Skyforest Insurance Defense Lawyers

Attorney Steven Blake founded the Blake Law Firm. Steve has over 14 years of experience handling a wide variety of real estate and litigation matters.

Steve has represented clients throughout all stages of dispute resolution and litigation, including mediations, arbitrations, court trials, jury trials, and appeals. In 2018, Steve argued before the California Supreme Court regarding a lawsuit involving a dispute over obligations under a ground lease and sublease of waterfront commercial property.

With Steve you get the quality and expertise of a larger firm attorney, but with the personal attention and care that only a small law firm can provide.

A Minnesota...

My focus is insurance and professional liability law. I have been litigating cases in California state and federal courts for over 10 years. I am an author of a new book called California Legal Malpractice Law published by the ALM.

Ms. McGuinness has extensive experience in all phases of litigation, including pleading, pre-trial discovery, depositions, motion practice, mediation, and trial practice, in both state and federal court. Ms. McGuinness also has experience litigating in other state jurisdictions. Ms. McGuinness’s primary areas of practice include labor & employment law (including wage and hour, retaliation and discrimination), civil and business litigation, construction, breach of contract, tort law and entertainment related litigation. Ms. McGuinness has represented Fortune 500 companies both prosecuting and defending against major construction defect claims and cross-claims. Prior to working at McGuinness & Associates, Ms. McGuinness practiced at a plaintiffs’ class...

Andrew Jay Waxler is a partner with Waxler Carner Weinreb Brodsky LLP. Mr. Waxler specializes in defending professionals in malpractice actions and represents insurers in professional liability coverage disputes. Mr. Waxler has written numerous professional liability policies. Mr. Waxler has contributed to various publications, including the California Practice Guide for Insurance Litigation published by the Rutter Group. Mr. Waxler also frequently lectures on loss prevention issues for California lawyers. Mr. Waxler previously was a partner at a large San Diego firm where he served as Co-General Counsel of the firm. Mr. Waxler has also...

Experienced Managing Attorney with a demonstrated history of working in the Civil Litigation industry. Skilled in Trials, Management, Employee Recruiting, Employee Training, Insurance Defense Litigation, Commercial Litigation, and Property & Casualty Insurance.

Karyne T. Ghantous is a California licensed attorney with over 25 years of litigation and insurance defense experience successfully trying cases and serving as independent/ Civil Code section 2860 “Cumis” independent counsel in all Northern California counties. Ghantous Law Corporation represents contractors, property owners, and insureds facing liability claims and litigation. We prioritize the best interests of the insureds over the carrier’s while making every effort to end rather than prolong litigation disputes.

I provide aggressive representation for Real Estate, Construction, and Insurance Defense law matters. I advocate for clients in all venues of California and federal courts, and in mediation, judicial reference, and arbitration cases. In addition to experience, skill and knowledge, I am dedicated to exceptional service and cost-effective representation. I am committed to achieving successful resolutions to meet my clients' needs. Born in Seoul, Korea, I was brought up primarily on the West Coast. I attended college and law school in California, and have been licensed as an attorney in good standing continuously since 2001.

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...

Ziyad is a partner and co-founder of Carmel & Naccasha LLP. He counsels domestic and international companies, their shareholders and officers in a variety of matters relating to their formation, business structure, employment litigation and insurance needs. Ziyad also serves as outside general counsel to SESLOC and a number of other companies and local businesses for their contract, real estate, employment, insurance and litigation needs. He also has represented domestic and international insurers and reinsurers in the defense of claims, on coverage disputes and in insurance policy drafting. As a complement to the representation of businesses, he also works with...

Mark is a 20-year civil litigation attorney with a practice focusing on on business, construction, real estate, and personal injury litigation. Mark’s clients include property owners, businesses, contractors, and manufacturers that he has successfully represented in trials involving contract claims, property disputes, jobsite accidents, product liability and professional liability litigation. Mark spent the year 2003 in the record eleven-month construction defect/mold trial of El Escorial v. Santa Barbara Villas. He obtained defense verdicts for his three clients in that case. Prior to joining Christman, Kelley & Clarke, PC, Mark was a founding partner of Hardin & Coffin, LLP...

Marvin J. Straus earned his law degree from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 1997. He is a Partner of Parker Straus LLP’s San Diego and Los Angeles officers. Primarily focusing on areas of complex fraud litigation and insurance defense, he has earned a reputation for his landmark case results and in-depth knowledge of the insurance industry. He has conducted many depositions, mediations, discovery, and examinations in cases ranging from arson, property theft, commercial, cargo, to specialty claims. Passionate about educating others on insurance defense, he frequently presents to insurance companies and organizations on fraud, coverage, and examinations.

Robert W. Harrison Partner robert.harrison@wilsonelser.com San Diego p 619.321.6200 c 619.787.8388 f 619.321.6201 Robert W. Harrison is the Regional Managing Partner of the WILSON, ELSER, MOSKOWITZ, EDELMAN & DICKER LLP office in San Diego. He has extensive experience in civil litigation with emphasis in the defense of professional liability (health care, lawyers, accountants and brokers), business litigation, employment law and products liability matters. He has tried over 100 cases to jury verdict and also has considerable experience in administrative hearings before the professional licensing boards of the State of California. Robert Harrison is a past president of California Defense Counsel (the lobbying arm of...

Ms. Beletsis has a general civil litigation practice with an emphasis on personal injury, legal malpractice, real estate disputes, trust litigation and appeals.

Ms. Beletsis has practiced law in Sonoma County since 1989. She started her career with a one year position as a Research Attorney for the civil judges on the Sonoma County Superior Court. She was an Associate with Boyd, Murray and Wick from 1990-1995. She has been an associate at Perry, Johnson, Anderson, Miller & Moskowitz since 1999.

Ms. Beletsis serves as a settlement conference panelist, discovery referee and arbitrator for the Sonoma County courts and serves as a...

Terrance J. Evans is a partner in the Trial Practice Group of Duane Morris in San Francisco. He concentrates his practice in representing the financial services industry, which includes international, national and community banks; loan service companies; and insurance companies.

With respect to the insurance industry, Mr. Evans concentrates his practice in complex commercial litigation and policy interpretation and analysis. He has represented commercial primary, excess and umbrella insurers in a wide range of multimillion-dollar cases, including declaratory relief, bad faith, rescission, subrogation, indemnity, additional insurance, interpleader and reformation actions.

In relation to the banking industry, Mr. Evans has represented international,...

Mr. Gomes was raised in Siskiyou County, California. He graduated from California State University, Chico with a degree in Political Science in 1996, and obtained his Juris Doctorate and certificates in public interest and high technology law from Santa Clara University School of Law in 1999. During law school he interned in and directed the Consumer Law Program at the East San Jose Community Law Center, worked in the legal department at Computer Curriculum Corporation, and externed for Magistrate judge Patricia V. Trumbull at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, in San Jose. After law...