Big Sur Appeals & Appellate Lawyers

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...

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...

Voted as 2018 "Attorney of the Year" by the Southwest Riverside County Bar Association. Since 1999, I have successfully represented several hundred individuals charged with Criminal Offenses including DUI and Juvenile Matters. Due to my reputation for integrity and straightforward, honest and ethical defense strategies, my negotiating tactics to dismiss or reduce charges are taken seriously by prosecutors and judges. I will do everything that is ethically possible to challenge probable cause and protect the best interests of my clients. My office is located near the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta and I represent individuals from the surrounding cities of...

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...

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...

Top 40 Under 40, Rising Star in California, Best Criminal Trial Attorney! Aggressive, young, and hungry. Sally does not shy from a fight, she comes prepared with a history of success, honors and awards recognizing her ability to win for her clients. Not one unhappy client- check the reviews. Sally is driven for success, in creating her own law firm to helping each and every one of her clients, she shows the same unyielding commitment.

The courtroom is more than arguing, there are numerous motions that are filed. You want an attorney with skills in research and writing so that...

I strongly believe that every person accused of a crime is entitled to an attorney who zealously advocates and fights on their behalf. I have been a part of Wallin & Klarich for many years and I remain committed to providing each of my clients with aggressive and knowledgeable legal representation. When you hire Wallin & Klarich, you hire a team of attorneys who work together to make certain that every legal avenue is explored in the defense of your rights.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

For more than twenty five years I have represented investors and consumers in class-action litigation, focusing primarily on federal civil appeals. I have briefed and argued appeals before all but two of the thirteen federal circuits, and was intimately involved in briefing the merits in three cases before the United States Supreme Court. My pro bono work has included writing and filing amicus curiae briefs on behalf of religious organizations and faith leaders opposing discrimination and supporting religious liberty and equal rights for all.

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...

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.

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...

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....

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...

Over his 18 years of practice in the Bay Area, Kevin Martin has developed a reputation as a fair- minded but tough negotiator representing client’s interests in intellectual property, business, real estate and personal injury actions. Kevin’s practice includes trademark, copyright and patent litigation, prosecution, licensing, business disputes, commercial litigation, personal injury claims, employer/employee disputes, trade secret and unfair competition claims, real estate litigation, contract disputes, and general advice and counsel. Mr. Martin maintains a regular blog on legal and other issues at www.landshark5000.wordpress.com. Mr. Martin regularly appears in both State and Federal Courts throughout California, before the Trademark...

Jarod Bona's practice is focused on antitrust, business litigation, appellate, real estate, and challenges to government conduct. He practiced at DLA Piper and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher for a dozen years before starting his own firm. He also clerked for Judge James B. Loken of the Federal Court of Appeals for the Eight Circuit. Mr. Bona won a bench trial, as first chair, for a client involving fraud claims and up to US$2.5 million at stake. In 2012, Mr. Bona played a major role in achieving summary judgment and a Federal Trade Commission dismissal with no action for his...

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...

Floyd J Fernandez is founder and managing attorney of Pacifica Legal Services. His breadth of experience in this field has included individual visa applications, family-based and employer-based, non-immigrant work, travel, and study visas (both domestic adjustment of status and consular applications), deportation defense and appellate work (before BIA, AAO, U.S. 9th & 7th Circuits, and U.S. Supreme Court). My clientele has included individuals both from within all of Southern California, several other U.S. states, and several additional nations.

He has strong writing and research skills from his work in appellate law along with a rich cultural experience...

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...

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

David E. Mastagni is a partner with the law firm of Mastagni Holstedt, APC, who specializes in labor and employment law representation of public safety employees, including trial and appellate litigation in California and federal courts. In particular, he handles complex civil, class action and collective action litigation, claims arising out of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the U.S. and California Constitutions, the California Public Records Act (CPRA), the Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights (POBR), the California Labor Code, the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act, and other statutes protecting the rights of employees.
Among his other legal activities, David is an...

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 /...

Boris has devoted himself to a career in criminal defense and fighting for the rights of the accused—a passion that grew from his experience being erroneously arrested at age thirteen due to a misidentification. This experience left him intimately aware of the kind of anxiety and fear a criminal accusation causes in one's life. Bringing this memory to the courtroom and negotiating table alike, Boris quickly gained a reputation as a fearless and zealous advocate for his clients who fights with integrity and compassion every step of the way.

Smart & Aggressive Criminal Defense. Experienced in representing individuals accused of crimes...

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...

Ilona Antonyan is a Founding Partner of Antonyan Miranda, a litigation trial attorney, and a Certified Family Law Specialist. Ms. Antonyan became the youngest person in California to become a Certified Family Law Specialist, after achieving the rigorous requirements in only five years of practice.

Having immigrated to the United States in 1992 as an Armenian refugee, Ms. Antonyan is fluent in English, Russian, and Spanish, and is collaterally licensed as a real estate broker, and also obtained Series 7 and 66 securities licenses. Ms. Antonyan focuses her practice exclusively on family law matters, specializing in high-net worth cases and those...

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...

The first 15 years of my legal career were spent as an investigator for the in-house law firm of a major nationwide non-profit organization. I managed up to 20 other investigators on complex, often high-profile, civil, criminal and tax litigation. In the 1980's I attended law school and settled in Visalia California, were I was a partner in a law firm focusing was on criminal and civil litigation in state and federal courts. I successfully obtained a LIFE verdict in a double homicide death penalty case. I handled many appeals for criminal defendants on an appointed independent basis for the...

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...

A tough, fearless and savvy federal criminal defense attorney since 1970. Forged in the trenches of the largest U.S. District Court in the U.S. – Los Angeles, California. Hardened by the toughest federal judges, Nixon appointees. Unrivaled credentials. 44 years of daily fighting against U.S. Attorneys. Recognized legal scholar with federal trial and appellate expertise. Proven by experience to be “par excellence” by judges, prosecutors and attorneys through Martindale-Hubbell's ratings and 35 published opinions in successful appeals. Joseph Shemaria graduated from U.C.L.A. Law School in 1969 with the most prestigious academic honors. He was a Senior Editor of the...

Gerald A. Klein has tried more than 40 cases to verdict. His success in the courtroom is underscored by the numerous accolades and recognitions he has achieved throughout his career, including selection by his peers as "Trial Lawyer of the Year" by the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association in 2003 and again in 2009.
Mr. Klein represents both plaintiffs and defendants in business litigation, legal malpractice, real estate, trade secrets, unfair competition, and insurance bad faith. He has also served as an expert witness in legal malpractice matters.
His tenacity in the courtroom led to a $26 million recovery, including...

Attorney Jeffrey Lewis Gold is a criminal and DUI defense attorney with the law firm Gold & Witham, representing the accused throughout Southern California. Mr. Gold is a graduate of Hastings College of Law in San Francisco (1983) and was admitted to the California State Bar the same year. Throughout his educational career, Mr. Gold received a number of legal honors and accolades such as “Best Appellate Brief and Oral Argument” and graduating with Magna Cum Laude honors from his undergraduate program. Prior to forming Gold & Witham with partner Nigel Witham, Mr. Gold worked for a variety of other...