Benicia Lawyers

For more than 30 years, Mike Appel has devoted his practice exclusively to personal injury and wrongful death cases. He represents clients throughout California, both in State and Federal courts. Born and raised in Redondo Beach, Mike attended St. Mary’s College of California, Moraga, California, where he majored in English. He was an editor of the college’s literary magazine, "The Phoenix." He also played rugby for the Gaels, and was a member of the team that went on the first annual rugby tour of the East Coast. Mike received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1970. At graduation he also received...

Mr. Cross is an expert in the field of criminal law. Mr. Cross will fight more aggressively than anyone to bring you the best outcome possible. He passionately cares about defending his clients and does everything within his power to help them. Having attended the University of California, Berkeley for Undergraduate studies, he received a B.A. in Legal Studies. He subsequently attended the prestigious San Francisco Law School to receive his J.D. He is a member of many associations, including the State Bar Association, the Alameda County Car Association, the San Mateo County Bar Association and the Delta Theta Phi...

MANJULA MARTIN is a criminal defense attorney at Lamano Law Office. Prior to her work with LLO, she clerked for the San Francisco District Attorney’s office where she worked on domestic violence cases, sexual assault crimes, and felony preliminary hearings. She received the Cali Excellence Award for Criminal Litigation in 2008 and helped draft a presentation that was used at an international conference on identifying and combatting Human Trafficking. It was during this tenure that she realized that her true passion in helping people.

Ms. Martin went on to represent low-income women seeking to leave abusive situations in...

Mr. Poulin is experienced in the areas of real estate, business, and construction litigation. He has trial experience in both state and Federal court, and has experience in all aspects of dispute resolution. Mr. Poulin has successfully represented clients in broker disputes, foreclosures, neighbor disputes, title insurance coverage, fraud, breach of contract, breach of lease and landlord-tenant issues. Real estate issues include construction defect cases, damages on behalf of contractors, subcontractors, architects and engineers in mechanic's liens, stop notice, payment and performance bond actions. Prior to joining The Williams Firm, Mr. Poulin was an associate at the law...

Areas of Expertise

Business advice and counseling
Contract drafting and review
Corporate structure and transactions
Licensing and regulation
Employment and labor negotiation
Insurance coverage and claims handling
Education

B.A., Colgate University, 1991
Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude
J.D., University of Wisconsin Law School, 1994

Martin is an experienced business attorney who facilitates transactions while minimizing the risks and pitfalls facing his clients. Martin takes a “can-do” approach to legal problems that focuses on crafting deals through an integrative and value creating process rather than conflict.

Joseph A. Motta was born and raised in the East Bay. He attended St. Mary’s College and graduated in 1984. He graduated from McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento in 1987. Joe’s legal career started as a Deputy District Attorney in Contra Costa County; from 1988 to 2004. There, he handled thousands of cases. He was a trial attorney on every team including Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, and Homicide. He supervised the Misdemeanor, Domestic Violence, and Sexual Assault Teams; as a supervisor, he maintained his own load of serious cases. As a deputy D.A., Joe prosecuted a number of high...

Todd Wenzel has been practicing law since 1992, first as a litigator in Los Angeles for 8 years, and then as a real estate and business transactional and litigation attorney in San Francisco for 14 years. In 2014, Mr. Wenzel shifted the base of his real estate law practice to Napa, CA where he resides.

Having represented all sides in real estate and business transactions and disputes, Todd understands the goals and strategies of his clients from all perspectives. Having worked for large and mid-sized firms, Mr. Wenzel provides a high level of sophistication to his legal services...

With over 25 years of experience, Ms. Grossman's mission as a criminal defense attorney is to ensure that the court and the prosecution perceive each client as the individual that they are — a person with a full life and background that separates them from the criminal charges that bring them before the court. Ms. Grossman works closely with her clients, as partners in their own defense, and strives to keep them fully informed as the case proceeds. Ms. Grossman represents her clients throughout California in felony, midemeanor, juvenile, traffic and professional discipline cases.

Erich Keefe is a former social worker, whose immigration practice is an extension of those values and goals. His practice focuses on asylum seekers, VAWA self-petitioners, U Visa applicants, green card applicants, and others facing immigration court proceedings.

Experienced family law attorney with focus on mediation. Go to familylawmatters.com for more information.

