Volcano Environmental Lawyers

Philip Shakhnis is a forceful, meticulous and compassionate attorney with over 20 years of experience representing tenants. Philip has represented hundreds of tenants forced to live in slum conditions. Philip has also helped tenants poisoned by carbon monoxide leaks, exposed to mold and whose children have been lead poisoned. Philip is at the forefront of representing tenants wrongfully evicted from properties protected by local rent control laws. Philip focuses his law practice on representing tenants because he strongly believes that every family and every person deserves the right to a safe, decent and healthy home. As part of his experience...

I was an elected official in Santa Cruz County, California for twenty years. Now, I am an environmental attorney, practicing law in Santa Cruz County. To get my perspective on politics, law, and government, read the postings I make, daily, to my blog, "We Live In A Political World." You can find my blog at www.gapatton.net.

Jon Welner is a leading practitioner of environmental law in California. His broad and deep experience over twenty years enables him to solve regulatory problems for clients in virtually every area of environmental practice, including air, water, hazardous materials, hazardous waste, consumer products, traditional and renewable energy, and natural resources. Jon helps clients make sense of the “alphabet soup” of state and federal environmental regulatory agencies in order to achieve their business objectives. He regularly represents clients in court to defend their interests and achieve their goals.

Jon has a robust land use practice and assists clients to successfully navigate the...

I am one of only a handful of local attorneys who have been actively trying cases before juries in this state for over 30 years now. I am a former Imperial County Deputy District Attorney IV (2002-2009), the last three years of which I served as the Director of the Special Prosecutions Unit (Narcotics). I am proud to be a Life Member of the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice (C.A.C.J.), and I am also a Private Defense Counsel Member of the California Public Defenders Association (C.P.D.A.). Most importantly, I would be privileged to represent YOU--and other accused persons--against...

Ernest C. Brown, ESQ, PE is highly experienced in construction contracts, negotiation, claims preparation, construction litigation, mechanic’s liens, bid protests, public works law and insurance coverage. He has resolved more than 2,500 construction disputes, including complex mediations, arbitrations, litigation, court trials, jury trials, DRB's and other innovative ADR approaches. He is a graduate of MIT in Civil and Environmental Engineering and earned a MS Construction Management and JD from the University of California, Berkeley. He also did graduate coursework at Harvard Law School in International Law. He is a senior construction lawyer and licensed civil engineer. Mr. Brown has...

Michael P. Thornton is founder and chair of Thornton Law Firm LLP. A nationally recognized expert on toxic tort litigation, Mr. Thornton graduated from Dartmouth College and Vanderbilt Law School. In the 1970’s he successfully undertook the representation of a number of shipyard and construction workers who had developed asbestos-related diseases. Over the years, the firm has grown to become the largest firm in the Northeast representing victims of asbestos and other toxic materials. The firm has brought justice to workers who contracted cancer and other health issues from exposure to chemicals, defective drugs, and defective products, and to...

My law practice encompasses a broad variety of litigation matters, ranging from complex commercial disputes to white collar criminal defense. I have represented clients in federal and state courts in cases involving copyright and trademark infringement, misappropriation of trade secrets, securities violations, bank fraud, tax fraud, toxic torts, unfair competition, and civil and criminal racketeering. I also have extensive experience in commercial mediation and arbitration.

Most recently, my work has involved class action litigation involving wage and hour claims; a partnership dispute over a multi-million dollar capital call; and a variety of intellectual property and business disputes in Los Angeles...

Diane Park specializes in estate and trust administration, as well as estate, trust and conservatorship litigation. In administrative matters, Diane is respectful of her clients’ grief, helping them navigate the many decisions that ultimately bring them peace-of-mind. In litigation matters, she is sensitive to the stressful nature of disputes in general, maintaining focus on achieving resolution as quickly as possible. With a background in civil litigation, Diane is well-versed in the litigation process, contributing to her efficiency.

Diane is on the Executive Committee of the Trusts and Estates Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. In this capacity, she collaborates...

Tracy Owens is an Associate in the Gresham Savage Real Estate & Land Use Practice Group. Ms. Owens assists clients with all aspects of commercial, industrial and residential development, including land use applications, zone changes, subdivisions, common interest developments, environmental compliance issues, and governmental approvals of projects. Ms. Owens has experience with projects affecting sensitive or endangered species, wetlands and cultural resources, and assists businesses and developers in complying with air and water quality regulation, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Ms. Owens is also experienced in title analysis and resolution of title problems,...

