Palm Desert Appeals & Appellate Lawyers

James Decker is an appellate attorney and founder of Decker Law. Prior to forming his own firm, James was a partner at a boutique real estate and business litigation firm in Orange County, and before then he served as lead attorney for a mid-size firm’s appeal and complex motion practice group. James attended law school at Chapman University School of Law, where he graduated with cum laude distinction. He also served on the Chapman Law Review and earned CALI awards (i.e., top class grade) in several courses. As an attorney, James’s expertise and passion is legal research and writing....

Jeff Grotke has successfully litigated in family law, including successfully defending against a claim of marital fraud, and has prevailed at trial in a claim of marital fraud and abuse of an elderly person. He has extensive experience with loan modifications, including post-foreclosure defense, bankruptcy actions, and other loan modification litigation. Personal injury cases are also about one-third of his practice, including auto-collision cases.

PUBLISHED OPINIONS Phyllis P. v. Superior Court, Civ. No. B018861, Court of Appeal California, Second Appellate District, Division Five. 183 Cal.App.3d 1193, July 30, 1986, John M. Polakovic and Robert W. Scott for Petitioner. Dixon v. Superior Court, No. G005278, Court of Appeal California, Fourth Appellate District, Division Three, 195 Cal.App.3d 758, October 22, 1987. Petitioner’s Application for Review by the Supreme Court was denied January 6, 1988. Mariellen Ross and Robert W. Scott for Real Parties in Interest. Creditors Collection Serv. v. Castaldi, Civ. A. No. 665881., APPELLATE DEPARTMENT, SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO, 23 Cal. App. 4th Supp. 1; January...

Call (800) 274-4290 for your free private consultation today and put my knowledge and experience to work for you.
Criminal Defense - Appeals / Appellate law - Federal Criminal Defense


Shaun Khojayan and Associates, a Criminal Defense Law Firm, based in Los Angeles will help you early in your criminal defense matter. We provide criminal defense representation in California State Courts and all United States Federal Courts.

Mr. Khojayan earned his J.D., with Distinction, from the University of the Pacific. He has conducted complex federal felony trials with most resulting in not guilty verdicts. Mr. Khojayan has also written and argued appeals...

Certified by the California State Bar as a Criminal Law Specialist. Over 20 years trial experience. Practice devoted to criminal defense. Top-Rated Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer (Rated Superb 10/10 by Avvo.com; Rated A.V. by Lawyers.com.) The law firm of Eisner Gorin LLP is Rated a Top 5% US Law Firm.

Spolin Law P.C.’s founder, Aaron Spolin, is a former prosecutor and award-winning criminal appeals attorney. He has achieved successful outcomes on hundreds of criminal cases, including numerous dismissals of major felony cases; non-criminal resolutions to complex fraud and insurance fraud defense cases; successful appellate outcomes from various appellate courts; and multiple not-guilty jury verdicts at trial. Innocent Spolin Law clients wrongfully accused of murder and other serious crimes are now free because of his work. Aaron is the recipient of various awards for his advocacy, including the American College of Trial Lawyer’s Medal for Excellence in Oral Advocacy as well as...

Scott Tillett co-founded Pine Tillett Pine LLP in 2016 where he handles civil appeals, specializing in plaintiff-side appeals with an emphasis on employment matters. Mr. Tillett is recognized as a Certified Appellate Law Specialist by the State Bar of California and he has been named to the Super Lawyers Southern California Rising Stars list consecutively since 2016. He was selected as one of five finalists for the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles's (CAALA) Appellate Attorney of the Year Award in 2019. Along with his partner, Norman Pine, Mr. Tillett was a recipient of the Daily Journal's 2020 California Lawyer...

Carin Johnson is a passionate defender of parents’ rights and has practiced dependency and juvenile law for over 27 years. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree at Chico State University and is a graduate of Golden Gate University, School of Law, 1993.

In September 2010, Carin presented oral argument in the California First District Court of Appeal, involving a case where the dependency court denied her client reunification services and sought to terminate her parental rights. Carin fought hard for the mother and won a rare REVERSAL, of the lower court’s ruling. This changed California law.

Again, Carin argued a wrongfully-accused...

Konstantine "Kosta" Demiris is a partner at the law firm of Demiris & Moore, located in the heart of downtown Walnut Creek, in the center of Contra Costa County. His practice focuses on litigation involving elder abuse (financial and physical), will and trust litigation, conservatorships, guardianships, HOA's, and appeals. Kosta is actively involved in the Contra Costa County legal community. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Contra Costa County Bar Association's Elder Law Section. He serves as court-appointed counsel in Conservatorship cases in Contra Costa County. Kosta is dedicated to helping...

I assist clients and/or their trial counsel in California's appellate courts, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. I am a Certified Specialist in Appellate Law, State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. I am one of about 300 certified specialists in this practice area in the State of California.

Recent statistics published by California's Judicial Council show that civil appeals are reversed about 17% of the time. When I represent an appellant, over the course of almost 30 years of handling civil appeals my reversal rate is over 3 times that.

For almost...

Attorney Richard M. Oberto is committed to providing clients the best legal representation in cases where people have the most at stake.

