Gazelle Civil Rights Lawyers

Admitted to the California Bar in 2001, I aggressively advocate for clients with Civil Rights, Employment, Constitutional, Personal Injury and General Civil law needs. I represent individuals, business and government entities in the State of California, the 9th Circuit, U.S. Supreme Court, as well as U.S. District Courts throughout California.

I am an accomplished attorney with proven results including settlement, trial and appellate cases. With innovative and effective litigation strategies, I aggressively pursue justice for my clients. I am dedicated to outstanding service and representation focused on the best possible outcomes.

Visit my website for more information and to see recent cases....

Alreen Haeggquist is on a mission to stand up with individuals to enrich their lives and inspire change by dismantling fear and shame and empowering those who have faced discrimination, retaliation, sexual harassment, and sexual assault to stand up and demand accountability. Today, the overwhelming majority of Alreen’s clients are women who have suffered egregious wrongs at the hands of their employers. No defendant is too large or powerful for her to tackle: she has recently represented plaintiffs in employment claims against such major corporations as Trader Joe’s, Sharp Healthcare, Wyndham, Kaiser Permanente, and the Grand Del Mar. ...

Mr. Tabayoyon is an experienced trial attorney that focuses on personal injury and family law matters, including federal and state trial litigation.

Kenneth Chike Odiwe is a skilled attorney with extensive experience in Civil Rights and Personal Injury litigation. He primarily focuses on representing clients in Civil Rights cases. Some of the areas of expertise he covers include: Police Misconduct: Mr. Odiwe is well-versed in handling cases related to police brutality, excessive force, officer-involved shootings, and custodial deaths. He also specializes in cases involving restraint asphyxia, positional asphyxia, excessive tasing, baton strikes, beanbag shotgun use, and 40mm rubber rounds. Medical Care: Chike Odiwe has a deep understanding of cases that involve inadequate or denied medical care, as well as interference with familial relationships. He...

The first 15 years of my legal career were spent as an investigator for the in-house law firm of a major nationwide non-profit organization. I managed up to 20 other investigators on complex, often high-profile, civil, criminal and tax litigation. In the 1980's I attended law school and settled in Visalia California, were I was a partner in a law firm focusing was on criminal and civil litigation in state and federal courts. I successfully obtained a LIFE verdict in a double homicide death penalty case. I handled many appeals for criminal defendants on an appointed independent basis for the...

Based in Los Angeles (now Beverly Hills and near Santa Monica), employment and business trial lawyer Jeffrey W. Cowan has an "AV î Preeminent" rating from Martindale-Hubbell. From 2007 through 2021, Mr. Cowan was named a "Southern California Super Lawyer". Professional Experience. Mr. Cowan specializes in employment and business litigation. He represents plaintiffs and defendants, and has recovered many millions of dollars for his clients (and also saved millions for his defendant clients). He also successfully sued Donald Trump's golf club. Learn more at http://www.cowan-law.com/results.php. Mr. Cowan earned his B.A. (cum laude) from Cornell...

Dwight Ritter is a trial attorney at Ritter & Associates in San Diego, California. He holds degrees from Indiana University Law School and the London School of Economics. He is also licensed in California, Arizona, Indiana, and the Island of Guam, as an expert on maritime law. Having built his reputation on personal attention to detail, Dwight strives to create a personal relationship with his clients. With a specialization in personal injury, Dwight is prepared to handle cases that involve wrongful death, sexual harassment, auto accidents, and civil rights claims. In addition, he has earned the title of Master Trial...

I received my Juris Doctorate degree from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, California in 1993. I was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1993. I have been practicing law for nearly 21 years. Following my admission to the California Bar, I was employed as a deputy public defender at the Ventura County Public Defender’s Office and obtained a substantial amount of training and experience in the investigation, preparation and presentation of evidence motion practice, trial planning and practice, and client relations. As a Deputy Public Defender, I was the lead attorney in approximately...

Jason K. Smith is one of the founding shareholders of MK Smith, APC. He has been admitted to practice in state and federal courts of both California and Utah. Mr. Smith focuses his practice in civil litigation and has successfully represented clients in matters involving business litigation, construction litigation, patent litigation, contract disputes, employment issues, false advertising, unfair business practices, personal injury, medical malpractice, family law, education law, and special education law.

Mr. Smith obtained his Bachelors degree in Political Science from the University of Utah, graduating Cum Laude in 2008. In 2011, he received his Juris Doctorate degree from the...

