Oakland Lawyers

I worked as a trucker for 20 years before I attended law school. I was motivated by a strong desire to serve the public. I graduated from a small, public-interest law school in San Francisco, where I had volunteered in the Housing Clinic that defended tenants from evictions. I am one of a very few Bay Area bankruptcy lawyers who does loan modifications through our bankruptcy court's program. I am also one of the very few who takes creditors to court when they violate bankruptcy laws and cause harm to my clients. Before bankruptcy law,...

My name is Ravi Patel and I am trust litigation attorney based in Oakland, California. I have experience filing Heggstad Petitions throughout the state. After I graduated from Duke University School of Law, I joined a general practice law firm in my hometown, Bakersfield, California. I worked on various transactional and litigation matters and gained a broad breadth of experience in legal areas including water law, public agency law, property taxes, local taxes, real estate law, and land use law. In 2019, my partner and I relocated to Oakland, California, where I worked for the Oakland City Attorney’s office. As...

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...

Spencer practices employment, civil rights and personal injury law. He is dedicated to representing employees in employment disputes and individuals and their families in personal injury cases.

Since 2005, Spencer has litigated discrimination, wrongful termination, wage and hour, retaliation, and other employment disputes, such as contract breach and commission cases. He also litigates vehicle accidents, premises liability, wrongful death, and civil rights claims. His legal experience dates back to 1996. He has appeared in Northern District Federal Courts, California State Superior Courts, the California Fair Employment and Housing Commission, the California Department of Labor Standards Enforcement, the Merit...

Steven Kazan has played a significant role in asbestos litigation for over four decades. He filed his first case on behalf of an asbestos victim in 1974 and since then has represented thousands of injured workers and their family members in court cases. He has dedicated the majority of his practice to representing workers suffering from mesothelioma in third party asbestos lawsuits (against manufacturers, contractors, distributors, and premises owners). In addition, he also represents victims of asbestos lung cancer as well as seriously disabling asbestosis. Steven was nominated by the U.S. Trustee and appointed by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to...

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...

Northern California personal injury lawyer Frank D. Penney has been representing accident victims and their families for over two decades, successfully winning over $100 million in case settlements. Frank received his Bachelor of Arts in political science from Brigham Young University and attended Gonzaga University Law School. He spent seven years with a state-wide firm for as staff litigation counsel before starting his own law practice. Frank is a member of the American Trial Lawyers Association (ATLA), Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC), the State Bar of California, and the State Bar of Nevada. Frank serves as a Pro Tem Judge and...

Ms. Madueña is an expert immigration lawyer in the Bay Area handling a wide range of immigration matters, including complex cases with criminal issues. The bulk of her practice focuses on family-based immigration and removal defense. She has successfully argued for the release of clients in immigration detention, and has obtained Adjustment of Status, Asylum, and Cancellation of Removal for her clients against the government in Immigration Court. Ms. Madueña has also obtained Lawful Permanent Residency, Asylum, Naturalization, NACARA, and Waivers before the immigration office. Notably, when she was a first-year associate, Ms. Madueña presented a complex criminal and...

I represent employees in their disputes with their employers, and victims of personal injury. I take the time to get to know the unique story of each client, and understand how termination, injury, or other unlawful conduct has affected their life. I represent women who have been terminated because of pregnancy or because they have taken time off to care for their children. I represent older workers who have been terminated after many years of loyal service. I also help clients who have been injured in motor vehicle accidents or other incidents of negligence.

Thomas C. Knowles, an attorney with The Van Blois Law Firm in Oakland, California, helps clients address Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff situations. He also helps clients with Personal Injury - Products: Plaintiff and Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice: Plaintiff concerns.

Tim Knowles is an experienced trial lawyer in cases involving mechanical engineering, construction and medicine. He was a defense lawyer that represented Ford Motor Company early in his career. He has the knowledge and experience to represent persons injured by auto defects including crushed roofs, defective tires, seat belts and airbags.

As a lifelong sailor, sailing the Atlantic and Pacific...

