Justia Legal Services & Lawyers Directory

An honors graduate of UC-Berkeley and Harvard Law School, Neil Shouse served five years as Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County. He prosecuted more than 60 criminal trials, and handled more than 1,000 evidentiary hearings. He earned a reputation as one of the toughest and most successful trial prosecutors, with an astounding 96% success rate in felony criminal jury trials to verdict.

As a trial prosecutor, Mr. Shouse's cases ranged from DUIs and drug charges to complex, high profile murders. He worked in close partnership with police, detectives, the California Highway Patrol, criminalists and fellow prosecutors.

Among his cases was the successful prosecution of Shadae Schmidt, a college student who shot and killed her mother and then staged a fake robbery scene. Shadae Schmidt was defended at the trial by Michael Jackson lawyer Thomas Messereau.

Mr. Shouse frequently speaks as a guest legal commentator on national television. He has appeared on Good Morning America, CNN, Court TV, Fox News Channel and Public Television.

Prior to serving as a trial prosecutor, Mr. Shouse was a litigator for several of the nation's top law firms, including the global law firm Sidley Austin Brown & Wood. In that role, he represented such clients as AT&T, Microsoft, Metropolitan Life, Western Union and KPMG.

Michael C. Hackworth is a partner with lawfirm of Fernandez & Lauby LLP. Mr. Hackworth has a variety of experiences in defense litigation. He completed his undergraduate education at the University of California, Riverside, and held internships at the City of San Bernardino Mayor's Office performing legal and political research. He received his Juris Doctorate degree from Hastings College of the Law in 1996 where he specialized in litigation and served externships with the Public Law Research Institute, where he worked on the research and drafting of ethics bills.

Before attending law school, Mr. Hackworth served as a licensed real estate appraiser, determining the values of residential properties in several Southern California counties. This background, and his experience working for the Resolution Trust Corporation (an agency of the FDIC) led to an early practice in real estate transaction and litigation.

Mr. Hackworth's current practice includes insurance defense, premises liability, general liability, construction defect litigation, construction accidents, and general business litigation. He also has experience in professional and medical negligence cases, employment litigation, drafting of employment agreements and handbooks, business transactions, real estate issues, and public entity defense. He has represented various public entities, such as Cities, Counties, Special Districts, and School Districts in various litigation matters, including employment claims, contract disputes and injury claims.

Mr. Hackworth is licensed to practice before the Federal Courts, and has extensive experience at that level. He also has experience with appellate issues, in both State and Federal forums. His practice is enhanced by membership in local county bar associations. Additionally, he has served as a judge at the annual Hispanic National Bar Association Moot Court competition.

Mr. Palacios represents entrepreneurs, startups and early stage businesses, corporations, physicians and healthcare businesses, and individuals in the areas of business and commercial transactions, business planning, corporate law, business law, healthcare business law, business financing, private placements, including acquisitions and sales of businesses, intellectual property portfolio management, commercial real estate, employment, and bankruptcy law. Mr. Palacios is also an entrepreneur.

Derek K. Early is an associate with Fernandez & Lauby. His expertise includes both transactional and litigation matters, with clients ranging from large companies to nonprofits and private individuals. Mr. Early graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2003, where he was a member of Penn's 2000 Ivy League Championship football team. He graduated from Indiana University School of Law Bloomington in 2008. At Indiana, Mr. Early was President of the Sports & Entertainment Law Society, a Managing Editor for the Indiana Law Journal, an intern for the Nonprofit Legal Clinic, and a participant in the Intellectual Property Practicum. He also researched and wrote extensively on NCAA enforcement and compliance issues, including completing projects for the Indiana University Athletics Department. Mr. Early's current practice includes employment law, business law, intellectual property, sports law, entertainment law, and insurance defense.

Grant’s Law Firm, is a business oriented law firm composed of experienced attorneys delivering aggressive and innovative services in a cost-effective manner. While we offer the kind of work product, expected from a large law firm, we retain small firm efficiency and focus on personalized service to individuals, businesses and business owners throughout Orange County, Riverside County, and Los Angeles County, California.

Our business lawyers craft creative and efficient solutions to various legal problems, no matter how complex the issues may be. In doing so, we seek to build long term relationships with our clients, so that we can contribute to the overall success of their business.

Working personally with you and your business

Our lawyers practice in a variety of specialized legal areas, including:

Business Law: (sometimes known as Commercial Law) is the body of law that governs business, corporate law, and commercial transactions. We provide practical legal advice in negotiating and documenting business transactions and agreements for individuals, business owners and entrepreneurs.

Business Formation: We assist clients in selecting the appropriate organizational form for their new business endeavor, and document the selection by formalizing it with the appropriate State entity, whether it’s a corporation, a limited liability company (LLC), or a partnership.
We also help those clients acquire the appropriate business licenses, permits, and tax registrations so they can conduct business.

Employment Law: Helping business owners and start-ups with their day-to-day employment related issues, resolving employment disputes, and drafting clear and concise executive and key employee contracts, handbooks, policies, confidentiality agreement, and invention assignment agreements.

