Gualala Lawyers

John Hyland is a partner with Rukin Hyland & Riggin LLP. He practices exclusively in the area of employment law. John was Of Counsel with Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker in the firm’s San Francisco office where he advised and represented companies in State and Federal court actions covering all areas of employment law, including wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, disability law, employee privacy, employee leaves, and wage and hour issues. John regularly conducts training seminars and presents on a wide array of employment law issues. Law & Politics Magazine selected John as one of its Northern California Super Lawyers...

Jessica is a partner at Rukin Hyland & Riggin LLP and specializes in litigating employment law cases on behalf of employees. From violations of wage and hour laws to sexual harassment and discrimination, Jessica has represented both individuals and groups of people in class actions. She also advises executives in pre-litigation matters such as severance agreements and employment agreements. If you have an employment law issue in the Bay Area, please contact her office today and set up a free consultation.

As a partner with San Francisco's Rukin Hyland & Riggin LLP, Peter Rukin represents Bay Area clients in a wide array of complex litigation matters, including employment, wage and hour, and business disputes. Mr. Rukin has built a reputation as a thoughtful and strong advocate for his clients, whatever their disputes may be. Mr. Rukin specializes in complex litigation, with a focus on wage and hour and equal employment opportunity claims. Since 2003, as class counsel he has recovered tens of millions of dollars on behalf of thousands of California employees and consumers. Peter also represents clients with respect...

Shelley M. Kennedy is a family law attorney and private mediator with Lawhon Law & Mediation, P.C.

Shelley's mediation practice includes high-asset dissolution of marriage matters including division of property, preparation of complex financial models, calculations for various settlement options, as well as determination of support. In addition to Shelley’s experience in financially complex matters, her practice also includes mediation for couples with smaller estates.

Shelley serves as a Settlement Conference Master for the San Francisco Unified Family Law Courts and as a volunteer attorney for the Bar Association of San Francisco’s Pro Bono Family Law Project.

Shelley has participated in over 200...

Dave Crow combines broad life experience and deep personal commitment as a tenant advocate and homeless services attorney that make him uniquely qualified to resolve a wide range of legal issues. Dave earned his Juris Doctor from New College of California Public Interest School of Law in San Francisco. Employed at the Homeless Advocacy Project of the Bar Association of San Francisco from 1997 until 2002, his last two years there were spent as a National Association for Public Interest Law (Equal Justice Works) fellow. Mr. Crow’s award-winning advocacy included work on the myriad of complex legal...

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.

Jonathan Harriman has spent his entire career handling cases involving car accidents, rideshare collisions, truck crashes, bicycle accidents, pedestrian injuries, jobsite incidents, and defective products. Jonathan is a hard-working attorney who is committed to his clients and confronts his opposition with confidence. As a former corporate defense attorney, he uses his experience to present personal injury claims in a way that connects with insurers and juries and maximizes his client's compensation. Jonathan has handled cases throughout California in state and federal courts. For Jonathan, trial preparation includes getting to know his clients and their families to help them navigate...

An Advocate for Your Rights in the Workplace. The Law Office of N. William Metke specializes in employment law litigation. The firm provides vigorous advocacy on behalf of individuals who have encountered injustice in the workplace. This includes discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, retaliation, unpaid wages, and other wrongs in the employment context. We represent clients throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. tel: 415-572-9556 email: nwm@metkelaw.com

John Feder is a personal injury lawyer in San Francisco and a partner at Rouda Feder Tietjen & McGuinn. Since 1978, Mr. Feder has been practicing in the legal field. Currently, he serves as president of the Consumer Attorneys of California, and he also serves on the organization’s Executive Board and Board of Governors. For the past ten years, Attorney Feder has been selected for inclusion in the list of California Super Lawyers®. For your free case evaluation, please contact his firm today.

Attorney Stratte's passion is family law. She brings significant experience with trials, highly contested dissolutions with custody, division of high value assets, and alternative dispute resolution to assist her clients with compassionate resolution of these deeply personal legal issues. In addition, she has many recent wins at long cause trials in property division, domestic violence restraining orders, custody, contempt of court and fee awards, among other successes. Attorney Stratte received her Bachelor of the Arts from the University of California Berkeley in Women's Studies, located in Berkeley, California. Thereafter, she received her professional doctorate in law from Southwestern Law School located...

