employment case is what distinguishes us from other attorneys, as we recognize that each case is as different as each person who has been either injured or aggrieved by their employer.

I am an Orange County business and estate planning attorney, business owner, husband, and dad of four great kids focused on helping families and businesses meet their financial, legal, and moral obligations to their loved ones by creating estate, business, and life plans that ensure their family's complete protection and well-being. Most people think of estate planning as a process for planning your death. Who would be excited about that? I look at estate planning as the process of planning for the best in life and Achieving Your Dreams! THE MEIER LAW FIRM DIFFERENCE ...

Samuel P. Nielson is a tenacious and polished advocate specializing in employment law. He exclusively represents employees in workplace disputes. Sam has varied litigation experience in both federal and state courts through single plaintiff and class action lawsuits. For more than a dozen years, Super Lawyers Magazine has annually named Sam a "Super Lawyer" or “Rising Star” in Employment Law. He has a perfect 10/10 rating from the online legal referral service Avvo, and a “Distinguished” peer-review rating from Martindale-Hubbell. The National Trial Advocates, a companion organization to the National Trial Lawyers, recognized Sam in as one of the “Top...

Colby Dean LaVelle II proudly manages LaVelle Law Offices with the personal attention of a boutique law firm but with the resources of larger law firms. An honored graduate of Santa Clara University of Law, Mr. LaVelle has dedicated his career to the pursuit of justice. He began his legal career working for the San Francisco District Attorney's Office. Following his success litigating criminal matters, Mr. LaVelle started the LaVelle Law Offices. Now with eight locations across California, The LaVelle Law Offices is an incarnation of Mr. LaVelle's desire to serve the public, as he...

The Carter Law Firm is a premier labor and class action law firm representing employees throughout California.

Having practiced for over 25 years, and having worked for both defendants and plaintiffs, Mr. Carter possesses the unique experience, reputation, and ability to successfully represent individuals and multiple plaintiffs. His unique experiences have helped him hone his negotiation and advocacy skills, resulting in his active participation in hundreds of employment-related cases.

Within the last ten years alone, the firm's total recoveries exceed $200,000,000.

Admissions: State Bar of California, 2008. Education: Whittier College School of Law Practice Areas: Tax, Family Law I started my legal career in tax resolution and bankruptcy law. As a tax attorney, I helped clients secure tax resolution with the IRS, FTB, and various California tax agencies. As a bankruptcy attorney, I worked in two large Sacramento bankruptcy firms that filed over 40 cases per month. Over the years I have shifted my practice to family law. Currently, my divorce practice ranks in the top 3 positions in Google for Sacramento divorce attorneys. As a result, I am currently managing...

Mrs. Verdon founded the Hess-Verdon in 1990 and has successfully advised high net-worth individuals and corporate executives with their estate tax and corporate matters. She is a noted speaker on the subjects of Trust Litigation, Business, and Real Estate Litigation, and Advanced Estate Planning matters.

As the Managing Partner, Mrs. Verdon has built a team of experienced lawyers focusing on the following:

Business Law and business dispute litigation
Real Estate Law and litigation
Special Needs Trusts for Disabled Family Members,
Charitable Planning and many strategies for wealthy families who own businesses.
Probate and Probate litigation
Trust Administration
Mrs. Verdon’s dedication to achieving results for her clients is...

You’ve spent your life building your wealth. And no matter how large or how modest – protecting your assets matters. Ivette Santaella understands that estate planning may seem daunting. You might feel uncomfortable talking about what happens after death. Or maybe you’re worried that you don’t understand the laws well enough. Santaella Law Group, APC is here to guide you through your concerns and make estate planning easy. Ivette has more than 30 years of experience talking her clients through their goals, translating and helping them navigate the law, and working with them to come up with a solid plan for...

Kelsey A. Webber is an experienced labor and employment attorney who has litigated a broad range of matters through arbitration and trial. Mr. Webber attended Georgetown University Law Center where he was on the Dean’s Honor Roll. After graduating from Georgetown Law, Mr. Webber began practicing employment law, representing employees, in Roseville, California. During that time, Mr. Webber was on a trial team that obtained a $4,750,000 verdict for a client in an age discrimination case. Mr. Webber also obtained numerous mid to high six figure settlements on behalf of his clients. Thereafter, Mr. Webber spent the next three years representing some...

