Petaluma Lawyers

Mark A. Pearson is a founding partner at ARC Law Group (www.arclg.com), a law firm focused on counseling Creative, Talented and Entrepreneurial clients. His primary practice areas involve forming business entities, counseling on trademark & copyright issues, and drafting contracts for music, film & new media clients. His list of interesting and eclectic clients include entertainment industry tech firms, social media outlets, online content providers, film, radio & television producers, live entertainment companies, publishers and video game developers. Mark and his partner, Anne Yarovoy, have also been known to associate with various theater producers, musicians, industry execs,...

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...

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...

Lisa R. Murray has practiced law since 1987, and family law since 1989, assisting families through the difficult divorce process. Ms. Murray assists her clients in reaching amicable and equitable settlement by offering services as a mediator, Collaborative Practice lawyer, consulting attorney for clients in mediation, and negotiating settlements. Ms. Murray has served her community as a court-appointed child advocate representing children in divorce cases, and Judge Pro Tempore. Ms. Murray's focus on consensual dispute resolution, such as mediation and Collaborative Practice was borne from her experience of the destructive manner in which litigation separates parents' and...

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...

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...

Before merging her law office with Tammy J. Mercado’s, Mary Whipple opened her own law practice in the summer of 2008. Prior to that Mary was an associate attorney at the Law Office of Cummins & Holmes, a full-service civil litigation law firm in San Ramon. The majority of her experience is in family law, which includes divorce, custody, support, prenuptial agreements, and domestic-violence restraining orders. Mary has also represented clients in a variety of non-family-law cases, including juvenile dependency, probate, breach of contract, and employment disputes, to name a few. Previously, Mary worked as a contract attorney for O’Melveny...

Amy Laughlin has been achieving exceptional results for clients since 1992. After graduating with honors from The University of Michigan Law School, Amy joined the San Francisco office of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP. While there, she counseled individuals and corporations in a wide range of complex financial matters. In 2013, Amy opened her own practice where she focuses primarily on divorce, business and entertainment law.

Visit www.ponlaw.com for comprehensive information about Poniatowski Leding Parikh Law Corp. and Mark D. Poniatowski.

Hannah Sargent received her undergraduate degree from University of California Los Angeles and graduated from University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. While in school, she spent time clerking for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Jose. She is a former military officer, company commander, two-time Iraq war veteran and decorated AH-64D Apache Helicopter pilot. She is currently the principal attorney at Sargent Law Office, where she practices litigation, business and commercial law, and estate planning, and she lives in Castro Valley with her family. Between her time working and being with her family, she enjoys...

Most experienced DUI lawyer in N. California. Over 44 years in practice. Co-founder and past president of the state-wide California Association of DUI Lawyers (CDLA). Received State Bar Certified Specialist in Criminal Law designation in 1985. Awarded Lifetime Achievement Award from CDLA in 2015.

My family law practice is entirely limited to mediation and coaching. After witnessing the financial destruction and emotional distress that accompanies a litigated divorce, I decided to devote my career to helping couples separate constructively, peacefully and with dignity. Not only does a mediated divorce typically cost tens of thousands less than a drawn-out courtroom battle, but it also maximizes the likelihood that the parties will enjoy a civil relationship after the legal work is done. This is critically important when children are involved. I handle the entire divorce process for my clients, from our initial meeting to drafting...

My law practice focuses on representing injury and death victims and their families. Many of my cases have involved personal injury, car accidents, accidental death, wrongful death, truck accidents, big-rig accidents, motorcycle accidents, products liability, defective products, dog bites, nursing home injuries, pedestrian accidents, bicycle accidents, and dangerous property. I have been highly successful in favorably resolving my clients' cases and obtaining monetary compensation for my clients for over 22 years. My clients have suffered catastrophic injuries, death of a family member, serious injuries requiring hospitalization or surgery and many other types of injuries including coma, brain injuries, quadriplegia, triplegia, loss of...

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.

Oakland Bankruptcy Attorney

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...

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...

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.

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...

Attorney Adam M. Carlson is managing partner at Casper, Meadows, Schwartz & Cook. While he is skilled in various areas of law, he focuses the majority of his practice handling cases related to wrongful death, civil rights, and personal injury. He believes that tailoring each case to each client’s needs is key to providing aggressive and compassionate legal representation.

Before joining the firm, Carlson served as an intake assistant for our team, where he was responsible for fielding calls from potential clients. It was at this time that Carlson decided he wanted to do more. He found that he was passionate...

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...

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...

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,...

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.

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...

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,...

Mark T. Koo’s work includes Corporate Compliance and Governance, Estate Planning, Family Law, Non-Profit Formation and setting up the 501c3 Non-profit designation. Mark also helps companies file incorporation as well as other corporate legal assistance. Prior to becoming an attorney, Mark T. Koo has been involved with Silicon Valley’s technologies such as data warehousing, wireless software and hardware technologies, and internet technologies. Mark is a graduate of McGeorge Law School and is a member of the California Bar. Mark received his bachelors of science degree in electrical engineering and masters of science degree in materials science from University of California,...

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.