Have you been arrested with a criminal offense in Oakland? If so, it may be in your best interest to contact The Castillo Law Office. For nearly 15 years, Attorney Ernie Castillo has been representing the criminally accused in both state and federal courts. Mr. Castillo was selected for inclusion in the Super Lawyers® Rising Stars? Edition of 2013, and he received the Client Distinction Award for 2013 by Martindale-Hubbell®. In addition, he is a former extern for a federal judge, where he had the opportunity to work behind the scenes and witness the thought processes behind a judge’s decision...

Omid Razi is the founder, managing partner, and principal at the Razi Law Group. He has vast experience in Personal Injury Law and Litigation.

Omid graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1999 where he majored in Political Science, and attended law school at the Southwestern University School of Law, receiving his J.D. in 2002. He was admitted to the California Bar the same year. He is also a member of the Beverly Hills Bar Association.

Omid’s practice area specialties include Car Accidents, Premises Liability, Wrongful Death, Dog Bites, Brain Injury, Burn Injury, Spinal Cord Injury, Corporate Law and...

OLIVER GREENWOOD is the principal of the Law Offices of Oliver Greenwood in Pleasant Hill. He is the author of chapters 1, 4, 12, 16, and 17 in the CEB Guardianship Handbook. Mr. Greenwood received his B.A. degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and his J.D. from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. A frequent speaker regarding probate matters and a member of the Judicial Council's Probate & Mental Health Advisory Committee. Mr. Greenwood is also a contributing author to CEB's conservatorship and powers of attorney and health care directives books. Mr. Greenwood's areas of practice include conservatorships, guardianships,...

Stephen offers experienced business and legal counseling to individuals and corporations throughout the Bay Area, including: (1) Business litigation and dispute resolution services involving misappropriation of trade secrets, non-compete/solicitation agreements, mechanics lien and payment bond claims, commercial leases, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, fraudulent misrepresentation and unfair, unlawful or fraudulent business practices (Bus. & Prof. C. sec. 17200); (2) Construction contracting; (3) Intellectual Property licensing and distribution; and (4) E-commerce, website terms of use, privacy policies and data protection and security.

Simon Mazzola is a shareholder in the Mazzola Law Office – Professional Corporation. He counsels and represents small and medium sized businesses and high net worth individuals in the Bay Area and Northern California. His litigation style is aggressive, results oriented, and cost effective.

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...

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...

Mr. Likar is a personal injury lawyer passionately practicing and helping clients throughout the greater bay area. Originally born in the Czech Republic then migrated to sunny California, he received a B.A. from UC Santa Cruz in Economics and his J.D at UC Hastings College of the Law where he graduated cum laude in 2008.

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...

In my early years as a financial planner, I realized that estate planning was an often-overlooked area of planning not only by clients but by their financial advisors. The reason I became an attorney was to help people make sure that their wishes are carried out during incapacity and after death. I had seen too many people impacted by the lack of estate planning or poor estate planning. I did not want to see the government or the courts take control of a person's property in a way that was not consistent with the person's wishes and intent. I am passionate...

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.

I am a former police officer and deputy district attorney in Contra Costa County. I received my Bachelor's Degree from California State University Sacramento and a Juris Doctor from John F. Kennedy University, School of Law. As principal attorney of this firm, I guide the firm’s staff and manage major cases and matters on behalf of individual and business clients. I have tried numerous cases to verdict and have appeared before the California Court of Appeal, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal. Our firm practices real estate, labor and employment, and business litigation. Our firm also drafts wills, trust...

In 2020, Ms. Burneikis made the decision to leave her firm, where she was a named partner, and open up her own practice, becoming the Founder and Lead Trial Counsel at Burneikis Law. Ms. Burneikis' practice is dedicated to representing victims who have been injured at the hands of others. Approximately 80% of her cases arise out of injuries sustained due to motor vehicle related accidents (e.g., car vs. car; pedestrian vs. car; bicycle vs. car; car vs. bus; etc.), while the other 20% of her cases involve other types of injuries. Ms. Burneikis handles cases involving a wide range...