Entertainment: We advise on, draft and negotiate contracts for music recording, music and book publishing, and movie and television production packaging deals.

Franchise Law: We represent companies on a regional and national level, from first-time franchisors to multi-unit systems. Our law firm provides comprehensive services from development, operation and expansion to termination, non-renewals and contractual disputes.

Intellectual Property (IP) Law: We assure client ideas, whether protected by patents, trademarks, domain names, copyrights, trade secrets, and/or trade dress, are up to date and current to continuously guard against any infringement and counterfeiting.

Patent: We represent clients in the prosecution and protection of utility and design patents. We will research prior art, prepare all filings, respond to requests and office actions from the Patent Office, and handle all appeals. We also handle all litigation to enforce or defend patents.

Trademark: We assist in the selection of trademarks, conduct trademark clearance searches, prosecute trademark applications before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), maintain and monitor our clients’ trademark registrations and litigate trademark infringement and related actions.

Trade Dress: Refers to the packaging, bottling or labeling of a product, which focuses on the appearance of a manufactured item. We can help register the Trade dress of your product, in a process that is similar to trademark registration.

Trade Secret: Guard the intensive work you have invested while developing your business know-how, customer lists, market intelligence and business plans over the years. We can help you protect those secrets.

Copyright: Protects your creative work by properly registering copyrights for your websites, writings, marketing materials, music or developed software. These represent your competitive advantage in the market place. We will protect your rights against those who violate your copyright.

Domain Names: We advise and represent clients in connection with their use of IP on the Internet — authorized or otherwise — blogging, social networking, web compliance, privacy statements, terms of use, disclaimers, and the application of the doctrine of fair use.

International Protection: In a global economy based upon instantaneous communication, securing intellectual property protection worldwide has never been more important. We offer assistance to our clients in pursuing all forms of intellectual property protection in foreign countries and especially in neighboring countries such as Canada and Mexico. We coordinate with foreign specialty firms practicing before foreign tribunals and agencies, to secure, defend and exploit our client’s IP rights, worldwide.

International Clients: We offer assistance to our foreign associates and foreign attorneys who seek protection for their International Clients U.S. Patents and International Client U.S. Trademarks. Our office serves as a US associate for foreign law firms seeking to file patents and/or trademark in the United States. We coordinate with those foreign attorneys to ensure all of their intellectual property needs are met for our foreign clients.

Licensing: Our intellectual property attorneys have vast experience crafting licensing agreements that protect businesses intellectual property while optimizing revenue. We have drafted and negotiated numerous franchise licenses, patent licenses, and trademark licenses.

Contract Negotiation, Development and Litigation: Our attorneys have the experience to review and advise you on any negotiable instruments including all types of contracts, agreements, memoranda of understanding and letters of intent related to intellectual property and technology. We can help you develop contractual agreements that protect you and your business. If you find your business in conflict, our contract litigation attorneys are experienced in alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and civil procedures, including pre-litigation analysis and investigation.

Civil Litigation: Our litigation attorneys are equipped to litigate in California and federal courts regarding business, commercial, employment, and intellectual property disputes involving trade secret theft, confidentiality violations, IP counterfeiting, non-compete agreements, trademark and unfair competition litigation, patent litigation, copyright litigation, and litigation matters.

At Grant’s Law Firm, we value the relationships we have created with our clients in handling their various legal issues. Contact an Orange County, Riverside County, or Los Angeles County attorney for an initial consultation.

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, as well as other transactions related to the purchase and sale of real property.

Ms. Owens is one of only 50 attorneys in California who is fully accredited through the Green Building Certification Institute as a LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP). The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. State and local governments across the country are adopting LEED for public-owned and public-funded buildings, as well as offering incentives for privately-owned projects that achieve LEED certification. As a LEED AP, Ms. Owens has the knowledge and skill to successfully navigate clients through the LEED certification process, as well as the complex issues that can arise in any commercial or residential green building project. Ms. Owens combines this unique knowledge with her skill as an attorney to identify and resolve permitting, insurance, taxation and professional liability issues, ensure careful drafting of green building project agreements and resolve disputes.

For over 20 years Mr. Liebaert has been in the legal field. First as an investigator and then as an attorney. He is licensed in California and Texas. Holds an advanced degree in Energy & Environmental Law (LL.M.), and is a licensed Private Investigator.

Joel D. Peterson, Attorney at Law. Joel is a lawyer that focuses his legal practice and consultation on the unique needs of the start-up and small business, however, the firm also serves individuals and companies in the areas of Employment & Labor, Discrimination Claims, Business & Commercial Law, Business Formation, Corporate Governance, Buy-Sell Agreements, Intellectual Property, Civil Litigation, Arbitration & Mediation, Wage & Hour, Immigration, and Risk Management in the Inland Empire, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, including the cities of Redlands, San Bernardino, Loma Linda, Highland, Colton, Yucaipa, Grand Terrace, Rialto, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, Riverside, Victorville and Moreno Valley, to name a few.