Big River Appeals & Appellate Lawyers

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Dennis Temko provides exceptional representation in appellate matters in California State Courts in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and elsewhere. His appellate practice is focused on family law matters including custody, property division, child and spousal support, stock options, high income earners, Ostler Smith (bonus support orders), domestic violence restraining orders, and imputation, among other issues. Most of his practice has been devoted to family law appeals and writs since his 2013 admission to the California State Bar. Super Lawyers Magazine recognized Mr. Temko as a rising star in 2017, and again in 2018.

Mr. Temko has...

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

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...

Phil Israels graduated from the University of California at Berkeley where he studied Economics. He then attended the University of San Francisco, School of Law, where he received the American Jurisprudence Award. After graduating in 1975, he worked for the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office for four years as a prosecutor. In 1979, he decided to work as a criminal defense attorney. He is now a Board Certified Specialist in the field of Criminal Law During his tenure as a defense lawyer, he has successfully defended his clients against a wide range of criminal charges, including drunk driving, domestic violence, sexual related...

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...

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...

Admitted to the California Bar in 2001, I aggressively advocate for clients with Civil Rights, Employment, Constitutional, Personal Injury and General Civil law needs. I represent individuals, business and government entities in the State of California, the 9th Circuit, U.S. Supreme Court, as well as U.S. District Courts throughout California.

I am an accomplished attorney with proven results including settlement, trial and appellate cases. With innovative and effective litigation strategies, I aggressively pursue justice for my clients. I am dedicated to outstanding service and representation focused on the best possible outcomes.

Visit my website for more information and to see recent cases....

Michael Semanchik is the Managing Attorney at Semanchik Law Group. He comes to the team with nearly a decade of experience working for the California Innocence Project (CIP). Michael began as a student at CIP while in law school and found himself as a staff attorney several years later. In 2013, California Lawyer Magazine named him Attorney of the Year for his work on the Brian Banks case. Several months after receiving the award, he embarked on a 712 mile walk to deliver clemency petitions to Governor Brown for 12 innocent clients.

In the fall of 2013,...

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...

Criminal Defense Lawyer and Civil Litigator for over 40 years in Santa Barbara, California; Certified Criminal Law Specialist (The State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization); Past President of California Attorneys for Criminal Justice (CACJ).

Mr. Sanger has handled numerous high profile cases, death penalty and other homicide cases as well as complex criminal white collar and civil litigation in state and federal courts.

Mr. Sanger is also a Professor of Law and Forensic Science at the Santa Barbara College of Law and consults on forensic issues on a selected basis. He is an opponent of the death penalty...

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...

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...

Samuel R. Walker is a trusted attorney with a great reputation in and around Los Angeles County and Orange County. He handles Family Law, Estate Planning, Civil Litigation and Appellate matters. Walker Law Corporation will handle your legal matter with individualized attention and if a contested trial is necessary vigorously represent your legal interests. At Walker Law Corporation, we are committed to obtaining the best possible resolution for every client. We will ensure that you legal interests are represented in a compassionate, efficient and effective manner. We will deliver positive results. We have many satisfied clients and can provide references upon...

Mr. Kleven is a member of the State Bar of California, and also a member of the U.S. District Court, Southern District of California. Prior to opening his own practice in 2013, Mr. Kleven was an associate attorney at Baughman & Associates. Mr. Kleven's practice focuses on criminal defense and immigration law. Mr. Kleven earned his law degree from California Western School of Law in San Diego. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in international politics from Brigham Young University.

I started at the Public Defenders office in Sacramento in 2001. I worked there for 5 years. After leaving the Public Defenders office, I became the Senior Trial Attorney for United Defense Group. I have tried every type of criminal case, from misdemeanors to homicides. I started the Law Firm Wippert & Bramson. Wippert & Bramson are expert trial attorneys who have handled numerous high profile media cases.