David E. Mastagni is a partner with the law firm of Mastagni Holstedt, APC, who specializes in labor and employment law representation of public safety employees, including trial and appellate litigation in California and federal courts. In particular, he handles complex civil, class action and collective action litigation, claims arising out of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the U.S. and California Constitutions, the California Public Records Act (CPRA), the Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights (POBR), the California Labor Code, the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act, and other statutes protecting the rights of employees.
Among his other legal activities, David is an...

Mr. Mitchell is dedicated to defense by training and experience, familiar with the demands of protecting the interests of the criminally accused. He worked for 7 years as a Public Defender and handled thousands of cases before going into private practice. He has experience in representing individuals in cases involving Homicide, Domestic Violence, DUI, Drug Sales and Possession, Weapons, Elder Abuse, Assault and Battery, Burglary, Robbery, Evading, Gang, White Collar Crimes, Conspiracy and Probation Violations.

He also pursues Civil Right Violations, police misconduct cases, ensuring his clients are afforded their rights or compensation for the deprivation of the same.

If you've been...

Paul Neuharth has been practicing criminal and administrative law exclusively for 25 years. Considered a top State, Federal Criminal defense and DUI attorney in San Diego, Mr. Neuharth has worked his way through College and Law School as a California State Law Enforcement Officer for almost 7 years. As an award winning trial attorney, he zealously fights for the best possible outcome for every client – regardless of the criminal charges. He has been recognized as a leading DUI and criminal defense lawyer in greater San Diego, by the legal community.

Christian Uehlein is of counsel to Thornton Law Firm LLP. He joined the firm as an associate in 2006. Mr. Uehlein is a graduate of Colorado College (B.A. 2002) and New England School of Law (J.D. 2006). He was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 2006, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts in 2007, Montana in 2016, and Wyoming in 2020, and the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts in 2007. Mr. Uehlein focuses his practice on representing victims of toxic exposures as well as employers and business in insurance premium disputes. Since...

The Hooshmand Law Group is one of the largest tenant firms in the Bay Area that assist Tenants with recovering damages resulting from false Owner Move Ins (OMI), wrongful eviction, lack of repairs, retaliation and retaliatory eviction, buy outs, Illegal Apartments, In Law Apartments and Illegal Units, harassment, and enforcement of the local San Francisco Rent Ordinance, Oakland Rent Ordinance and Berkeley Rent Ordinance.

For nearly 25 years, Sa'id Vakili has represented businesses and individuals in litigation matters involving complex business and contract disputes, business torts, direct and derivative shareholder disputes, intellectual property disputes, and all forms of employment claims. He has also handled a variety of serious injury tort claims including those arising under maritime and aviation law. Mr. Vakili is admitted in California, New York, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. and has handled cases in various other jurisdictions such as Florida, Nevada, Ohio, South Dakota, and Virginia through associations with local law firms in those locations. Mr. Vakili has also served...

Mr. Johnson has been practicing law for over 27 years. He has been a partner in The Law Office of Johnson & Johnson since 1998. The Law Office of Johnson & Johnson defends clients in matters related to Criminal Defense; Juvenile Dependency; Driving Under the Influence; Juvenile Delinquency, Civil Rights Litigation and related matters. Mr. Johnson and the attorneys at The Law Office of Johnson & Johnson are committed to their clients and their clients' circumstances.

Mr. Johnson has personally conducted well over 100 jury trials in courts throughout the state and federal court. He has engaged...

Joseph F. Klatt is a veteran California litigator with demonstrated expertise representing individual and institutional clients in complex civil litigation matters. He is skilled in handling all facets of litigation, including initiating and planning a case, managing discovery, drafting dispositive motions and briefs, conducting depositions, trying and resolving cases, handling complex writs and appeals, and negotiating significant settlements in high stakes cases. He is recognized for handling complex, unique, and troublesome cases, providing innovative litigation strategies, looking at legal issues from multiple and unorthodox angles, and cost-effectively achieving his clients’ objectives.

Joseph was the Valedictorian of his law school...

I have represented more than 35,000 clients in criminal and personal injury cases. My clients have included Judges, Lawyers, Doctors, Olympic Champions, World Ranked Professional Boxers, the rich and poor. I have been admitted to numerous Federal Courts, Military Court, Bankruptcy Court and some State Courts by special permission. I appear daily in Court. I have obtained not guilty verdicts in most major felony cases. I have tried numerous Personal Injury cases, including brain damage, wrongful death, medical malpractice, biking and motorcycle accidents and product liability. I have tried Bankruptcy cases and Military General Court Martial Cases. I am...

