Partner
I help people navigate the unfamiliar world of business litigation and trust/estate litigation. I help my clients with counsel to keep them out of court, advocacy when they get into court, mediation where most cases end today, and jury trial and appeal for the ones that don’t settle.
I have been an attorney since 2003 when I graduated cum laude from Oak Brook College of Law and passed the California Bar Exam on first taking, becoming one of five attorneys my age. I worked in federal civil rights litigation during law school at Pacific Justice Institute and as a judicial extern at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in 2005. I have continued representing select clients pro bono in free speech, religious liberty, and public interest claims throughout my career, suing the government and in some cases securing awards of attorney’s fees. I worked at two law firms in Pleasant Hill and Walnut Creek, California during my first few years in practice, helping secure a $1 million judgment after jury trial at one (Barr & Barr Attorneys) and helping recover multiple six-digit settlements for personal injury victims at another (Stoddard Bergquist Wood & Anderson).
I am admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of California and all State courts in California, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States Supreme Court, and the District of Columbia Bar.
When I am not at work (and sometimes on the way to and from it) I run, bike, ski, play cello, explore this planet on foot and under water and in the air, often with a camera in hand, keep bees, enjoy ballet, and volunteer with several nonprofit organizations, mentoring high-schoolers, promoting international cultural exchange, and providing better options for women and men in need.
