Justia Legal Services & Lawyers Directory

The U.S. Law Center is a nationwide, full-service immigration law firm that provides large corporations, small businesses and individuals with a full range of immigration processing and placement services. Attorney Mike Sethi earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from California State University Dominguez Hills in 1995. He received his law degree from the American College of Law, where he graduated in the top three percent of his class and was awarded seven AM-JUR Bancroft-Whitney Awards. These awards are presented to those students attaining the highest grades in particular subjects.

He is a member of the Bar for the state of California . During law school Attorney Sethi worked for several immigration law firms and as a result has over ten years of experience in complex immigration matters. Mr. Sethi's knowledge of immigration matters is broad, including employment-based immigrant and nonimmigrant visas, family-based permanent residence matters, and naturalization. Mr. Sethi has successfully worked extensively in preparing and filing labor certifications and PERM applications.

Attorney Sethi entered the field of immigration law because of his deep-seated belief that law should be a helping profession. He considers it a privilege to work with such a multi-cultural mix of clients, and garners great satisfaction from doing so. Attorney Sethi fluently speaks English, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, Farsi and is in the process of learning Spanish.

Offices in: Long Beach, West Los Angeles, Pasadena, Woodland Hills, Irvine, San Diego and Riverside.

A former Marine and graduate of the University of California at Berkeley (1966) and the UCLA School of Law (1969), Lawrence Eric Taylor served as deputy public defender and deputy district attorney in Los Angeles before entering private practice. He was the trial judge's legal advisor in People vs Charles Manson, was Supreme Court counsel in the "Onion Field" murder case, and was retained by the Attorney General of Montana as an independent Special Prosecutor to conduct a one-year grand jury probe of governmental corruption.

Turning to teaching, Mr. Taylor served on the faculty of Gonzaga University School of Law, where he was voted Professor of the Year, was Visiting Professor at Pepperdine University Law School, and was finally appointed Fulbright Professor of Law at Osaka University in Japan.

With over 33 years of experience, Lawrence Taylor is the author of over thirty articles and 13 books, including the standard text on DUI litigation, "Drunk Driving Defense", 7th edition (N.Y.: Aspen Law and Business) and "California Drunk Driving Defense", 4th edition (St. Paul, MN: West Publishing). He is one of only 4 DUI attorneys in California who is Board-certified as a DUI defense specialist.

Over the past 30 years Mr. Taylor has proven a popular lecturer on DUI trial techniques and constitutional issues at over 200 CLE seminars in 39 states, including those sponsored by the American Bar Association, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and numerous state bar associations including the California State Bar. He was one of the original 13 founders of the National College for DUI Defense, served on its Board of Regents and was elected Dean for 1995-1996. On July 25, 2002, at Harvard Law School, Mr. Taylor was presented with the National College's Lifetime Achievement Award.


(Taylor) excels at trial preparation and tactics....His expertise is incomparable.
Trial (Assoc. of Trial Lawyers of America)

Larry Taylor is recognized as one of the finest DUI trial tacticians in the country.
Editor, California DUI Report

Lawrence Taylor is one of the top DUI lawyers in the U.S. today.
Editor, Drinking/Driving Law Letter

Taylor's patented approach to crossing the cop....can be regarded as so fundamental that newer drunk driving defense practitioners may not be aware that he was its originator.
The Champion (Nat'l Assoc. of Criminal Defense Lawyers)


Mr. Taylor is a member of the United States Supreme Court Bar, California State Bar, Los Angeles County Bar Association, Orange County Bar Association and National College for DUI Defense. He maintains a personal DUI blogsite with commentary on the defects, fallacies and Constitutional damage of the war on drunk driving, and serves as Wikipedia contributing editor on DUI matters.

When I left Fordham University School of Law in 1998, I began working for the Kings County District Attorney's Office. I enjoyed my six years in the office but decided to see if I would enjoy civil law.

I left the DA's office and worked for four years at Ellenberg & Rigby, LLP where I represented doctors in medical malpractice matters. Though it paid more, I did not like the work and missed my time practicing criminal law.

Additionally, I got married and, since neither my wife and I were from New York, we decided to move to California to be near my family. We hope to raise a family of our own.

Upon returning to California, I took the bar and began my own practice. I currently represent criminal defendants in Orange County, California. If you need help, give me a call.

The Law Offices of Mark Gonzales focuses on litigation of personal injury and criminal matters. Unlike other law firms and attorneys, we do not prepare your case for settlement, we prepare for trial. We feel that this is most effective way to get the most for the client. We know how to get full value for your case.

