Patton Business Lawyers

Joshua A. Smisko was born in Valencia, California. He attended the University of California, Irvine, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts. Mr. Smisko received his Juris Doctorate degree from Whittier Law School where he was a member of the Entertainment and Sports Law Society and a contributor to their quarterly newsletter and he also obtained a certificate in Intellectual Property. Mr. Smisko previously worked for a National Law Firm representing Banks, Mortgage Loan Lenders, Mortgage Loan Servicers and Foreclosure Trustees dealing with Wrongful Foreclosure claims, Fair Credit Reporting Act claims, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act claims, Evictions, and Bankruptcy...

We are a boutique business law firm with over twenty-five years of combined experience representing privately held small to medium sized businesses, in the areas of business/corporate law, beverage law (wineries, breweries, restaurants) asset protection, intellectual property and real estate law. We adhere to a pragmatic approach in representing our clients by first understanding the needs/goals of our clients and then offering feasable solutions to those needs.

Chris is the Founder and Principal of Heritage Legal, PC, with offices in Palm Springs. Heritage Legal, PC offers legal services in the general areas of Estate Planning (Wills and Trusts), Trust Administration, Trustee and Executor services, Probate, Family Law, and Bankruptcy. Chris has focused an important part of his practice on the unique estate and relationship planning needs of the LGBT community and other non-traditional families. Chris earned his B.A. in Russian Area Studies from the University of Maryland, and his Juris Doctorate from The American University, Washington College of Law, in Washington, D.C.

Anthony Geraci is the managing partner of the Geraci Law Firm. He is a leading expert in mortgage lending and securities law and has authored numerous articles on real estate finance and securities subjects. Mr. Geraci is a leader in creating national mortgage pools and mortgage funds as well as sophisticated net branching arrangements among several mortgage companies.

Kevin K. Hull is an experienced securities lawyer who benefits clients with his multifaceted background from multiple positions in the securities industry, regulation and law since 1988. Prior to reentering private practice, Mr. Hull was the CEO of Grubb & Ellis Securities, Inc., a position he held for nearly six years. Responsible for all aspects of the firm, including compliance, accounting, national accounts and sales management, Mr. Hull was successful in managing the structure and operations of the firm to be in line with current regulatory expectations while achieving sales during his tenure of approximately $3.4 billion across multiple product...

BBA - University of Texas (Austin) 1992
JD - California Western School of Law 1995
Admitted to the California State Bar 1995

Clients want lawyers who know what they're doing, who can explain what and why they're doing it and how it benefits the client, and who can do it all for a reasonable fee with a strong likelihood of a favorable outcome. This is especially true of intellectual property attorneys whose clients understand that their most valuable assets, their copyrights, trademarks, and patents, are largely intangible and oftentimes hard to quantify. I understand these challenges and that understanding underlies my approach to every client and to every legal situation. Of course, it doesn't hurt that I've been doing this for more than...

I am an associate in the Corporate department at Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP. My role involves managing transactional matters, which include mergers & acquisitions as well as corporate and private equity financings. In this capacity, I handle various stages of ongoing deals from their inception to their close. Specifically, I conduct due diligence, assist in negotiating operative and ancillary transaction documents, prepare consents, and draft a range of agreements. I earned my law degree from USC Gould School of Law, where I was honored with a Gould Merit Scholarship in recognition of my academic, professional, and personal achievements. During...

Think Defense is a professional law corporation that delivers effective legal representation in white-collar cases, blue-collar cases, and business litigation.

Before founding the firm, Mr. Dabiri was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles and Orange County, where he investigated and prosecuted a wide range of federal criminal cases.

Before serving as a federal prosecutor, he litigated complex civil cases at one of the best and biggest law firms in the world, O'Melveny & Myers.

And before joining the firm, he clerked for a federal trial judge at the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

He earned his bachelor's degree in Political Science...

Ms. McNeil practices exclusively in the area of employment law and business litigation. She represents employers at trial, mediation and arbitration on employment litigation, wage and hour actions, multi-plaintiff and single plaintiff cases involving various employment claims, including discrimination and harassment, wrongful discharge, unfair competition, and misappropriation of trade secrets. Ms. McNeil, regularly advises a wide range of corporations, large and small, on labor and employment-related issues, including wage and hour matters under state law and the FLSA, unfair competition, reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA"), the Family Medical Leave Act ("FMLA") and the Fair Employment...

Magarian & DiMercurio is AV Preeminent rated law firm that is focused on business and employment litigation and counseling. The firm represent clients throughout Southern California, including Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Los Angeles County, and San Diego County.