Full time mediator with offices in New York City and Southern California.
Palm Springs Office concentrates primarily on divorce, custodial arrangements and disputes related to real estate and probate, as well as family-owned business and vacation homes. New York City Office concentrates on corporate, commercial and finance matters

Extensive training in alternative dispute resolution techniques, including at the Harvard Law School Program on Negotiation, the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution in London (CEDR), the American Arbitration Association.
(AAA),and the International Mediation Institute (IMI)., Among other panels, he mediates disputes as a member of the mediation panels of CPR,...

Mr. Kendrick holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Francisco and has been a California licensed attorney since 1998. His practice focuses on intellectual property matters including patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret and unfair competition. He works in both the United States and Europe as an intellectual property attorney and he has several years of international legal experience. He has several years of experience providing patentability and invalidity research in a wide variety of disciplines including aerospace, mechanical, industrial, energy, medical, materials, food technology and the automotive arts among others.

Mr. Kendrick also holds a Bachelor’s degree in...

Representing injured workers exclusively since 1995.

Boris has devoted himself to a career in criminal defense and fighting for the rights of the accused—a passion that grew from his experience being erroneously arrested at age thirteen due to a misidentification. This experience left him intimately aware of the kind of anxiety and fear a criminal accusation causes in one's life. Bringing this memory to the courtroom and negotiating table alike, Boris quickly gained a reputation as a fearless and zealous advocate for his clients who fights with integrity and compassion every step of the way.

Smart & Aggressive Criminal Defense. Experienced in representing individuals accused of crimes...

Ms. Madueña is an expert immigration lawyer in the Bay Area handling a wide range of immigration matters, including complex cases with criminal issues. The bulk of her practice focuses on family-based immigration and removal defense. She has successfully argued for the release of clients in immigration detention, and has obtained Adjustment of Status, Asylum, and Cancellation of Removal for her clients against the government in Immigration Court. Ms. Madueña has also obtained Lawful Permanent Residency, Asylum, Naturalization, NACARA, and Waivers before the immigration office. Notably, when she was a first-year associate, Ms. Madueña presented a complex criminal and...

Michael Malter is an accomplished California attorney, advocating for clients in Bankruptcy, Business, Intellectual Property, Landlord Tenant, Real Estate and Tax Law matters. With over 40 years of experience, he has been recognized as a Certified Specialist in Bankruptcy Law by the California State Bar. Michael is committed to providing comprehensive and personalized representation focused on attaining the best possible outcomes.

Michael, a native of Long Island, New York, has been a resident of California since 1977. He currently lives in Saratoga with his two daughters and labradoodles. Outside of work, Michael can be found hiking and traveling. Additionally, he deems...

Bryan Schwartz is an Oakland, California-based attorney dedicated to helping employees protect their rights in the workplace. He has fought prohibited discrimination, retaliation, and harassment, obtained reasonable accommodations for disabled employees, vindicated whistleblowers' rights, and ensured that corporations pay workers all wages they are owed. He has successfully litigated individual and class action complaints nationwide, helping to recover millions of dollars for thousands of employees, forcing corporations and Government agencies to change their practices and punish wrongdoers. Bryan Schwartz is also one of the few Bay Area-based attorneys with extensive experience representing Federal employees in their unique Merit Systems...

Sally is now retired and living in Palm Springs. She is keeping her license active to allow her to do Pro Bono work with local Bar Associations.

California Civil Appeals, State & Federal

Myron Moskovitz served as law clerk to Justice Raymond E. Peters of the California Supreme Court. He is the author of Winning An Appeal (Carolina Academic Press, 4th ed.) and Moskovitz On Appeal (LexisNexis, 2015). He has handled and consulted on many appeals, both in state and federal courts. Although appellate courts reverse in civil cases only about 20% of the time, he has won reversals in more than 70% of his civil cases in which he represented appellants.

He is Professor of Law Emeritus...

Laura received her undergraduate degree in 2003 from Colby College in Waterville, Maine, graduating Summa Cum Laude and with distinction in her major (English). After graduation, Laura went on to work as a paralegal at Latham & Watkins, LLP, in their Silicon Valley offices and later attended U.C. Hastings College of the Law, graduating with her J.D. in 2008. While at Hastings, Laura was the Executive Articles Editor of the Hastings Women's Law Journal and recipient of the Roger J. Traynor Student Writing Competition Award for her Note "On the Steps of the Mosque: the Legal Rights of Non-Marital Children...