Immigration & Nationality Law Certified Specialist by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization practicing U.S. Immigration and Nationality law with an emphasis on Asylum, Family Immigration and Naturalization since 1999 in San Francisco (SF) Bay Area. Member of 1) American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) NorCal and its Advisory Council as SF US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) Co-Liaison & AILA USCIS Field Operations Committee , 2) Iranian American Bar Association NorCal Chapter and its Advisory Board Member and 3) Jewish Community Relations Council's Public Policy Committee. Formerly served as AILA NorCal Liaison to SF Custom & Border...

WHO I AM:  A reliable, trustworthy attorney who has exclusively practiced criminal defense in the Napa/Solano area for the past 25+ years. An experienced trial lawyer who has defended several hundred jury trials of all types, including murders, sex crimes, domestic violence, theft offenses, drug crimes, and driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.  The right choice to evaluate, negotiate, and fight for the best possible outcome  when you or your loved one is under threat of jail or prison in Napa or Solano County.   A local practitioner with decades of experience with the same prosecutors, judges, probation officers,...

Karen S. Fenchel

Professional Biography

Karen Fenchel is a sole practitioner in Walnut Creek, CA. She is a Certified Family Law Specialist and has focused on all areas of family law. Her practice is settlement oriented and includes both family law mediation and collaborative law. Karen has a strong commitment to helping clients resolve issues without going to court. She utilizes her training in both mediation and collaborative practice to assist families in crisis and help them gain control of their lives. Through mediation, collaborative process and negotiated settlements, she works toward equitable solutions that consider the...

Attorney with over 30 years of experience representing clients in Divorce and Family Law matters. Certified Specialist in Family Law, certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. My practice includes representation in all areas of divorce and family law, including child custody; child visitation; child support; spousal support ; division of community property (including high value assets); annulment; paternity; and drafting marital settlement agreements. I am also available to provide limited scope representation or consultation for self-represent parties. Representing clients throughout Contra Costa and Alameda Counties.

I have litigated many contract disputes. I taught the law of contracts at JFK University Law School for ten years. I know contracts from the practical as well as the academic point of view.

Anthony Proffitt is an attorney located in Fairfield California. His practice areas are criminal defense and family law matters, including divorce, custody, visitation, and restraining orders. He has experience in debt collections and judgment enforcement as well. As a paralegal in the early 2000's, Anthony worked in a law firm located in Napa California that specialized in three strike laws and family matters. As a paralegal he opened his own business while working for the law firm and started assisting clients with affordable document preparation and filing for their legal matters. The attorney he worked for eventually became a judge...

I grew up in the San Francisco bay area. At age 18, I joined the US Army infantry and I was was trained as a paratrooper. I have also been a real estate agent and broker, owned retail businesses, and I owned several small apartment buildings. I finally went to law school because I saw that there are (obviously) many problems with our legal system and I want to be part of solutions and reform of that system or, at least, help some people avoid these problems. I received a Juris Doctorate from Northwestern California School...

I joined the Law Offices of Russo & Prince in January of 2006. Throughout his time at Russo & Prince, I have focused my practice entirely on family law, including family law litigation. I obtained my undergraduate degree at the University of Notre Dame, and my Juris Doctorate at the University of San Francisco, School of Law. I am happy to say that I practice exclusively in the area of family law. My practice includes dissolution of marriage (divorce), annulment, and legal separation, as well as spousal support (alimony), child custody, visitation, child support, division of assets and debts...

Leslie Prince graduated from Hastings Law School in San Francisco in 1981. While in law school, Ms. Prince was a writer and editor for Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly. In addition, she worked as a judicial extern for California Court of Appeals Justice Sidney Feinberg, and as a research assistant for Hastings Law Professor Leo Kanowitz. Ms. Prince has been an attorney in private practice for over 20 years, and was a sole practitioner in Alameda County for over ten years before coming to Solano County in 1994 to become a principal in the Law Offices of Russo and Prince. Ms....

In 2003, Carl R. Gustafson graduated from UCLA Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelors in History. In 2005, he was a legal intern for Global Justice in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he drafted sections of human rights situation reports and submitted them to the United Nations and other international bodies. He also researched issues of international jurisdiction and the enforcement of international treaties. Carl went on to graduate with honors from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law in 2007, where he was also an associate editor for the Ecological Law Quarterly. It was Carl's yearning to right wrongs...

