Benicia Lawyers

Throughout her legal career, Vanessa has practiced exclusively in family law. With her legal training and knowledge, she provides compassion and advocacy for her clients. Vanessa’s experience working on a broad spectrum of family law matters include divorce, pre-divorce counseling and planning, premarital agreements, complex marital property issues, high conflict child custody disputes, child and spousal support issues and domestic violence prevention and defense. Vanessa protects her clients’ assets and the best interests of her clients and their children. She represents clients in public court and before private judicial officers. In addition, she serves as a consulting attorney for clients...

Leigh E. Johnson is a practicing trial lawyer, and principal of “Trial Whisperer” Trial Consulting. Leigh is dedicated to assisting lawyers preparing for trial in both civil and criminal arenas. Her expertise is in developing an effective storyline that serves as the vortex for opposing counsel. She accurately identifies issues and reconstructs them to achieve positive outcomes within a variety of legal forums from arbitration to trial. Leigh’s philosophy is that in order to obtain the best results regardless of forum, you should always prepare your case as if it were going to trial. Leigh’s passion and primary focus...

Joe Appel has specialized in personal injury cases for more than 30 years. He’s seen it, tried it, and won it, both in state and federal courts. Joe graduated from St. Mary’s College of California, Moraga, California in 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He also played basketball for the Galloping Gaels for four years. At graduation Joe received the Scholar Athlete of the Year Award. He then attended and graduated from University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 1979. Joe was admitted to the California and Federal Courts in the same year. He has been a member...

Mr. Johnson has been practicing law for over 27 years. He has been a partner in The Law Office of Johnson & Johnson since 1998. The Law Office of Johnson & Johnson defends clients in matters related to Criminal Defense; Juvenile Dependency; Driving Under the Influence; Juvenile Delinquency, Civil Rights Litigation and related matters. Mr. Johnson and the attorneys at The Law Office of Johnson & Johnson are committed to their clients and their clients' circumstances.

Mr. Johnson has personally conducted well over 100 jury trials in courts throughout the state and federal court. He has engaged...

As an San Francisco Bay Area labor and employment attorney at Littler Mendelson, I represent employers in all phases and types of employment litigation (e.g., wage and hour class actions, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, misclassification, wrongful termination, etc.), provide advice and counsel to employers regarding their employment practices and policies, and create and present customized workplace trainings and presentations unique to employers' goals and company culture. My professional experiences outside of the realm of law are rooted in business, management, and accounting.

We are dedicated to the practice of Immigration and Naturalization Law exclusively, serving the San Francisco Bay Area. Te: 925-407-2149 Services include: Family immigration law: marriage and fiance visas, family petitions, waivers of unlawful presence, green cards. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Original Applications and Renewals) Business Immigration law: visas to work and/or invest (HB, TN, E investor visas, employment-based green cards. Visas for athletes and entertainers. LGBT Immigration law: visas and petitions for same sex couples. Citizenship and Naturalization. Languages: English, Spanish Marcela Knaup is a bilingual Spanish-English attorney. www.knauplegal.com Marcela@knauplegal.com Te: ...

Mr. Tabayoyon is an experienced trial attorney that focuses on personal injury and family law matters, including federal and state trial litigation.

Rhoda Chandler is a Super Lawyers "Rising Star" and a Certified Family Law Specialist as designated by the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization. Ms. Chandler is a native Californian, born and raised in Los Angeles, where she graduated from California State University Los Angeles. Prior to obtaining her law degree Ms. Chandler was an executive with one of California's largest Fortune 500, New York Stock Exchanged, retail grocery companies and brings that extensive business and management experience to the practice of law. Ms. Chandler obtained her Juris Doctorate at Creighton University School of Law where she was a member...

Candace opened her own law practice in 1996. Candace’s law practice focuses on helping clients with their bankruptcy and business needs. For the past 27 years, Candace has devoted her law practice to assisting individuals and businesses through the difficult process of bankruptcy and reorganization after carefully examining all options with her clients. Candace helps her clients navigate through the difficult and stressful process of filing for protection under the federal bankruptcy law. Candace has fought for the rights of numerous individuals and businesses facing economic uncertainty which has required representation in the federal Bankruptcy Courts, and advising...