Mr. Rogers is a founding partner of Rogers, Sheffield & Campbell, LLP. He is a leading business and real estate lawyer in Santa Barbara, representing individuals and businesses throughout California's Central Coast. During a legal career spanning almost five decades, Mr. Rogers has represented clients in a wide range of corporate, business and real estate matters, including entity formations, asset and entity purchases, sales, financings, mergers and acquisitions, complex contract negotiations, commercial transactions, real estate syndications, land use planning and development and acquisition, and leasing and licensing of oil and gas rights.

Mr. Rogers has been awarded a Martindale-Hubbell rating of...

Paul Lee is engaged in the relentless pursuit of justice for victims of serious injuries. He has successfully handled hundreds of major personal injury matters, including those involving vehicle accidents, workplace accidents, products liability, toxic torts and premises liability, including severe spinal cord injuries, brain damage, fractures, amputations, third degree burns, severe lung damage, leukemia and other injuries. In the area of defective and dangerous products, Paul has successfully settled cases involving automobiles, heavy machinery and equipment, consumer products, chemicals and pharmaceutical products. Before founding Kaplan Lee LLP, Paul was a litigation partner at Lewis, Brisbois, Bisgaard & Smith LLP, one of...

Brad Mitchell is a partner at Thornton Law Firm LLP. His main area of practice is toxic exposure litigation, including cases involving birth defects, cancer, and exposure to glycol ethers, benzene, solvents, and other hazardous substances. Mr. Mitchell has represented clients who have been exposed to toxic substances working in semiconductor chip manufacturing, printing, parts washing, and other industries and occupations. Brad J. Mitchell is a graduate of Colby College (B.A., May 1989) and Vermont Law School (J.D. 1998). Mr. Mitchell was a Note Editor for the Vermont Law Review. Mr. Mitchell is a member of...

A San Francisco Bay Area native, James Nevin received a bachelor of arts from Boston College (majoring in International Studies), a master of arts in Asian Studies from Stanford University, and a law degree from University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), where he was an editor on the UCLA Law Review. Mr. Nevin is a partner and trial counsel with the firm. He has been with Brayton Purcell since March 2002. His legal practice focuses on all litigation and trials representing personal injury and wrongful death plaintiffs, specializing in toxic torts, such as asbestos and mesothelioma, artificial stone silicosis, benzene-caused diseases,...

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...

Mr. Young is a graduate of Harvard College and The Cornell Law School. He was Law Clerk to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Alaska, and Assistant Attorney General of Alaska. Mr. Young was a member of the legal team involved in the structuring and financing of the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline, one of the largest construction projects in the United States. He was further involved in the litigation which allowed the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline to be successfully built. Besides business transactions and litigation, Mr. Young is experienced in complex litigation against State and Federal Governments and Agencies, including...

My name is Fred Walter. I am a partner in the law firm of Walter & Prince. My law firm represents California employers, and other states as well, in OSHA compliance issues and "serious & willful misconduct" claims. I work with employers, general counsel, safety directors, risk managers and human resources administrators defending OSHA citations and developing effective safety programs which answer regulatory mandates. I am a leader of the firm's crisis management practice, providing clients with legal advice and representation during and after critical events. I am admitted to practice in all California courts, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals...

Peter Hsiao has 33 years of experience as a lead trial lawyer and is head of the West Coast U.S. Environmental, Health & Safety Practice of King & Spalding LLP resident in the Los Angeles Office. He was named Environmental Litigation Attorney of the Year in Los Angeles by Best Lawyers in America, and one of 16 lawyers named as a Distinguished Environmental Advocate by the American Bar Association. The National Law Journal identifies him as a Trailblazer in Energy and Environmental Law, and is named by Chambers, Legal 500 and Super Lawyers one of the nation’s best...

Skilled in explaining litigation risks and strategy to business professionals. Practiced in assessing a company's exposure to litigation risks and analyzing litigation to resolve issues. Environmental. I have experience in both regulatory and litigation aspects of environmental law. I have negotiated Title V permits for steel companies, reviewed environmental provisions of transactions, negotiated NPDES permits, and resolved air excursion issues with state regulatory agencies. I have designed decision tree analysis for the resolution of environmental issues. In addition, I have been successful in litigating all manner of environmental claims in the courts and in administrative tribunals. Litigation. I have successfully prosecuted and...