I am an Appellate Law Specialist certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization and I spearhead my firm’s Appeals and Writs group. I have handled appeals and writs in anti-SLAPP, civil-rights, commercial-litigation, employment, ERISA, family-law, personal-injury, probate, real estate and trust cases. I have briefed and orally argued writs and appeals before all manner of appellate courts, from the California Court of Appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. I have also successfully settled multiple cases in appellate mediation. As judicial clerk for both state and federal appellate courts, I have reviewed and analyzed literally hundreds of...

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...

Over his 18 years of practice in the Bay Area, Kevin Martin has developed a reputation as a fair- minded but tough negotiator representing client’s interests in intellectual property, business, real estate and personal injury actions. Kevin’s practice includes trademark, copyright and patent litigation, prosecution, licensing, business disputes, commercial litigation, personal injury claims, employer/employee disputes, trade secret and unfair competition claims, real estate litigation, contract disputes, and general advice and counsel. Mr. Martin maintains a regular blog on legal and other issues at www.landshark5000.wordpress.com. Mr. Martin regularly appears in both State and Federal Courts throughout California, before the Trademark...

Ms. Russell was raised in Northern California and attended California State University, Fresno as a member of the Smittcamp Family Honors College. She competed for four years as a member of the Fresno State Mock Trial team, completing over one hundred trials and winning numerous awards for her performance as a student attorney and witness. She graduated in 2012 with her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, cum laude, and her Bachelor of Science in Criminology, cum laude and with department honors. She received her juris doctor degree from the University of Southern California, Gould School of Law in 2015. During...

Floyd J Fernandez is founder and managing attorney of Pacifica Legal Services. His breadth of experience in this field has included individual visa applications, family-based and employer-based, non-immigrant work, travel, and study visas (both domestic adjustment of status and consular applications), deportation defense and appellate work (before BIA, AAO, U.S. 9th & 7th Circuits, and U.S. Supreme Court). My clientele has included individuals both from within all of Southern California, several other U.S. states, and several additional nations.

He has strong writing and research skills from his work in appellate law along with a rich cultural experience...

For nearly 25 years, Sa'id Vakili has represented businesses and individuals in litigation matters involving complex business and contract disputes, business torts, direct and derivative shareholder disputes, intellectual property disputes, and all forms of employment claims. He has also handled a variety of serious injury tort claims including those arising under maritime and aviation law. Mr. Vakili is admitted in California, New York, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. and has handled cases in various other jurisdictions such as Florida, Nevada, Ohio, South Dakota, and Virginia through associations with local law firms in those locations. Mr. Vakili has also served...

For over 30 years, Mark Anchor Albert has consistently achieved outstanding results for his clients in complex business litigation and trials. He has been instrumental in obtaining hundreds of millions of dollars in recoveries for his clients from corporations and their insurance carriers in difficult cases involving complicated liability, damages, and related insurance coverage issues. He also has successfully defended companies and individuals facing hundreds of millions, even billions of dollars in potential liability, often succeeding in having difficult cases dismissed by motion before trial, or otherwise obtaining deeply discounted settlements on favorable terms.

Mr. Albert provides sophisticated legal services for...

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...

Attorney Michael McKneely with Michael McKneely, Criminal Defense Lawyer is a compassionate and dedicated litigator who provides criminal defense for good people in central California and in federal courts across the country. He puts his extensive experience to work in difficult cases involving cutting edge technology and the most complex legal issues at the forefront of criminal law.

Mike Darlington - Uniquely Qualified To Protect Your Interests

I have litigated and negotiated thousands of divorces. For 15 years I was called upon as a judge pro tem (temporary judge) in the family law courts of San Bernardino County. For over 10 years I held the contract to advocate for minor children in custody cases in the Rancho Cucamonga courts. These experiences give me a unique perspective, enabling me to more fully understand the legal issues at play and how the judge will view your case.

I am familiar with every stage of the legal process, from filing the initial paperwork...

Chapman Law Group, A.P.C. handles personal injury law, real estate and business counseling, and general litigation and appeals in state and federal courts. Attorney David Chapman is a Certified Mediator. The firm serves clients throughout Marin County, the greater San Francisco Bay Area, and Northern California. Mr. Chapman represents seriously injured victims in cases involving auto accidents, wrongful death, catastrophic injury – including brain and spine injuries - dog bites, slip & fall, medical malpractice, and elder abuse. Mr. Chapman’s real estate practice handles cases involving nondisclosure, fraud, easement and boundary issues, HOA & landlord /...

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...

John Runfola is a highly experienced and effective criminal defense attorney. His cases have at times drawn international attention, and he has succeeded in winning favorable results for clients both at trial and through skillful pre-trial work. He is listed in Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers and has earned the highest rating from the national lawyer registry Martindale Hubbell. Prior to starting his own practice, Mr. Runfola served as a Public Defender in San Francisco, where he gained invaluable courtroom experience. He is a seasoned trial lawyer, yet is equally adept at the behind-the-scenes work that often proves critical to a...

Erik Christensen litigates, and provides counsel on, corporate and employment issues in California and the District of Columbia. His experience includes working as a senior associate at top-ranked global law firms, including Littler Mendelson and Greenberg Traurig. Before this, Erik externed at the California Supreme Court and the First District Court of Appeal, two of the most prestigious opportunities provided to law students in California. Erik also served as a law clerk for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Victim Impact Program (sometimes referred to as the “Special Victims Unit.”) His experience includes years of service with the 101st Airborne’s...

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...

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...

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...

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.