Vernalis Lawyers

MICHAEL R. NORTON attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts with Highest Honors in 1975. He attended U.C./Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco and was admitted to the bar in 1978. He has been a trial attorney since 1978, first with the San Joaquin County Office of the Public Defender, then as a member of Rishwain, Ellis and LeBeouf in Stockton. In 1988, Michael opened his own practice, which has been growing steadily ever since. His practice focuses exclusively on family law and related matters. Michael...

Roberto Jimenez, Jr. was born and raised in Stockton, California, the center of the Central Valley. He started his legal career in 2019 at a prominent law firm in Stockton, representing employees and small businesses in addition to tackling a wide range of other legal matters. Following his time at the Stockton law firm, Mr. Jimenez’s experience and knowledge achieved him recognition and employment by one of United States’ largest and well-known employment litigation law firms in Sacramento. At the large law firm, Mr. Jimenez defended large nationwide businesses in a wide range of employment disputes. With this wealth of...

For fifteen years I worked criminal and family law in the Court House as a Court Clerk. I bring that experience to you.

I am a 30 year veteran of the United States Navy. I retired as a Captain. I went to law school to fulfill a lifelong passion and now I am working hard to protect the rights of those in need of legal help and navigating through our excellent, though complex legal system.

I have been handling Juvenile Delinquency matters since 2007. I accept only Court appointed cases.

Ms. Patricia Mercedes Zerbini is a Bay Area native. She graduated from the University of California Santa Cruz in 2005 with a double major in Politics and Legal Studies. She then earned her Juris Doctorate from Golden Gate University School of Law in 2009 with the intent of applying her legal knowledge to help those around her. Ms. Zerbini joined Hoover Krepelka, LLP in 2022, bringing her extensive and skilled experience in high conflict custody and complex financial cases. She has shown her aptitude for understanding complex international law and jurisdiction issues such as Applications and Trials under The Hague Convention...

Jillian E. Atuegbu is an accomplished attorney in the practice of family law. She is certified by the California State Bar as a Family Law Specialist. Ms. Atuegbu’s practice is devoted exclusively to family law matters. She understands and recognizes how incredibly stressful and life-altering separating from a spouse or partner can be. She ensures that she has a clear understanding of her client’s goals, while providing practical solutions based in the law. She knows the processes and procedures that will affect her clients’ cases and enlists the assistance of experts, as appropriate. Ms. Atuegbu is child-focused and expects that...

United States Patent Attorney Karthik Murthy has over 10 years of experience in patent and trademark law. He has written and filed numerous patent applications in a wide variety of technical fields. He has responded to office actions, talked with patent examiners, and brought several patents to issue. He also has several years of experience in patent litigation. He is well versed in writing complaints, writing claims charts, responding to motions, settlement negotiations and electronic data discovery. He has worked with all types of clients, including large multinationals, growing startups and individuals, from all around the world.

It can be a very trying and stressful time when you find yourself in need of an attorney. Not only are you concerned about your particular legal issue, but like most people, you are concerned about the relationship you will have with your attorney and the fees that will be charged. Let's face it, lawyers, like politicians, have a bad reputation. People worry their attorney will not take their case seriously, or will try to squeeze every dime they can out of the case. I understand these feelings and concerns. Unfortunately, they are far too often justified. Before I became a...