Selma Appeals & Appellate Lawyers

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...

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...

I'm 100% defense oriented since my first internship in law school in 1999. I've always helped clients charged with crimes and protected the innocent and wrongfully accused. I've never been a cop or a prosecutor; I've never arrested people or argued to send people to prison. I've always fought for the underdog against the massive weight of the state. Now I am directing my talents and energy to assist clients charged with DUIs and related offenses who want to fight their charge and avoid the DUI conviction nightmare.

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...

Attorney Caitlin Dukes is a former prosecutor who handles criminal appeals, writs, and other post-conviction relief for the criminal appeals firm Spolin & Dukes P.C. She has a wide array of experience in state and federal courts. Besides having served as a Deputy District Attorney, her background includes work for multiple judges and government entities (including Federal District Court Judge James Knoll Gardner and the United States Department of Homeland Security) as well as private sector experience defending clients wrongfully accused of crimes. Ms. Dukes’s primary goal on any given case is to identify the strongest arguments, clearly and succinctly present...

William Markham received his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1987 and has practiced law in California for the past thirty-one years. He is an accomplished, successful trial attorney who has tried dozens of matters, including several significant matters. He has obtained jury verdicts and bench verdicts in difficult trials of highly contentious matters. He has also handled several appeals that arose from his trial work, obtaining a reversal of a dismissal and various affirmances of his pre-trial and trial work.

Mr. Markham devotes most of his practice to litigation, particularly the litigation of claims for antitrust offenses, false...

Court Admissions:

United States District Court, Central District of California, May 30, 2007
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, October 26, 2009
United States District Court, Southern District of California, November 16, 2009
United States Tax Court, November 19, 2009
United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, January 10, 2010
United States District Court, Eastern District of California, June 3, 2010
United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, July 13, 2010
United States Court of International Trade, January 2, 2014
United States Court of Appeals For The Federal Circuit, June 30, 2015
United States Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals, May 3, 2017
United States...

Ms. Benedict is an appellate attorney in California and in federal courts. Ms. Benedict additionally provides legal writing services for fellow attorneys.

Ms. Benedict's litigation background included both defense and plaintiff representation. As a defense attorney, Ms. Benedict had a good working relationship with several insurance carriers advocating for their insureds in automobile liability, premise liability, and business liability matters. As a plaintiff's attorney, she was passionate about fighting for the rights of cyclists and motorists who sustained injuries in accidents. Working on both the plaintiff's side and the defense side provided Ms. Benedict with a unique objective view of...

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...

Mike is an attorney with Bartell, Hensel & Gressley. BH&G is the premier DUI and criminal defense firm in Riverside County. We are the authors of the leading DUI defense practice and lecture across the country on DUI and criminal defense strategies.

I am one of only a handful of local attorneys who have been actively trying cases before juries in this state for over 30 years now. I am a former Imperial County Deputy District Attorney IV (2002-2009), the last three years of which I served as the Director of the Special Prosecutions Unit (Narcotics). I am proud to be a Life Member of the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice (C.A.C.J.), and I am also a Private Defense Counsel Member of the California Public Defenders Association (C.P.D.A.). Most importantly, I would be privileged to represent YOU--and other accused persons--against...

When individuals or businesses are involved in any form of litigation, they want an attorney who offers face-to-face contact and provides valuable legal services at competitive and reasonable costs. The Law Offices of Frank S. Moore, APC in San Francisco and Healdsburg, California, has attorneys on staff and "of counsel" that are committed and dedicated to clients and have extensive experience in the following areas of practice: • Business Litigation • Appeals and Writs • Federal and White Collar Criminal Defense • Wrongful Death • Personal Injury • Civil Rights • Disability...

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...

Serving Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, San Fernando Valley, Santa Ana, Santa Barbara and Riverside. I am a Certified Specialist in Bankruptcy Law. I am an "AV"* rated attorney with 40 years of experience in solving bankruptcy problems. I am a Mensa certified genius with a strong ability to analyze and solve problems. If you are being hounded by creditors, I can legally erase your debts and get you a fresh start. If your business needs reorganization, I can give you protection from your creditors while you reorganize. If you have a claim against an individual or company that has filed...