Mahal is a family law attorney based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She began her practice in 2014, having spent the previous fourteen years as a law clerk, educator, and paralegal specialist for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Her law practice integrates her passion for civil rights and her love for community. Mahal was born in Vallejo, and after a series of family tragedies enrolled herself in the tenth grade at Oakland Technical High School. She was legally emancipated as a minor the following spring. These childhood experiences inspired her to become an attorney and...

Karen Sloat has a career spanning over 30 years in many practice areas, and in three states – California, Colorado and Hawaii. Her reputation as a specialist in employment law for many years has given her the expertise to handle claims of complex wage and hour violations, discrimination and harassment, employment contracts, trade secret violations, fraud and all other employment-related issues. As a zealous litigator and trial lawyer, Ms. Sloat has a vast knowledge of professions, occupations and business issues that enhances her valuable legal advice to all of our clients – whether employees, employers or nonprofits.

After graduating from Loyola...

Michael Hassen's litigation practice spans over 30 years and emphasizes general business and commercial litigation, including class action defense and matters involving intellectual property and unfair competition.

Andrew is a senior counsel in the Oakland/East Bay office of Ericksen Arbuthnot and co-chair of the firm's Appellate Practice Group. He is AV® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been selected as a Northern California Super Lawyers Rising Star by Thomson Reuters. Andrew has extensive litigation experience representing individual and institutional clients in state and federal court. His areas of practice include insurance coverage and defense, intellectual property, personal injury, professional liability, real estate, and other commercial issues.

Andrew has B.A. degrees in Cognitive Science and History, and a minor in Philosophy, from the...

Attorney John Martin advises individuals, families, and businesses in the areas of legacy planning, wealth preservation, estate & business succession planning, and estate administration. Our law firm focuses exclusively on legacy planning, wealth preservation, estate and business succession planning, and estate administration. Our trust and estate planning services enable clients to protect their spouse's or child's s inheritance from creditors and predators, maximize control over their assets during their lifetime, benefit charities, and effectively transition their business to the next generation. Through an ongoing client maintenance program, we provide peace of mind that a client's goals will not...

I have over 35 years experience as a federal criminal trial and appellate lawyer, which gives me a unique perspective on what works and does not work with defending serious, complex federal charges. I prepare each case for trial, since a good result is only attainable if the lawyer is prepared and willing to go to trial. I have experience defending clients against complex wire and health care fraud, tax, securities, and environmental crimes and related civil actions.

Ella Zheng is the Managing Partner of Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight’s Palo Alto and San Francisco offices and Chair of the firm’s Asian American Litigation and Finance Practice Group. In 2022, she was recognized as a Rising Star by Law360 and named an “Asian Leader Worth Watching” by Profiles in Diversity Journal. She has earned a spot on Super Lawyers’ Northern California Rising Stars list every year since 2016 and was named among the Top 40 Under 40 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyers in California by The National Trial Lawyers. In 2018, Ella was honored with the Tribute to Women Award...

Janet L. Brewer is the principal of the Law Office of Janet L. Brewer, which has its headquarters in Los Altos, California. Janet serves clients throughout the Bay Area and Silicon Valley. She is certified by the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization as an estate planning and probate specialist – one of fewer than 100 practicing in Santa Clara County and fewer than 1,100 practicing in California (out of over 250,000 lawyers statewide). Janet has deep experience with complex estate planning situations. In her international estate planning practice, she helps non-resident aliens, visa holders, “green card” holders and other international...

Stephen N. Rosen is a dedicated personal injury lawyer in Dana Point and the founding partner of Rosen Law Offices. He is committed to helping injury victims obtain the justice they deserve. With almost a decade of experience with litigation, he’s unafraid to take a case to trial. Attorney Rosen because his legal journey Loyola Law School and is a member of both the Nevada and California bar. Because of his success with clients, he has been awarded the Super Lawyers® Rising Stars® award every year from 2015-2019 and was given a 10.0 rating on Avvo in car accident cases....