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...

Advising and representing national insurers on coverage issues for over 35 years, handling complex,high exposure claims under standard form and broker-manuscript policies, including primary, umbrella, excess and surplus lines. Strategic evaluation and management under property policies (including builder’s risk, boiler and machinery, difference in condition), personal and commercial general liability, and professional liability and directors and officers policies. Handles multi-layer, multi-insurer insurance programs for North American, UK and Bermuda market insurers. Drafts insurance contract endorsements.

Advises and defends national insurers in state and federal court throughout the western states , and handles inter-insurer claims having secured recoveries exceeding...

I have been in solo private practice representing plaintiffs in the areas of environmental, land use, and elections law for almost thirty years. My clients are usually local environmental groups, neighborhood associations, homeowner associations, and occasionally individuals or government agencies. In addition to my law degree (New College of Calif., 1990) have undergraduate and masters of science degrees in biology from Brown University and a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology from Harvard University. I spent ten years working as a researcher in agricultural biotechnology before doing a career change and getting my law degree.
I represent clients...

As an attorney, Matthew Grech began his career as a civil litigator. From there Mr. Grech transitioned into estate planning and probate & estate administration. As an estate planning/administration attorney Mr. Grech has assisted numerous clients manage trust and estate administrations from inception to closing, as well as guiding and facilitating the planning process. It was during this time that Mr. Grech realized that a number of his clients’ family members and friends were facing mounting financial troubles in the wake of The Great Recession. It was this realization that motivated Mr. Grech to begin practicing bankruptcy law, which...

Nabiel C. Ahmed is an attorney who has devoted his career to representing Oakland’s criminally accused. He is the founder of The Law Office of Nabiel C. Ahmed, a practice solely devoted to handling criminal cases. Before establishing his private practice, Attorney Ahmed aided numerous Californians as a deputy public defender. He holds an Excellent 8.7 rating on Avvo. For more information, contact his firm today and receive a case evaluation at no cost.

Autumn HajMohammad is a California native. She completed her B.A. in Public Policy at California State University, Bakersfield, while working for a State Senator. She went on to earn her Juris Doctor at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento. She graduated with honors and was granted membership into the prestigious Traynor Honor Society. Prior to opening her own firm, Ms. HajMohammad worked for the Kern County Public Defender's Office where she defended clients charged with misdemeanors and felonies. She also successfully represented clients convicted of homicide and sex offenses seeking habeas relief. Now accepting...

Known for her expert representation of California’s senior executives and their spouses, Kiana protects her clients in high asset divorces and contested custody cases. In her twenty years of legal practice, Kiana has negotiated and litigated the full spectrum of disputes that occur in financially sophisticated divorces and contested custody cases. Kiana graduated Cornell Law School with a concentration in business law. Prior to finding her passion in family law, she was a business litigator at Reed Smith LLP one of the nation’s 20 largest global law firms. She has a B.A in psychology from UC Berkeley and has taken countless negotiation trainings at...

"I am dedicated to my clients and work hard to achieve the results needed in every case" I have represented clients and continue to to serve the counties of San Francisco, Marin, San Mateo, Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara, Napa, San Joaquin and all other Northern California Counties. No case is to big, and no case is to small. Each one has a certain value to the client and each deserves 110% effort. This is what I do! We Handle everything from: Traffic stop signs; to DMV suspensions; to DUI cases; to serious felonies.

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...

Katie became an attorney because she enjoys providing a voice for people dealing with significant issues affecting their lives. Katie provides effective and aggressive representation while maintaining compassion with her clients. She understands that many clients are going through a difficult time in their lives and ensures that each of her clients is well informed and well represented.

Katie has experience litigating cases in both State and Federal court. She is admitted to practice in the state of California and the United States Federal Court for the Northern District of California. She has experience representing clients in all types of personal...