For more than twenty five years I have represented investors and consumers in class-action litigation, focusing primarily on federal civil appeals. I have briefed and argued appeals before all but two of the thirteen federal circuits, and was intimately involved in briefing the merits in three cases before the United States Supreme Court. My pro bono work has included writing and filing amicus curiae briefs on behalf of religious organizations and faith leaders opposing discrimination and supporting religious liberty and equal rights for all.

Mike attended law school on a merit-based scholarship and graduated with honors. Since joining the firm in January 2001, Mike’s practice has been dedicated solely to representing plaintiffs. Mike specializes in litigating serious injury and wrongful death cases. He has extensive experience handling cases involving personal injury, product liability, automotive defect/crashworthiness, medical malpractice, elder abuse, civil rights, fire claims, insurance bad faith as well as government entity liability. Mike’s practice also focuses on representing property owners, both residential and commercial, in construction defect matters. He has successfully represented hundreds of homeowners and businesses in Northern California seeking recovery for defective...

Karina N. Lallande received Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Sociology and Global Studies with a Socio-Economic and Political Emphasis from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Juris Doctor Degree from the University of California Hastings, College of the Law in San Francisco, California. Her practice focuses on litigating personal injury and wrongful death cases, primarily involving claims of premises liability; trucking accidents; collisions between automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians; defective products; civil rights; and medical malpractice. Ms. Lallande represents victims who have suffered catastrophic injuries, such as brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, birth injuries, amputations, and traumatic...

Pat Barrera has been practicing law in California and Texas for 28 years. Pat has been listed in Southern California Super Lawyers for 16 consecutive years. In 2018, Pat obtained a $1,002,361 verdict in an age discrimination case and a $1,750,000 verdict, including punitive damages, in a disability discrimination case. Pat was recognized by the Los Angeles Daily Journal as a 2018 top Labor and Employment Specialist in California, and was nominated for CAALA Trial Lawyer of the Year. Pat is a member of The American Board of Trial Advocates, and is listed...

I represent consumers in arbitrations, individual lawsuits, and class actions when they've been mistreated by companies using unfair business practices or false advertising. We primarily represent clients on a contingent fee basis, so any money we make comes from any recovery we get.

I spent a number of years litigating high-profile technology cases for one of the top plaintiff's firms in the country, so I have lots of experience going up against the best lawyers a big company can buy.

In my free time I write novels as a hobby and I helped fight for romance novelists to be able to...

Steven I. Azizi is a graduate of the prestigious SCALE 2-year JD program at Southwestern Law School. Steven is a dedicated employment lawyer. He specifically works with claims involving wrongful termination, sexual harassment, workplace discrimination, retaliation, whistleblower, and other complex employment law matters.

Steven understands that a person's job and health are the most important facet's of their life and therefore, he takes his work seriously.

Jihad M. Smaili, Esq., is a principal and partner of the firm Smaili & Associates, P.C., in Santa Ana. Mr. Smaili graduated from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (magna cum laude, law review editor), where he received numerous academic awards, and was immediately admitted to the practice of law in September of 2008 in Ohio and was appointed Assistant Attorney General for the State of Ohio in its Corrections Litigation Section in Columbus, Ohio. After serving in that position for a few years, Mr. Smaili was appointed as Assistant Prosecuting Attorney in the General Felony Unit for Cuyahoga County...

I am the Managing Partner and Founder of Rise Law Firm.

I have two degrees from Harvard, having graduated with magna cum laude honors from Harvard College in 2003 and Harvard Law School in 2007.

Upon law school graduation, I was hired by O’Melveny & Myers, the largest law firm in Los Angeles and a globally recognized legal powerhouse that has trained some of America’s most prominent lawyers, judges, politicians and business leaders. I spent 4 years at O’Melveny – and during that time I worked tirelessly as outside counsel representing corporations such as Univision, Participant Media, and the International Olympic...

The attorneys at Lessem, Newstat & Tooson will fight for you. Rated 10/10 Attorney J. Tooson and his partner Jeremy Lessem have both been honored by CA Super Lawyers and have handled over 10,000 complex criminal matters and received millions in civil settlements and verdicts. Attorney J. Tooson is a legal analyst for ABC 7 and People Magazine. Attorney J. Tooson and Jeremy Lessem have also been featured in several prominent publications for their legal work including ; The Los Angeles Times, and New York Times. The Lessem, Newstat & Tooson team is dedicated to helping good people in tough...