I represent a wide range of clients in civil appeals and in writ proceedings, including business owners, property owners, insurers, employers, public entities, film finance lenders, film producers, bankruptcy creditors, and trademark holders. I also regularly provide assistance to trial counsel in proposing jury instructions and verdict forms and drafting dispositive motions and oppositions—all with a keen eye toward helping trial counsel to preserve the record for any future appeal.

Latika Malkani joined Siegel LeWitter Malkani in 1996, and since then has fought to preserve and enforce the rights of women and men working in a variety of professions. Latika's advocacy has included tireless representation of employees seeking justice and improved conditions in the workplace. Latika has a proven record of successful results, and has helped hundreds of employees establish better working conditions, negotiate severance and post-separation packages, as well as obtain fair and just compensation through enforcement of state and federal laws. Latika believes that no employee should be made to suffer inequality or humiliation in order to earn...

Fay Arfa has been awarded certifications in Criminal Law, Stat and Appellate Law by the State Bar of CA Board of Legal Specialization Certified Specialist. The National Board of Trial Advocacy (American Bar Association Accredited Organization) has certified her as a Criminal Trial Advocate,
Attorney Arfa handles all criminal cases and appeals including murders, sex crimes, trials, appeals and post-conviction matters. Because of her work on behalf of those accused of sex crimes, she has been awarded an attorney membership in the National Child Abuse Defense & Resource Center (NCADRC).
Please call her for a free telephone...

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 B.A. in Political Science, cum laude and her B.S. in Criminology, cum laude and with department honors. She received her J.D. from the University of Southern California, Gould School of Law in 2015.

During law school, Ms. Russell served as...

Attorney, private practice. I handle civil litigation and also advise and counsel primarily in the areas below. Litigation * I represent clients (both defendants and corporate plaintiffs) in antitrust litigation. On the defense side, I have represented clients in private suits, class action litigation, class action opt-out litigation, and government actions. * I routinely work on claims involving pricing, price fixing, below-cost pricing, information exchanges, monopolization, attempted monopolization, and unfair competition. * I often work on cases at the intersection of antitrust and competition law and intellectual property (“IP”) law -- particularly on cases involving patents. * I have worked on the responses to numerous...

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...

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.

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...

Yury Galperin is a litigator with over 14 years of experience representing clients. Yury is a partner at Galperin & Hensley LLP and draws on his extensive trial experience to advocate for his clients with the goal of achieving the best result in each case. Yury accepts free consultations and can be reached at (424) 325-6388.

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;...

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...

Getting her start in the trenches as a legal aid attorney, Erika has years of experience in seeking justice for employees and consumers against unfair practices. She has fought off debt collectors, obtained justice for wrongfully terminated employees, and untangled thorny credit reporting issues. She has taken on local government for refusing proper restroom access to transgender people. In 2015, she even had a federal court declare a state's garnishment statute unconstitutional for violating the rights of low-income debtors.

Whether your case is just starting, or whether you are up on appeal, Erika has the experience and...

Craig Wilke has over 30 years experience defending individuals and companies in federal criminal and related matters. Mr. Wilke was a Deputy Federal Public Defender in the Central District of California for 15 years, and was the Directing Attorney for the Orange County Branch Office for 8 of those years. He has tried 41 federal criminal cases involving every type of federal crime. Since 2008, he has been in private practice in Orange County, California, providing representation pre-indictment, at trial, on appeal, and in post-conviction matters.

"I am dedicated to my clients and work hard to achieve the results needed in every case" I have represented clients and continue to to serve the counties of San Francisco, Marin, San Mateo, Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara, Napa, San Joaquin and all other Northern California Counties. No case is to big, and no case is to small. Each one has a certain value to the client and each deserves 110% effort. This is what I do! We Handle everything from: Traffic stop signs; to DMV suspensions; to DUI cases; to serious felonies.

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...

Kate Reder is an associate attorney at Wald & Thorndal. She specializes in family formation, divorce, and dissolution for both traditional and non-traditional families. Firm 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.