Mr. Wood began his legal career with the view of developing a personally rewarding practice by working directly with individuals and families. He draws upon his financial background to apply creative approaches to complex Bankruptcy issues. Mr. Wood currently provides Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 services to his clients. Prior to establishing his firm, Mr. Wood worked at a prominate Bankruptcy Law Firm counseling clients in the areas of Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 Bankruptcy and in Consumer Litigation. Mr. Wood has also worked as a project manager for Morgan Stanley Capital International and in portfolio management at Mellon...

I help clients with their employment, business, and start-up needs. I also represent clients involved in civil litigation. Please contact me to find out how I can help you with your legal needs.

Santa Rosa criminal defense lawyer Ronald Dinan is the founder of Ronald Dinan & Associates, where he and a team of legal professionals offer diligent representation to Northern California residents who have found themselves charged with a crime. In his nearly 40-year career, Mr. Dinan has handled 12,000+ cases, and as a result he has a sophisticated understanding of the California justice system. He is a member of a number of professional organizations, including California Attorneys for Criminal Justice, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and National College for DUI Defense. In 2013, he founded the VA Free Legal...

Andre Khansari is an accomplished Southern California attorney. He represents individuals and businesses in Bankruptcy, Real Estate, Business, and Personal Injury matters. With nearly 20 years of experience, peers and clients alike have recognized Andre as an exceptional attorney.

Andre is committed to providing large firm advocacy with small firm prices. Call today to schedule a consultation to learn how he can help you.

We are a boutique Immigration Law Firm based in Berkeley, CA. We provide personalized and efficient U.S. Immigration legal services to Individuals, Families, Startups, Entrepreneurs, and Small Businesses throughout the United States.

Stephen offers experienced business and legal counseling to individuals and corporations throughout the Bay Area, including: (1) Business litigation and dispute resolution services involving misappropriation of trade secrets, non-compete/solicitation agreements, mechanics lien and payment bond claims, commercial leases, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, fraudulent misrepresentation and unfair, unlawful or fraudulent business practices (Bus. & Prof. C. sec. 17200); (2) Construction contracting; (3) Intellectual Property licensing and distribution; and (4) E-commerce, website terms of use, privacy policies and data protection and security.

I have been in solo private practice representing plaintiffs in the areas of environmental, land use, and elections law for almost thirty years. My clients are usually local environmental groups, neighborhood associations, homeowner associations, and occasionally individuals or government agencies. In addition to my law degree (New College of Calif., 1990) have undergraduate and masters of science degrees in biology from Brown University and a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology from Harvard University. I spent ten years working as a researcher in agricultural biotechnology before doing a career change and getting my law degree.
I represent clients...

Mr. Mastro was born in Oakland, grew up around the East Bay, and has spent his life living throughout the Bay Area, from San Francisco to San Jose. Mr. Mastro graduated from the Santa Clara University School of Law in May 2006. He then passed the California State Bar Examination in July 2006 on his first attempt. Thereafter, Mr. Mastro became a Deputy Public Defender in San Joaquin County, representing clients in all manner of criminal cases, in a high-volume capacity. In 2009, Joe decided to return home to open his own law firm. Since then...

A resident of Oakland, Len spent much of his legal career with prestigious, top-ranked, San Francisco law firms. Mr. Watkins brings the same level of expertise, and standard of excellence, to his practice in the East Bay. Focusing on consumer bankruptcy and business law, Mr. Watkins’ depth of experience and training include: A Masters of Business Administration, concentrating on finance, from the University of California, at Davis A stock brokerage license (inactive) from the National Association of Securities Dealers A California Real Estate Broker’s license Previous Experience Business Attorney Norris & Norris (now...

Conor attended UCLA for his undergraduate education, where he majored in Political Science. He then stayed at UCLA for another 3 years, graduating with his law degree in 2016. From 2016-2020 he worked as a Deputy DA at the Sacramento District Attorney’s Office, where he handled large misdemeanor and felony caseloads and gained valuable courtroom experience. Since 2020, he has been practicing criminal defense law, with a primary focus on DUI cases.