A skilled attorney with litigation, appellate, and transactional experience in areas such as real property, contracts, business and corporate governance, business entity formation, and bankruptcy. Currently counsels Common Interest Developments on a wide range of matters, including operational issues, corporate governance, interpretation of governing documents, corporate matters, dispute resolution, litigation, and general transactional matters. Obtained very favorable outcomes for clients as both plaintiffs and as defendants, and is also one of the few attorneys knowledgeable of the unique issues surrounding homeowner associations as bankruptcy creditors. Obtained Juris Doctor degree from Pepperdine University School of Law. Licensed to practice...

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...

Attorney dedicated to "fighting for the average Joe." Brian W Freeman has been a California Lawyer since 2008 and has continually represented the interests of the working man from the beginning of his practice. I have chosen to specialize in Workers' Compensation law in order to pursue my goal of being the best possible workers' comp attorney serving Riverside County. This is something very few workers' compensation attorneys do due to the time commitment and complexity of earning the specialty certification. Since going into private practice, we've handled well over 1,100 workers' comp cases with employees who were injured at...

Gloria Martinez-Senftner heads up the Martinez Law Group, a bilingual Professional Law Corporation. with main offices at 1600 Sacramento Inn Way, Suite 116, Sacramento, CA 95815. The law firm engages in general practice, including trial and appellate work in State and Federal courts with a concentration in the areas of Immigration, Criminal Law, Personal Injury, Corporate, and Commercial Law.

Law School: University of Chicago Law School, JD
College: University of Texas-El Paso, BA.

Professional Memberships: State Bars of California, New York, Texas, Massachusetts, Iowa, and South Dakota; Member American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the Immigrant Legal Research...

Joseph F. Klatt is a veteran California litigator with demonstrated expertise representing individual and institutional clients in complex civil litigation matters. He is skilled in handling all facets of litigation, including initiating and planning a case, managing discovery, drafting dispositive motions and briefs, conducting depositions, trying and resolving cases, handling complex writs and appeals, and negotiating significant settlements in high stakes cases. He is recognized for handling complex, unique, and troublesome cases, providing innovative litigation strategies, looking at legal issues from multiple and unorthodox angles, and cost-effectively achieving his clients’ objectives.

Joseph was the Valedictorian of his law school...

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...

Practice Areas: Estates & Trusts, Trust and Estate Litigation, Elder Abuse, Conservatorships, Real Property, Business Litigation, Family, Divorce, Custody, Support Ms. Wickers handles clients legal needs including representing clients in trial, and appeals. In 2020, Christina Wickers obtained a Top Attorney Avvo Rating of 10/10 and was selected by Super Lawyers, Rising Stars List, for Southern California, in both 2020 and 2022 – a top rated Trusts and Estates Attorney in Southern California. No more than 2.5% of attorneys in the State of California are named to the Super Lawyers, Rising Star List. Similarly, she has...

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...

Steven Brunolli works in the appellate department at one of San Diego's oldest firms, Higgs, Fletcher & Mack. Steven is an accomplished appellate attorney with a passion for writing and a keen eye for detail. He has brought and defended writs and appeals in diverse areas of the law, including Family Law, Probate, Business Law, and Employment Law. Some of those matters have resulted in published decisions from the California Courts of Appeal. Appellate law requires a certain skillset and an entirely different knowledge of procedure than litigation in the trial courts. As such, trial attorneys often refer appeals...

Thomas Mauriello assists clients with an array of legal matters, including Business, Consumer, Investment, Government, Real Estate, Stock Broker, Investment and Environmental Law disputes. With over 30 years of experience, Mr. Mauriello is committed to delivering quality legal solutions with efficient and personalized representation throughout the State of California.

Mr. Mauriello is dedicated to involvement in his community. This has included coaching youth basketball and volleyball, as well as working with both Volunteers in Parole and the San Diego AIDS Project. Additionally, he has served on the Legal Committee of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club for many years.

Visit...

Jeffrey Lewis has been practicing law in Southern California since 1996. Mr. Lewis' current practice is limited to handling civil and criminal appellate proceedings as well as select business litigation matters in courts throughout Southern California. Mr. Lewis is a certified appellate specialist by the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization. California attorneys who are certified as specialists have taken and passed a written examination in their specialty field, demonstrated a high level of experience in the specialty field, fulfilled ongoing education requirements and been favorably evaluated by other attorneys and judges familiar with their...