Brian is a National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 Attorney and was selected as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers. Brian represents severely injured plaintiffs in cases involving personal injury, product liability, medical malpractice and elder abuse. Brian represents clients throughout the State of California including the counties of Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, Lake, Marin, Solano and San Francisco.

Getting her start in the trenches as a legal aid attorney, Erika has years of experience in seeking justice for employees and consumers against unfair practices. She has fought off debt collectors, obtained justice for wrongfully terminated employees, and untangled thorny credit reporting issues. She has taken on local government for refusing proper restroom access to transgender people. In 2015, she even had a federal court declare a state's garnishment statute unconstitutional for violating the rights of low-income debtors.

Whether your case is just starting, or whether you are up on appeal, Erika has the experience and...

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...

Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law: I provide a complete range of estate planning, elder law, probate, trust administration, veterans pension and Medi-Cal eligibility services. I work with clients to create and implement an estate plan specifically designed with them in mind, including their family, their business, their property and their personal wishes. This includes preparation of Durable Powers of Attorney for Health Care and Durable Powers of Attorney for Asset Management. Family Law: I have over 30 years of experience in family law. Besides being a highly trained, experienced and knowledgeable family lawyer, I am personally and professionally sensitive to the concerns...

Bryan Schwartz is an Oakland, California-based attorney dedicated to helping employees protect their rights in the workplace. He has fought prohibited discrimination, retaliation, and harassment, obtained reasonable accommodations for disabled employees, vindicated whistleblowers' rights, and ensured that corporations pay workers all wages they are owed. He has successfully litigated individual and class action complaints nationwide, helping to recover millions of dollars for thousands of employees, forcing corporations and Government agencies to change their practices and punish wrongdoers. Bryan Schwartz is also one of the few Bay Area-based attorneys with extensive experience representing Federal employees in their unique Merit Systems...

Attorney Suzanne Skolnick is a seasoned personal injury attorney who has been an advocate for personal injury clients in California for over twenty years. She obtained her Juris Doctorate degree from the University Of San Diego School Of Law after completing her B.A. in Legal Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Ms. Skolnick started as an associate at a small firm located in the Inland Empire. She quickly developed a reputation for hard work, ingenuity, and skill. She initially honed her civil litigation skills in the Superior Court for the County of Riverside, California. More recently, she practices in the...

When individuals or businesses are involved in any form of litigation, they want an attorney who offers face-to-face contact and provides valuable legal services at competitive and reasonable costs. The Law Offices of Frank S. Moore, APC in San Francisco and Healdsburg, California, has attorneys on staff and "of counsel" that are committed and dedicated to clients and have extensive experience in the following areas of practice: • Business Litigation • Appeals and Writs • Federal and White Collar Criminal Defense • Wrongful Death • Personal Injury • Civil Rights • Disability...

Daniel Horowitz is Contra Costa County's "Top 100 Trial Lawyer". Daniel is an active community member serving on the Lafayette Crime Prevention Commission and a strong supporter of LPIE, Generations in Jazz and the Acalanes and local sports programs. His law group, Lawyers in Lafayette is a community law firm handling all types of cases "in house" or assisting in a referral to the best attorney for your needs. Daniel Horowitz and his legal team have exceptional qualifications in targeted areas. His group of affiliated attorneys includes a licensed physician who practices as a lawyer, a licensed...

Howard Rutten is consistently rated by his peers as a top employment lawyer in Los Angeles and throughout California. He has been selected for inclusion in the Super Lawyers list for six consecutive years (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018). Super Lawyers is a patented selection process and demonstrates credibility as an impartial rating given to less than 5 percent of attorneys in the state. Howard Rutten is AV Preeminent peer-review rated,* the highest rating attainable through Martindale-Hubbell.

From 1987 to 1990, he was a staff attorney at Westside Legal Services, in Santa Monica, California where he was the lead trial lawyer representing lower income families and individuals who could not afford a lawyer. In 1990, DeSimone founded the cutting edge civil rights law firm Schonbrun & DeSimone. Later known as Schonbrun DeSimone Seplow Harris & Hoffman, the firm established a reputation as one of the most prestigious civil and employment rights law firms in the State of California and in the entire country.

After twenty-five years as a partner, Jim decided to carve out his own path by...

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