Lead counsel in employment litigation matters including wrongful termination, disability discrimination, sexual harassment, whistleblower, trade secrets/unfair competition, age discrimination, hostile work environment, retaliation, wage and hour, arbitrations, Labor Commissioner hearings, and investigations. Advise employers regarding compliance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Negotiation of dispute resolution, employment contracts, and severance agreements. Read More Lead counsel in a wide variety of business litigation matters involving shareholder and LLC member disputes, trade secret misappropriation, breach of contract, collection of accounts receivable, supply chain disputes, commercial leases, product failures, warranty claims, product recalls, unfair competition, defense of consumer claims, quality control...

Evolution Tax and Legal is a top of the line International Tax firm based in Irvine, CA. We help both individuals and small to medium-sized businesses navigate the complicated world of international tax.

Firm founder, Alton Moore is a dually licensed California attorney and CPA. Alton has a vast experience in both the legal and tax worlds.
Prior to Evolution Tax and Legal, Alton's career began in Big 4 accounting with Ernst & Young, LLP, where he worked primarily amongst the international, state and local, and real estate tax compliance and consulting practices.
Alton then moved to an in-house role with a large...

Saul Acherman is an attorney licensed in California. He focuses on intellectual property matters, including patent and trademark prosecution and litigation. Saul is a registered patent attorney licensed to practice in patent matters before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (registration number 72,898). He is also involved with other business and civil litigation matters including business formation, contracts, and employment matters, and is admitted to practice in all courts of the State of California as well as the United States District Court for the Central District of California. After receiving a BA in Philosophy from the...

For over 40 years, attorney Daniel C. Carlton has devoted his professional life to protecting the rights of people in Orange County and throughout Southern California. Attorney Carlton is a licensed Real Estate Broker and has extensive experience in real estate law, including but not limited to real estate disputes, purchase and sales litigation, commercial transactions and leases, constructions disputes, DRE licensing and matters involving homeowners associations (HOA). He also has decades of experience representing people injured in slip and fall accidents, motor vehicle accidents and other personal injury cases.

Attorney Carlton is known for his personalized approach, getting to know...

Mr. August has been practicing corporate and transactional law for over 30 years. He began his legal career in Washington, D.C., at the firm of Lane & Edson, where he was part of the team representing Wesray Capital on leveraged buyout transactions, and subsequently associated with the Washington, D.C. office of Dow, Lohnes & Albertson, where he serviced its telecommunications and other clients with corporate fundraising and strategic transactions. In 1990, he moved to California to serve in the Los Angeles office of Graham & James, handling securities, mergers & acquisitions and other transactions for its primarily international...

Daniel Kessler is the head of the firm’s litigation department and one of the firm’s founding partners. Mr. Kessler has litigated and tried a wide variety of business cases ranging from employment terminations to real estate development disputes to fraud and conspiracy to water rights. Mr. Kessler has secured multiple million-dollar jury verdicts for his clients, including significant punitive damage awards. Mr. Kessler has successfully defended clients before, during and at trial, including prevailing on several motions to dismiss the opposition’s case in its entirety, saving the expense of further trial. Mr. Kessler is a strong advocate for alternative dispute...

Manbir S. Chowdhary represents employees in all areas of labor and employment law, including wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, employee misclassification, and unpaid wages claims. Mr. Chowdhary's experience also includes contractual disputes, and the enforcement of partner/shareholder rights. Mr. Chowdhary's business litigation clients include real estate developers, national sportswear manufacturers, Fortune 500 executives, medical organizations, small businesses, and 501(c)(3) corporations. Mr. Chowdhary is a graduate of USC Law School, and a former legislative aide to the Lt. Governor of California. He is licensed to practice law in California, New York, and the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

James is a husband of 20+ years and a father to a son who is now a lawyer after passing the October 2020 bar. James happens to be an in-demand lecturer on estate, retirement and business protection. James is licensed as an attorney and practices estate planning, asset protection, tax, real estate and corporate transactions. He has completed several M&A transactions in the $2 to $20 million range. He is author of several books including the widely acclaimed financial book, The 3 Secret Pillars of Wealth. He is Principal of The Burns Firm. James served honorably in the United States...

Mr. Ho received a B.S. degree in business management from California State University, Los Angeles, with a minor in economics and obtained a J.D. degree from University of West Los Angeles, achieving Dean’s List for academic excellence in the second year of law school. The principal attorney, licensed in 2002, is admitted to practice in the State of California, United States District Court, Central District of California and United States District Court, Southern District of California.

Prior to becoming an attorney, Mr. Ho had job experience in retail, sales, manufacturing and government. During law school, Mr. Ho clerked for the District...

Jonathan Michaels first became licensed in 1995, and since that time has created an exemplary litigation practice. Michaels has challenged some of the largest companies in the world, litigating cases in state and federal courts throughout the U.S. In these endeavors, he has received astounding verdicts and settlements for his clients – achievements that yielded him the “Attorney of the Year” award by his law school alma mater in 2012.

Michaels has also developed a particularly specialized practice in the automotive industry, having become well-known in the U.S. for litigating some of the most important cases in the industry. He is...