Attorney Anthony G. Celaya has been practicing law in the Napa Valley since 2004. Specializing exclusively in estate planning, he has created hundreds of estate plans for a wide variety of clientele. Anthony received his Juris Doctorate from Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School in 1999. He was born and raised in the Bay Area and returned shortly after graduation with his wife and young family. He is now a father of six and knows personally the importance of estate and family legacy planning. He is the owner and founder of Celaya Law,...

Mark Venardi was born in 1962 in Seattle, Washington. He was raised in Peoria, IL, a Midwest blue collar town. He enlisted in the United States Coast Guard and proudly served from 1980 through 1985. He spent the first two years on a sea going tug performing search and rescue and marine law enforcement from the Grand Banks to the Windward Passage aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Tamaroa, which was the Coast Guard vessel that performed the rescue in “The Perfect Storm.”

Vincent E. Nelson has been advising and representing the people of Napa and other Northern California Counties since 1989. He is committed to the representation of his client’s interests as they face the complex challenges related to divorce, personal injury or other family legal proceedings.

If you're facing DUI charges in Napa County, you need a skilled attorney who understands the complexities of California DUI law. Nina Jehle, a former Napa County Deputy District Attorney, brings over a decade of courtroom experience and an insider’s perspective on DUI defense. With specialized training in DUI investigations and trial strategies, Nina is committed to protecting your rights and your future.

Since 1990, Bob Gonser has practiced in the securities area, including representation of public investors before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (formerly NASD), New York Stock Exchange and Pacific Exchange. He has successfully handled hundreds of cases involving losses sustained in brokerage accounts as a result of wrongdoing, mismanagement and fraud by brokers and brokerage firms. Over the years, Mr. Gonser's efforts have resulted in a multitude of awards and settlements for his clients including over $1.2 million in damages and interest for four employees of Cisco Systems in arbitration before the Pacific Exchange (Read the decision.) At Hunsucker Goodstein, he...

Eric Pierson is a practical and results-oriented attorney with over twenty-five years of in-house and law firm experience and a proven track record of success as a strategic partner and trusted advisor serving for-profit and nonprofit entities. Eric has deep expertise in general corporate matters, nonprofits, employment law, commercial transactions and crisis management, with a special focus on managing union organizing drives and contract negotiations for nonprofits that respect labor rights. He offers strong experience in litigation, intellectual property, antitrust, environmental, compliance, product liability, artificial intelligence, privacy, cybersecurity and ediscovery as well. He is fluent in cross-border issues and...

Have you recently been denied workers' compensation? Are you seeking to appeal your application, or the application of a loved one? If so, then you can't wait to garner the help of an experienced Oakland workers' compensation lawyer. It's with the care of a professional that you will be able to fight for the financial compensation that you deserve. With more than two decades of experience fighting for workers in the Bay Area, the Law Offices of Jonathan M. Brand will be able to bring your questions the attentive care and understanding that's needed. Whether you have been denied workers'...

Greg Beattie practices corporate and technology law, and represents a broad spectrum of hardware, software and internet based companies, food and beverage companies including several wineries, cleantech/greentech companies and a variety of other distribution, retail, service, and manufacturing concerns, often serving as their general counsel. Greg graduated from Harvard Law School in 1980 (J.D., cum laude) and from Stanford University (highest honors) in 1976. His started his career at Cooley Godward, and has served as General Counsel of UB Networks, a pioneering Silicon Valley tech company, chair of the Venture and Technology Practice Group at Reed Smith,...

Pamela Marraccini devotes her practice to assisting clients with their family law matters. She has over 17 years of experience being a forceful advocate addressing the issues surrounding her client’s divorce and associated issues including, child support, spousal support, complex property division, domestic violence, premarital and post-nuptial agreements. She has successfully helped clients navigate complex dissolution issues, including stock options, deferred compensation packages, valuations and division of business interests and high conflict custody. She also works with clients pursuing mediation and has extensive experience in alternative dispute resolution.

Every client’s needs are unique to their family’s situation...

Michael Geller is a California-licensed attorney and the founder of The Geller Firm, a family law practice serving clients across the San Francisco Bay Area. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California, completed medical training at the City University of New York, and earned his Juris Doctor from Santa Clara University School of Law. Michael began his legal career under the guidance of a Certified Family Law Specialist, where he gained in-depth experience in all aspects of California family law—divorce, child custody and support, spousal support, property division, and domestic violence restraining orders. This foundation shaped his...