Ed Kraus is a shareholder with Silicon Valley Law Group. For over 20 years he has represented individuals, small and large companies in a variety of civil and criminal litigation matters. Ed has successfully handled litigation involving employment issues, real estate, construction, commercial disputes, contract issues, unfair competition and Americans with Disabilities Act claims on behalf of businesses. Ed also handles a wide variety of criminal litigation including representing individuals and corporations accused of grand theft, embezzlement, real estate fraud, insurance fraud, environmental, trade secret violations, driving under the influence, other driving related charges and other general criminal matters.

Ed believes...

Mr. Donadio was raised in Concord, Massachusetts, where he graduated in the top 10% of his high school class. In 1985 he graduated with a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania. After moving to California, Mr. Donadio went to the University of San Francisco Law School (USF), where he was president of the Environmental Law Society. After graduating from USF, Mr. Donadio spent a summer clerking for the White House's Council on Environmental Quality and obtained a masters degree in law, with a concentration in environmental law, from Vermont Law School. Mr. Donadio began work...

Kimberly Leue Bick is the founding and co-managing partner of Bick Law LLP. She combines extensive experience in environmental law with her earlier career as an environmental engineer to help clients resolve complex environmental challenges. She has extensive experience representing major aerospace, manufacturing, land use, biotech, and real estate companies, in environmental litigation, regulatory compliance, enforcement, and corporate transactional work involving environmental issues.

I have over 21 years experience serving Santa Cruz, Santa Clara and Monterey Counties with superior and efficient land use, real estate, and business law services – all backed by professionalism and integrity. In my current practice in Capitola, I represent individual, business and public agency clients in a wide range of real estate, land use, and public law matters (transactional and litigation), with special emphasis on: Land use permits; Zoning compliance and red tag removal; CEQA and Coastal Act compliance and litigation; Writ of mandate litigation (against or on behalf of public agencies); Real estate transactions, disputes...

Jeff LaFave has gained an outstanding reputation for his expertise as a plaintiff’s trial attorney. Mr. LaFave has an impressive 19-year track record representing injured families, homeowners, renters, workers and children. For almost two decades, he has specialized in environmental litigation, including representing adults and children made sick by poor indoor air quality in their homes, workplaces and schools. Mr. LaFave has pioneered indoor air quality litigation since helping to successfully resolve the first known mold exposure lawsuit brought in 1992. He has represented hundreds of injured people in poor indoor air quality, sick building, water damage and toxic exposure...

Terrance J. Evans is a partner in the Trial Practice Group of Duane Morris in San Francisco. He concentrates his practice in representing the financial services industry, which includes international, national and community banks; loan service companies; and insurance companies.

With respect to the insurance industry, Mr. Evans concentrates his practice in complex commercial litigation and policy interpretation and analysis. He has represented commercial primary, excess and umbrella insurers in a wide range of multimillion-dollar cases, including declaratory relief, bad faith, rescission, subrogation, indemnity, additional insurance, interpleader and reformation actions.

In relation to the banking industry, Mr. Evans has represented international,...

Mr. Brodsky earned his Bachelor's Degree in English from the University of California at Berkeley, with highest honors in English and highest distinction in general scholarship, graduating first in his class and earning the University Medal as the most distinguished graduate of 1994. He earned his Juris Doctor Degree from Yale Law School in 2001 and clerked for the Honorable Dorothy W. Nelson at the United States Court of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit in 2001–2002.

Prior to completing his undergraduate and law degrees, Mr. Brodsky was a construction sub-contractor in the San Francisco Bay Area for fourteen years, installing ceramic...

I am a native of Kansas City. I received my B.A. from Hamilton College in Clinton, NY, a Ph.D. in cellular biology from the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS and a J.D. from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, CA. I represent businesses and individuals in transactions, including purchase and sale of real estate, commercial, retail and industrial leasing, and commercial, retail and industrial financing. I am a frequent speaker in real estate leasing and real estate financing. I also serve as a board member for IRBCo, an independent review board for medical...

Rob Bernheimer is a public policy expert and attorney with a proven track record of providing game changing strategies to complex issues, particularly where law and politics converge in government, corporations, non-profits, clubs and homeowners associations.

With nearly a decade as a Mayor and City Councilmember, and over 25 years of experience in representing clients in government, political and legal matters, Bernheimer has served as the strategic quarterback for Fortune 500 companies, private individuals, public agencies, corporations, non-profits and global investment companies in legal, municipal and special district issues across California.

His experience includes:
- Real estate development and...