Aaron Clefton is the Managing Partner of Rein & Clefton. He is dedicated to advancing the civil and economic rights of persons with disabilities and all people who are vulnerable or impoverished. Aaron is lead counsel on all ADA cases for Rein & Clefton. He has over 17 years working in the field of disability rights, 5 years of that as an attorney. He has received Martindale-Hubbell’s highest peer honor of “AV-Preeminent” in 2021, given to attorneys “who are ranked at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal expertise, communication skills, and ethical standards by their peers.” That same year...

Marlon Monroe brings a background of court battles and life experiences rarely found in employment law & civil rights attorneys. Prior to practicing law, Marlon taught middle school in Los Angeles for five years and worked in the music industry. After graduating from law school in South Florida, he began his legal career and moved back to Oakland, CA, where he practiced criminal defense for 15 years and became known as “The People’s Champion” due to his zealous advocacy, successful outcomes and representation of prominent members of the local community. While cultivating his skills in the courtroom, Marlon also worked with...

Robert Davis is a Workers' Compensation Attorney with over 30 years of experience. Mr. Davis has handled thousands of cases before the Workers Compensation Appeals Board with a value of over 100 million dollars. Mr. Davis has work for both applicants and defense law firms. He is an aggressive, ethical and experienced Workers' Compensation Lawyer who knows exactly how to navigate your case through the confusing and frustrating maze the insurance company creates. His experience working for the insurance companies gives him a distinct advantage over the vast majority of Workers' Compensation Lawyers, not only because he knows the opponents playbook,...

Ryan Davis is the managing partner of Golden State Workers Compensation. Mr. Davis received a juris doctorate from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in May of 2014 and is a current member of the California Bar Association. Mr. Davis is also an NBA certified agent and has represented clients such as Jason Terry. In addition to his professional commitments, Mr. Davis takes an active interest in a variety of volunteer and speaking engagements. Mr. Davis has volunteered numerous times at Berkeley Youth Alternative, which is a non-profit for at risk youth, in Berkeley, California. These volunteer activities include mentorship, career...

Matthew Crider formed Crider Law Group so he could help individuals and business owners by providing creative solutions and be their trusted advisor and legal counselor. Matthew provides services in the areas of estate planning, family law, and business advisory services. Matthew’s estate planning practice focuses on personalized estate planning and administration for individuals, couples and families, and includes wills, revocable living trusts, family business entity planning, and co-tenancy arrangements. His family law practice focuses on assisting families in a dissolution matters, including divorce, child custody and visitation, child and spousal support, and parental rights. ...

Law Office of Arezou Bakhtjou is located in Oakland, CA and helps clients in Richmond, Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland, Hayward, San Leandro, Pleasanton, Martinez, Palo Alto, Walnut Creek, Lafayette, and all Bay Area Counties including Alameda County, Contra Costa County, San Mateo County, Santa Clara County, Solano County, and San Francisco County.? Memberships: Alameda County Bar Association ?Alameda County Bar Association Criminal Division (Board Member) Women Lawyers of Alameda County Alameda County Court Appointed Attorneys Program Alameda County Bar Association Judicial Appointments Evaluation Committee Experience: County of Contra Costa Court Appointed Attorneys Program Placer County...

YOUNG & YOUNG APC provides free California lemon law case evaluations and attorney consultations. Prior to joining YOUNG & YOUNG APC, Mr. Young gained litigation experience at a large national law firm. He utilizes this experience to aggressively litigate California lemon law cases. Mr. Young has successfully litigated lemon law cases against every major automobile manufacturer throughout California. No contingency fees. No retainer fees. The manufacturer pays your attorney's fees pursuant to statute.

Arthur Lazear has practiced law for more than 40 years, helping to obtain successful results for worthy clients nationwide. Mr. Lazear has prosecuted some of the biggest class actions ever litigated in employment law, but has never abandoned his level of personal attention to each client, which is the firm’s hallmark.

Mr. Lazear’s father was a janitor, an immigrant from Ukraine who worked nights in a tireless effort to provide his children the hope of a better life, that they might realize the American Dream. The example set by his father inspired Mr. Lazear’s lifelong commitment to protecting and enforcing the...