Mr. Wood began his legal career with the view of developing a personally rewarding practice by working directly with individuals and families. He draws upon his financial background to apply creative approaches to complex Bankruptcy issues. Mr. Wood currently provides Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 services to his clients. Prior to establishing his firm, Mr. Wood worked at a prominate Bankruptcy Law Firm counseling clients in the areas of Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 Bankruptcy and in Consumer Litigation. Mr. Wood has also worked as a project manager for Morgan Stanley Capital International and in portfolio management at Mellon...

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...

Before starting my family law practice, I worked for 5 years at a non-profit, where I successfully litigated in court on behalf of survivors of domestic violence and their children. I obtained Temporary and Permanent Restraining Orders, Child Visitation and Custody Orders, as well as Child Support. Since 2007, I have offered amicable, uncontested divorce and separation options for those who want to stay out of court, including high conflict and complex cases involving domestic violence, substance abuse and mental illness. I provide services as a Mediator (neutral third party), Collaborative Divorce attorney (using a team approach),...

Gregory S. Hartman is an attorney, CPA, and Certified Insolvency & Restructuring Advisor (credential pending). Mr. Hartman's practice involves representing both debtors and creditors in bankruptcy proceedings. He has expertise in chapter 11 businesses reorganization. Prior to starting Hartman Bankruptcy Law, Mr. Hartman represented secured creditors and trustees in bankruptcy cases. Mr. Hartman also worked for the United States Trustee's Office where he worked in an oversight role of chapter 11 cases and trustee administration. Mr. Hartman is a long-time resident of the Bay Area, living in the East Bay with his wife...

Recognized as one of the top plaintiff’s lawyers in California and founder and Chief Legal Counsel of the Dolan Law Firm, Chris Dolan spearheads significant and challenging lawsuits filed in California state and federal courts against insurance companies, Fortune 500 companies, cities and other public agencies, and product manufacturers.

Under Chris’ leadership, the Dolan Law Firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for its clients and become one of California’s premier plaintiffs’ firms serving clients injured due to the fault of another or were discriminated against or treated unfairly in the workplace.

Ms. Szeto-Wong completed her undergraduate studies at UC Berkeley. She obtained her law degree from UC Berkeley School of Law and has been litigating civil rights, family law, and employment cases in state and federal court since 2012. Ms. Szeto-Wong has a successful track record including favorable verdicts and awards in the millions of dollars. She is bilingual in English and Cantonese.

Elizabeth is a Family Law Attorney with experience in Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and surrounding Bay Area Counties. In 1995, Elizabeth was sworn in as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for foster children in Santa Cruz County, and a State Certified Domestic Violence Advocate. She advocated for victims of domestic violence for seven years in Santa Cruz county prior to becoming a licensed attorney. In 2005, Elizabeth completed two specialized courses in Alternative Dispute Resolution at the Strauss Institute at Pepperdine School of Law. Elizabeth also completed the training to practice Collaborative Divorce with the Collaborative Divorce Group of Silicon Valley. Elizabeth...

Los Angeles native and attorney Victoria (Tori) Hirsch is eager to fight for you in the legal arena, and she thoroughly enjoys fighting for the rights of every single person she represents. At the Nieves Law Firm, Tori primarily represents clients facing criminal charges, those who find themselves caught up in the juvenile justice system, and those who need assistance with post-conviction relief matters. Her focus on juvenile work stems from her previous experience working as an English Language Arts teacher at KIPP Bayview Academy where she taught what she considers “some of the world’s smartest, funniest, and kindest seventh...

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,...

Jonathan Siegel, the founding partner of Siegel LeWitter Malkani has spent over thirty years representing employees. His experience runs the full range of cases from individual jury trials to class actions to arbitration and administrative hearings. Jonathan has enjoyed outstanding success in all forums, while building an enviable reputation as a formidable advocate, but one whose word can be trusted.

Jonathan has successfully tried individual cases to juries, judges and arbitrators. He has received substantial six and seven figure jury awards in discrimination cases related to age (Tetzchner v. Unitank - Contra Costa), pregnancy (Byer v. Haider - San Francisco) and...