Eloy I. Trujillo is a California DUI defense attorney with over 17 years of experience as a criminal defense lawyer. His mission is to provide quality representation tailored to clients’ individual needs and resources. Before entering private practice, Mr. Trujillo worked as a Deputy Public Defender, legal aid lawyer, and as a staff attorney with the statewide non-profit impact litigation firm, Prison Law Office. During his career he has worked in a variety of practice areas, including criminal defense, correctional mental health and parole suitability. With a practice focused exclusively on DUI (drunk driving), we provide representation in courts throughout the...

My goal is always to achieve the best possible outcome for the client. My current practice focuses on live musical and theatrical entertainment, and general civil litigation in federal and state courts. Other practice areas include alternative dispute resolution, copyright and trademark consultation, licensing and protection of intellectual property rights, employment issues, internet law, and appellate work. I also have substantial prior business experience in internet, alcoholic beverage distribution and entertainment industries. I am fluent in Hebrew.

Before starting my family law practice, I worked for 5 years at a non-profit, where I successfully litigated in court on behalf of survivors of domestic violence and their children. I obtained Temporary and Permanent Restraining Orders, Child Visitation and Custody Orders, as well as Child Support. Since 2007, I have offered amicable, uncontested divorce and separation options for those who want to stay out of court, including high conflict and complex cases involving domestic violence, substance abuse and mental illness. I provide services as a Mediator (neutral third party), Collaborative Divorce attorney (using a team approach),...

My law practice focuses on representing injury and death victims and their families. Many of my cases have involved personal injury, car accidents, accidental death, wrongful death, truck accidents, big-rig accidents, motorcycle accidents, products liability, defective products, dog bites, nursing home injuries, pedestrian accidents, bicycle accidents, and dangerous property. I have been highly successful in favorably resolving my clients' cases and obtaining monetary compensation for my clients for over 22 years. My clients have suffered catastrophic injuries, death of a family member, serious injuries requiring hospitalization or surgery and many other types of injuries including coma, brain injuries, quadriplegia, triplegia, loss of...

For more than 30 years, Mike Appel has devoted his practice exclusively to personal injury and wrongful death cases. He represents clients throughout California, both in State and Federal courts. Born and raised in Redondo Beach, Mike attended St. Mary’s College of California, Moraga, California, where he majored in English. He was an editor of the college’s literary magazine, "The Phoenix." He also played rugby for the Gaels, and was a member of the team that went on the first annual rugby tour of the East Coast. Mike received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1970. At graduation he also received...

Joseph A. Motta was born and raised in the East Bay. He attended St. Mary’s College and graduated in 1984. He graduated from McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento in 1987. Joe’s legal career started as a Deputy District Attorney in Contra Costa County; from 1988 to 2004. There, he handled thousands of cases. He was a trial attorney on every team including Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, and Homicide. He supervised the Misdemeanor, Domestic Violence, and Sexual Assault Teams; as a supervisor, he maintained his own load of serious cases. As a deputy D.A., Joe prosecuted a number of high...

Having come to law as a second career, I bring a broad perspective to client needs. I am honored to work with a wide range of single people and families to create estate plans that will achieve the goals that are important to them, and do everything possible to avoid the problems they are concerned about.

Whether you want to craft a plan that will avoid fighting among a blended family, protect your disabled child with a special needs trust, or pass your assets to your favorite charities, we will work together to plan and implement your ideal estate plan.

In my early years as a financial planner, I realized that estate planning was an often-overlooked area of planning not only by clients but by their financial advisors. The reason I became an attorney was to help people make sure that their wishes are carried out during incapacity and after death. I had seen too many people impacted by the lack of estate planning or poor estate planning. I did not want to see the government or the courts take control of a person's property in a way that was not consistent with the person's wishes and intent. I am passionate...

Attorney Adam M. Carlson is managing partner at Casper, Meadows, Schwartz & Cook. While he is skilled in various areas of law, he focuses the majority of his practice handling cases related to wrongful death, civil rights, and personal injury. He believes that tailoring each case to each client’s needs is key to providing aggressive and compassionate legal representation.

Before joining the firm, Carlson served as an intake assistant for our team, where he was responsible for fielding calls from potential clients. It was at this time that Carlson decided he wanted to do more. He found that he was passionate...

