Atherton Lawyers

I have always been interested in European history and languages. I lived in France for four years before returning to the Bay Area to set up my law practice. I often work with people in the Bay Area who have family or assets in France.

For over thirty years, I have practiced business law and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in Palo Alto, California. I assist businesses with formation and planning; purchases and sales of existing businesses; termination of business entities; commercial leasing matters; and employment matters. My other focus is on mediation and arbitration, where I help clients settle disputes outside of the courtroom. What I enjoy most about being a business law attorney is helping people transform their hobbies and passions into successful businesses. Whether I’m helping someone start a restaurant or a software company, I’m always mindful of the...

Attorney Ashlee D. Gonzales (nee Adkins), Esq. is the newest addition to the legal team at Brewer Offord & Pedersen LLP. Before passing the California Bar exam in November 2015, Ashlee started out as an assistant office manager for the firm, where she handled new client inquiries, assisted attorneys with drafting motions & pleadings, completed research projects, and filed documents with the court. Attorney Gonzales practices real estate law, including landlord & tenant matters.

Before coming to work for Brewer Offord & Pedersen LLP, Ashlee Gonzales received her law degree from John F. Kennedy University College of Law. While earning her...

Our firm specializes in litigation including insurance defense/coverage, medical malpractice, and investment suitability law. The firm is managed by seasoned trial, coverage, arbitration, and appellate attorneys.

I was a financial advisor at UBS and Charles Schwab before I attended law school at the University of San Diego. I am a Partner at Hayes Scott Bonino Ellingson Simonson Guslani & Clause, LLP. I moved up to Northern California to join the firm in 2011 leaving a similar firm in Orange County after I had twins.

The Best Lawyers in America 2003-present; Best Lawyers 2017 Family Law “Lawyer of the Year” for San Jose metropolitan area; National Academy of Family Law Attorneys “2016 Nationally Top 10 Attorney Award” for State of California; Best Law Firms – U.S. News and World Report 2014-present; Northern California Super Lawyers 2003-present; Daily News, Readers’ Choice Award “Best Lawyers Office” 2016; Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers; Strathmore’s Who’s Who; National Registry of Who’s Who (life member); Author “Family Law ADR and Other Techniques” (Aspatore, “Inside the Minds – California Family Law Strategies,” 2009); Adjunct Professor, Business Law, Menlo College, 1995-2009,...

I have extensive experience in employment, business, insurance and real estate litigation. In 1997, I graduated Order of the Coif (top 10%) from Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, Berkeley. I clerked for the Honorable Maxine M. Chesney of the United States District Court, Northern District of California in 1999 and the Honorable Robert Boochever of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in 2001. I practiced insurance law as an associate with Sonnenshein Nath & Rosenthal and employment law as an associate at Heller Ehrman. I focused on real estate litigation while working...

Divorce Collaborative Law, Contested Divorce, Military Divorce, Property Division, Same Sex Divorce, Spousal Support & Alimony, Uncontested Divorce Family Law Adoption, Child Custody, Child Support, Father's Rights, Guardianship & Conservatorship, Paternity, Prenups & Marital Agreements, Restraining Orders, Same Sex Family Law Domestic Violence Domestic Violence Criminal Defense, Domestic Violence Restraining Orders, Victims Rights

I have been certified as a Specialist in Family by the State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization. My practice is devoted to assisting separated and divorcing couples to respectfully resolve their differences and settle their case without resorting to litigation or other court intervention. I have been practicing Family Law for more than 40 years and work exclusively in the mediation and collaborative law models of dispute resolution.

Inna Efimchik has a corporate and securities practice, focusing on emerging growth companies and venture capital firms. Her practice includes general corporate counseling and securities advising, venture capital financings, debt transactions, corporate partnerships, and mergers and acquisitions. During her practice she has represented companies in a wide range of industries, including software, internet, mobile, life sciences, biotechnology, medical device, communications and clean technology. Prior to joining Emergence Law Group, Inna Efimchik practiced corporate and securities law in the emerging companies groups at Cooley LLP and, previously, at Heller Ehrman Venture Law Group. In 2005, Inna Efimchik earned a J.D. from University...

Ms. Duffy is an Australian-trained attorney who excelled at law school, achieving entry into a competitive practical law program, placing first in Advanced Criminal Law in her final year, and being awarded her law degree with Honors. She began her career in Sydney by clerking for a Supreme Court Judge. She then moved into a criminal defense practice where she represented clients in matters ranging from shoplifting and DUI to sexual assault and murder and has conducted hundreds of trials. She earned a reputation as an honest and forthright advocate who was always well prepared and was not afraid to...

I was born and educated in Tucuman, Argentina. I graduated from the National University of Tucuman with a juris doctor and became a practicing attorney in my country. After immigrating to the United States, I became licensed to practice law in California. I worked as a Deputy Public Defender in Tulare County with prior law clerking background where I gained experience in misdemeanors and felonies as well as juvenile defense. When I relocated to San Mateo County in 2014, I opened my practice in this county and handled all types of cases from low level misdemeanors through general felonies, violent crimes,...

Nancy Mass is a Certified Specialist in Family Law and a Fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. She has practiced family law exclusively since 2005. She is a Partner at Lakin Spears LLP, a boutique family law firm which represents clients in San Mateo, San Francisco and Santa Clara counties. Nancy handles all aspects of high-asset dissolutions, including those involving complex financial issues, property characterization, business valuation, child custody, child support, and spousal support, from the inception of a case through settlement or trial. Nancy also prepares prenuptial and postnuptial agreements and works with clients...

Michael Wiesner practices in the firm's tax and M&A groups. His work includes a focus on corporate transactions and cross-border entity structuring. He regularly advises on the tax aspects of multi-step mergers and acquisitions, including Internal Revenue Code section 351 investments in conjunction with mergers, section 355 spin-offs in conjunction with acquisitions, and complex sale/redemption structures. His other interests include the US tax consequences of foreign employers' Incentive Stock Option (ISO) plans, the tax aspects of stock grants under section 83, and private equity fund tax structuring. Mr. Wiesner's clients include individuals and businesses located in the US, India, Switzerland,...

Ashitha Bhagwan’s practice focuses on entrepreneurs and their corporate and legal needs. Ms. Bhagwan has worked on the formation, development and financing of emerging growth and early stage companies located in the US and foreign jurisdictions. She regularly counsels on a wide range of corporate issues such as formation, equity structure, employment, general corporate governance, intellectual property protection and commercial transactions. As part of her cross-border practice, Ms. Bhagwan helps foreign companies enter the US market by advising on optimal structures for US presence, resolving cross-border issues, and advising on intellectual property strategy and foreign direct investment reporting requirements in the...