The Law Offices of Mark Gonzales is dedicated to helping families though difficult personal injury and criminal matters. This firm is committed to client attention and communication. We give all prospective clients a free consultation with an actual attorney and most injury matters are handled on a contingency fee basis, meaning no fees if no recovery.

Mark Gonzales, Esq. has recovered over a million dollars for clients in difficult cases. He has also worked for the insurance defense industry, which gave him inside prospective and experience, which he now uses to help his clients fight the powerful insurance industry.

Mark brings his wealth of insight and knowledge to helping individuals through complex and difficult legal circumstances. He is committed to aggressively pursuing client's interests through detailed and experienced litigation. He prosecutes cases ranging from medical malpractice and caregiver abuse though catastrophic industrial injuries and major vehicle injury accidents. Mark is one of the most experienced Attorneys in the nation in Beg Bug lawsuits against major hotel chains.

Mark is a member of the Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles and Los Angles County Bar Association and has represented clients throughout Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties.

Kyle K. Lauby is a partner in the Riverside office of Fernandez & Lauby. Mr. Lauby graduated in 2003 from the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law with a specialization in business law. In 1999, he graduated magna cum laude from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business.

Mr. Lauby is admitted to practice in the State of California and before the United States District Court for the Central District of California. He has litigated cases in a variety of practice areas, including construction defect, wrongful death, personal injury, securities fraud, antitrust, and general business disputes. Prior to joining Fernandez & Lauby in 2006, Mr. Lauby practiced at the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.

In 1998, Ms. Lauby received her Bachelor of Science degree in Social Policy from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. As a student, Ms. Lauby interned at the Chicago Department of Human Services. There, she participated in various aspects of the policy making process including research and analysis regarding the local impact of the federal transition from Aid to Families with Dependent Children to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. In addition to her academic pursuits, she also pitched for the Wildcatsâ Varsity Softball team.

After college, Ms. Lauby joined the Chicago office of the prestigious, Kirkland & Ellis LLP, as a case assistant on the tobacco litigation team. There, she learned the ins and outs of complex litigation and traveled to Seattle, Washington and Kansas City, Missouri to provide trial support.

In 2000, Ms. Lauby returned to her native Southern California and transferred to the Kirkland & Ellis office in Los Angeles where she continued to work until 2003. While still at Kirkland, Ms. Lauby decided to take the next step in her legal career and simultaneously attended law school.

After moving to the Inland Empire, Ms. Lauby became a law clerk for Fernandez & Lauby, marking the beginning of her in-depth exposure to the practice of construction and insurance litigation.

Ms. Lauby received her Juris Doctor degree in 2005 from Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles, California. As a first year student she was recognized as a finalist in the Moot Court writing competition.

After going through her own divorce, Ms. Lauby became interested in family law. She has cultivated a philosophy that encourages parties to reduce costs, stress and harm to children by taking control of the outcome of their case though mutual negotiation rather than litigation. While litigation is sometimes unavoidable, Ms. Lauby believes that it should be a matter of last resort.

Graduating from Brown University with a BA in both Political Science and Political Philosophy then from the California Western School of Law, Punam Patel Grewal has proven herself to be driven in all that she pursues with an unparalleled enthusiasm. While in law school, Punam clerked with the Riverside District Attorney’s Office and then later she was a prosecutor for the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s office. Here her professionalism, superb work ethic and preparation were a constant source of respect from her peers. After finding success in the legal field, Punam sought further personal challenges by entering the hospitality industry as a hotel owner and operator. Later, Punam took on greater responsibility as the Managing Attorney at the Law Offices of Marc E. Grossman where she is primarily responsible for the day- to-day management of staff, attorneys, cases, accounting, etc. Her areas of practice at the firm include Special Education Law and Criminal Defense.
Fluent in Hindi and Gujarati, Punam has numerous accomplishments at the Law Offices of Marc E. Grossman such as receiving the Patriotic Employer award from her staff, as well as notable cases that include plea bargaining a twenty-six month sentence on an attempted murder case (which carries twenty-five years to life)and successfully obtaining compensation for children and their families in matters of California Special Education. Still committed whole-heartedly to practicing law, Punam continues to work diligently not only as a California Special Education lawyer, but as an entrepreneur, a wife and most importantly as a mother. The tireless yet infinitely fulfilling work of raising two young boys is her most rewarding job as she seeks to shape the moral character that will serve them well throughout their lives.
Consistently professional, unparalleled drive, genuine leadership, commitment to preparation, maturity and personal growth, Punam Patel Grewal was born with the unique combination of traits that generate a sincerely gifted lawyer and an exceptional person.