The Choyce Law Firm- Sacramento DUI Lawyer Dionne Choyce has acquired a great reputation for being a passionate and hardworking trial attorney. His courtroom development began at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, where he helped lead the McGeorge trial competition team to a Regional Championship in the American Trial Lawyers Association Competition (ATLA). After graduating from law school, Mr. Choyce went to work for the Alameda County District Attorneyâs Office (Oakland, CA), where he gained extensive courtroom experience prosecuting all phases of criminal cases, including jury trials, felony preliminary hearings, juvenile felony trials, as well as...

Mr. Cross is an expert in the field of criminal law. Mr. Cross will fight more aggressively than anyone to bring you the best outcome possible. He passionately cares about defending his clients and does everything within his power to help them. Having attended the University of California, Berkeley for Undergraduate studies, he received a B.A. in Legal Studies. He subsequently attended the prestigious San Francisco Law School to receive his J.D. He is a member of many associations, including the State Bar Association, the Alameda County Car Association, the San Mateo County Bar Association and the Delta Theta Phi...

MANJULA MARTIN is a criminal defense attorney at Lamano Law Office. Prior to her work with LLO, she clerked for the San Francisco District Attorney’s office where she worked on domestic violence cases, sexual assault crimes, and felony preliminary hearings. She received the Cali Excellence Award for Criminal Litigation in 2008 and helped draft a presentation that was used at an international conference on identifying and combatting Human Trafficking. It was during this tenure that she realized that her true passion in helping people.

Ms. Martin went on to represent low-income women seeking to leave abusive situations in...

Shahrad Milanfar is a Trial Attorney and Mediator who has focused his career on serious personal injury, automotive, asbestos and other types of product liability, transportation/ trucking, and habitability cases. Since the beginning of his career, Shahrad has worked on catastrophic injury cases such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), serious orthopedic injuries, including quadriplegia and paraplegia.

Shahrad gained his trial and courtroom experience while working with the district attorney’s office and as a civil trial attorney. He has handled cases form inception to verdict as the primary trial attorney. Over the past 20+ years, Shahrad has managed serious personal injury and...

Mr. Poulin is experienced in the areas of real estate, business, and construction litigation. He has trial experience in both state and Federal court, and has experience in all aspects of dispute resolution. Mr. Poulin has successfully represented clients in broker disputes, foreclosures, neighbor disputes, title insurance coverage, fraud, breach of contract, breach of lease and landlord-tenant issues. Real estate issues include construction defect cases, damages on behalf of contractors, subcontractors, architects and engineers in mechanic's liens, stop notice, payment and performance bond actions. Prior to joining The Williams Firm, Mr. Poulin was an associate at the law...

Richard is a USPTO Registered Patent Attorney who loves helping creative people realize their dreams. Rich received his BA from Princeton University, then completed his Physics coursework at San Francisco State University. Rich received his J.D. with Honors & Certified in Intellectual Property from the University of Oregon School of Law. Rich has practiced in patent prosecution, patent litigation and military law, having served as an Army JAG Corps Captain stateside and overseas. Many lawyers call themselves "i.p. lawyers," but few are truly Registered with the USPTO, licensed to secure you your patent or ® Trademark. Look...

Areas of Expertise

Business advice and counseling
Contract drafting and review
Corporate structure and transactions
Licensing and regulation
Employment and labor negotiation
Insurance coverage and claims handling
Education

B.A., Colgate University, 1991
Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude
J.D., University of Wisconsin Law School, 1994

Martin is an experienced business attorney who facilitates transactions while minimizing the risks and pitfalls facing his clients. Martin takes a “can-do” approach to legal problems that focuses on crafting deals through an integrative and value creating process rather than conflict.

Attorney with over 30 years of experience representing clients in Divorce and Family Law matters. Certified Specialist in Family Law, certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. My practice includes representation in all areas of divorce and family law, including child custody; child visitation; child support; spousal support ; division of community property (including high value assets); annulment; paternity; and drafting marital settlement agreements. I am also available to provide limited scope representation or consultation for self-represent parties. Representing clients throughout Contra Costa and Alameda Counties.