RECENT JURY AND COURT TRIAL SUCCESSES*
Domestic Violence: Penal Code 242, 243, 243, 273.5 + Great Bodily Injury enhancement: Not guilty on all Four counts. Client walked.
DUI Jury Trial--Hung Jury: .18, running red light: hung jury 4-12, case dismissed.
0.01 DUI Probation (court trial),
0.05 DUI-THC, Opiates, gore point violation, drifting: Hung Jury 6-6 case dismissed,
.22 DUI Hung Jury 6-6 case dismissed,
.20 DUI Hung Jury 11-1 case dismissed,
.20 DUI Stipulated Acquittal;...

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...

I zealously counsel clients with an array of Financial, Business and Commercial Law matters. Licensed in California since 1976, I am an experienced mediator and also a veteran trial attorney.

My expertise lies in helping companies solve problems and seize opportunities. I am dedicated to aggressive advocacy focused on my clients' specific goals and objectives.

Visit my website for more information and representative cases. Contact me to see how I can assist you in resolving difficulties and creating opportunities.

I am a successful Intellectual Property, Patent, Litigation and Appellate Law attorney. Based in California, my experience includes trademark matters in more than 150 countries.

I provide aggressive advocacy for a full range of intellectual property and patent law issues. I am committed to achieving the best possible results with efficient and effective representation.

I received my B.A. from Yale University, where I played Varsity Lacrosse. My J.D. is from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.

Norvik Azarian is the Managing Attorney at Tact Law Firm, APC.  His practice focuses on assisting individuals with long-term disability and short-term disability ERISA claims, personal injuries, and appellate matters. While advocating for his clients, Norvik draws on his past experiences to provide unique insights to their cases and level the playing field.  Prior to starting Tact Law Firm, Norvik worked at two prestigious defense firms in Los Angeles, where he defended major insurance companies, ERISA benefits administrators, managed care entities, and Fortune 500 corporations. During his time as a defense attorney, Norvik represented many ERISA benefits lawsuits involving claims for long-term...

Van Dyke & Associates, APLC is a boutique probate litigation law firm providing sophisticated legal services to clients nationwide facing complex trust, estate and related tax matters in State or Federal Courts in the Southern California area. The firm is based in San Diego, CA and appears regularly in courts throughout California.

Paul W. Thorndal is a partner at Wald & Thorndal. He specializes in divorces of all kinds with an emphasis on gay divorce. Mr. Thorndal is a Certified Family Law Specialist (The State Bar of California Legal Specialization). Wald & Thorndal's practice areas include: Divorce, Dissolution & Contested Parentage Actions for all families; Custody Disputes; Mediation; Marvin Actions. Legal services provided at both the TRIAL and APPELLATE level. Assisted Reproduction; Adoptions of All Kinds; Family Contracts; Parenting Law including Surrogacy; Donor Contracts for Egg and/or Sperm Donations; Pre-Nupital Agreements; Co-Parenting Agreements; Domestic Partnership Agreements; Name Changes.

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 /...

I handle bankruptcy cases, as well as litigation in state court, federal court, and the bankruptcy court. My practice is based in Sonoma County, but I also represent clients in the counties of Napa, Mendocino, Lake, and Marin. The majority of my practice is focused on matters that require extensive litigation and trials, with a particular focus on consumer financial issues, including wrongful foreclosures and debt collection practices. I am a native of Santa Rosa, and a British citizen by descent.

Attorney Zein Obagi and friend Seth Stodder founded Obagi Law Group. P.C. in 2013, having worked previously with Allen Matkins LLP and Jones Bell LLP. Attorney Obagi focuses on several areas of the law, in particular litigation, debt collection, and bad faith insurance cases. A graduate of the University of Southern California, Gould School of Law, Attorney Obagi is admitted to practice law in California and in the U.S. District Court for the Central and Southern Districts of California. For your no-cost case evaluation to discuss your issue with the firm, call Attorney Obagi today at (310)...

I help clients by protecting the positive results they achieve in court or – when a trial has gone against the client – vindicating the client’s rights and getting them a second chance. High stakes litigation is like chess played in three dimensions. While the trial team works to win the case at trial, I focus on what will happen afterwards. Beginning even before the jury is chosen, I work to ensure that the clients’ themes and points are presented in the best way to persuade an appellate court, and that the client’s objections to any adverse decisions have...