Brian Mankin is an experienced attorney who primarily represents clients in employment disputes, class action and mass tort litigation. His practice also consists of general business, personal injury and construction matters.

Brian completed his undergraduate degree from San Diego State University while serving six years as a military police officer in the California Army National Guard. He received his law degree from Whittier Law School where he was on the Dean's Honor List, and a member of all three Honors Boards - Law Review, Moot Court and Trial Advocacy - on behalf of which he competed in national competitions.

Brian originally joined Fernandez & Lauby LLP in 2004. He is admitted to practice before Federal and California courts, and is a member of local bar associations.

In his time away from the office, Brian and his wife enjoy spending time with their baby boy, house projects, and the thrill of motocross and road bike racing.

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.

Kirk A. Lauby has a varied and comprehensive background in business management which is of particular benefit to the firm's business and business litigation clients. Mr. Lauby was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1978, and has combined his legal practice with business endeavors in the food marketing industry, oil and gas exploration, and real estate building and development.

Mr. Lauby is an experienced trial attorney with a focus on business litigation, construction defect litigation, construction injury litigation, premises liability, contractor general counsel assignments and personal injury. He has the distinction of having represented the developer defendants in what was at the time the largest construction defect jury trial held in Riverside County. Mr. Lauby has vast experience representing plaintiffs, developers, manufacturers and subcontractors in all construction trades.

His published opinion in Lopez v. C.G.M. Development, Inc. (2002) 101 CA 4th 430 is an established and often cited authority which limits liability of owners, developers and general contractors for injuries sustained by subcontractor employees.

Additionally, Mr. Lauby has had the opportunity to participate with multiple insurance carriers in their special investigation unit (SIU) automobile defense activities. He has tried and arbitrated several hundred SIU cases.

Mr. Lauby is licensed to practice in the State of California, and before the United States District Court. He is available to represent appellants in the California Appellate Court system.

He is a member of the State Bar of California, the Riverside County Bar Association, and the American Inns of Court and a former member of the American Bar Association, and the Los Angeles and Orange County Bar Associations.

Fernandez & Lauby LLP strongly supports alternative dispute resolution programs as the best means to control litigation costs and exposure. Mr. Lauby has successfully completed the mediator's training certificate from the Strauss Institute for Mediation at Pepperdine University School of Law. Mr. Lauby serves as a private mediator for construction, business litigation, real estate and personal injury disputes and is on the panel of mediators for Dispute Resolution Services. He also serves on the panel of arbitrators for the Riverside County and San Bernardino County courts.

Mr. Lauby received his Bachelor of Arts degree from U.C.L.A. in 1974 and his Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern University in 1978.

Scott Talkov joined Reid & Hellyer in August 2009 after serving as a Summer Law Clerk with the firm in 2008. The emphasis of his practice is in real estate and business litigation.

Scott graduated cum laude from of Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, where he sat on the Board of Editors and served as the Online Supplement Editor for the Washington University Law Review. He was also a research assistant for noted land use professor Daniel R. Mandelker and received numerous academic awards, including the Honor Scholar Award for outstanding academic achievement, CALI Award of Excellence for top academic performance in Legal Ethics and Land Use Law, and the Student Excellence Award from the American Bar Association's Section of State and Local Government.

Beginning his studies at University of California, Riverside, Scott completed his bachelor's degree as a 2004 graduate of University of California, Santa Barbara. Active in student government at both campuses, UCSB awarded Scott the University Service Award for exemplary campus leadership.

During the third year of his legal studies in 2009, Scott completed an academic research paper that was published in the Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Journal of the American Bar Association. With more than 30,000 members, the journal is the leading national forum for attorneys in real estate and financing law.

Scott is active in numerous boards and organizations in the Riverside area, serving as a board member of the Riverside County Barristers (Young Attorneys') Association as well as a member of the Riverside County Bar Association, and the Greater Riverside Chamber of Commerce. Scott volunteers his time as founding Director of the Associated Students Legal Clinic at the University of California, Riverside, where he provide free advice to students with questions relating to real estate law.

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.

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.

Graham J. Baldwin is an associate attorney with Fernandez & Lauby LLP. He has a wide variety of experience in civil litigation encompassing the fields of personal injury, wrongful termination, professional liability, construction accidents, construction defect, and general business, at both the trial and appellate levels. Mr. Baldwin has been a past civil litigation arbitrator and is a current member on the Riverside County Fee Arbitration panel. Mr. Baldwin graduated from California State University (Long Beach) with a B.A. in 1971 and obtained his J.D. from Western State University in 1976. He is admitted to practice before the Federal and California state courts.