Whitewater Insurance Defense Lawyers

Santino Tropea is a founding partner of Tropea McMillan. A significant portion of his practice includes representation of clients in toxic tort claims, actions brought under the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and all phases of CERCLA and the Superfund process. He has successfully represented clients in regulatory disputes and negotiations with both state and federal agencies, and has implemented supplemental environmental projects/pollution prevention plans to reduce or eliminate fines and penalties. He defends Proposition 65 cases and citizen's suits alleging False Claim Act violations and other related matters. Santino's experience includes representation of California municipalities, large chemical,...

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...

Nicholas A. Konoske is a member of the firm acting as a business advisor and general counsel for businesses at various stages in their growth cycle, from start ups to mature operating companies, and he has particular expertise in counseling early stage and emerging growth technology companies. Mr. Konoske advises clients in business strategy, start up business formation and structuring, corporate formation and entity selection, corporate governance, the development of funding strategies and the alternatives available to entrepreneurs. He is actively involved in a full range of legal projects, including mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financing (including angel and...

Michael Rogers primarily represents national and regional automotive dealership clients in a wide variety of legal matters including consumer actions and complex litigation, federal and state regulatory matters, unfair competition claims, commercial and consumer litigation, labor and employment issues and franchise disputes. He has significant experience in effectively resolving high-stakes litigation and providing counsel for litigation avoidance and regulatory compliance. In addition to automotive dealerships, his clients include automotive affiliated businesses such as finance companies, flooring lenders, automobile service centers, and surety bonding companies. In addition to his extensive understanding of the complexities of the automotive industry, Michael’s particular...

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...

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...

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...

Kristi W. Dean, Managing Partner, is a skilled trial lawyer who represents clients in business disputes. Kristi was named a 2013 Trusted Advisor by the San Fernando Valley Business Journal. She has been consistently named a "Southern California Super Lawyer" and recognized as "one of the top" lawyers in Southern California by her peers in Los Angeles Magazine, Law & Politics Media, Inc., and Super Lawyer publications. Kristi represents corporations and business organizations in various litigation disputes, including breach of contract, shareholder disputes, unfair business competition, trade secret misappropriation, tortious interference, wage & hour, shareholder derivative actions, and breach of...

Robyn M. McKibbin, Partner, has a broad-based litigation practice representing both corporate and individual plaintiffs and defendants with primary emphasis on employment law including wage and hour, harassment, discrimination, and wrongful termination. She represents clients in private mediations and arbitrations, before administrative agencies and in state and federal courts. She provides preventive personnel advice concerning hiring, firing, leaves of absence, internal investigations, and disciplinary action. Robyn prepares and evaluates client personnel manuals, policies and forms, and negotiates and drafts employment, confidentiality, separation, and severance agreements. She also provides anti-harassment, discrimination and retaliation training for supervisors and...

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...

Te’Reisha Graves represents individuals, businesses and public entities as both plaintiffs and defendants in a wide range of tort and personal injury matters in courts throughout California. Having handled litigation from both sides of the table, she has developed a unique skill set that allows her to quickly analyze claims and develop resolution strategies to meet her client’s needs. Te’Reisha was designated as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers, and in 2021, on the plaintiff’s side, she resolved her first 7-figure settlement in a wrongful death matter. Te’Reisha is a 2015 magna cum laude law school graduate from Florida A&M University....

I have extensive experience in all phases of litigation and trial. Before going into private practice, I have served as Deputy Attorney General in California. I've worked with individuals in major class actions and other cases with state and nationwide ramifications. I've also successfully handled a wide range of civil rights matters, especially cases involving police misconduct and employment issues.

Michael Wellen earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles. He earned his J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law, where he was on Law Review. While pursuing his law degree, Mr. Wellen worked in the Orange County Distrct Attorney's Office, felony panel unit.

Mr. Wellen has been practicing for over ten years and has concentrated on civil liability with a focus on medical malpractice, personal injury, public entity liability, premises liability and general civil liability matters. He has also worked on employment law matters and public entity defense.

Mr. Wellen currently focuses...

Robert Lockhart is a founding member and serves as the managing partner of the Sacramento, California and Scottsdale, Arizona offices of Lockhart Park, LLP. Mr. Lockhart has more than 20 years experience litigating personal injury, construction defect and commercial matters. Mr. Lockhart has special expertise in the representation of subcontractors, manufacturers and material suppliers in construction related disputes. Mr. Lockhart was a partner at LaMore, Brazier, Riddle & Giampaoli before founding Lockhart Park, LLP with JuLyn Park. He has litigated complex construction cases through arbitration and trial in both state and federal courts. Lockhart Park, LLP's construction litigation practice...

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...

William Kaufman has been a litigator throughout his career and has extensive experience in multiple practice areas of civil litigation. Mr. Kaufman’s legal career began representing individuals in bankruptcy and family law matters. Over the last several years, his focus has been exclusively on construction litigation. Prior to joining Lockhart Park. LLP, Mr. Kaufman was an associate attorney at Leonidou & Rosin representing large general contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers in construction litigation matters involving mechanic’s liens, stop payment notice, payment bonds and delay claims. Thereafter, Mr. Kaufman was a senior associate at LaMore, Brazier, Riddle &...