Pleasant Hill Lawyers

I have been certified by the California State Bar as a specialist in family law. I excel in helping individuals navigate some of the most difficult and painful experiences of their lives. I handle all issues related to divorce, legal separation, and parentage actions, including matters related to child custody, child support, spousal support, and complex property division. I also help clients wanting assistance with pre-marital and post-marital agreements. Additionally, I serve as a consulting attorney for clients in mediation and those seeking a second opinion. I am also a divorce mediator who specializes in educating parties about the law while...

The Law Offices Of Jeffrey B. Kahn, P.C. are uniquely qualified in tax. Is the IRS breathing down your neck and sending you intimidating notices and telephone calls? Are you having tax problems? Is the IRS filing liens, garnishing your wages, levying assets, and devastating your financial and personal life? IRS tax debts require immediate action. Don’t put off dealing with tax debts; inaction could be very expensive. Instead, consider professional IRS help. The Law Offices of Jeffrey B. Kahn, P.C. are uniquely qualified in tax, probate, trust, and business law. We can provide responsive, proactive...

For more than 30 years, Mike Appel has devoted his practice exclusively to personal injury and wrongful death cases. He represents clients throughout California, both in State and Federal courts. Born and raised in Redondo Beach, Mike attended St. Mary’s College of California, Moraga, California, where he majored in English. He was an editor of the college’s literary magazine, "The Phoenix." He also played rugby for the Gaels, and was a member of the team that went on the first annual rugby tour of the East Coast. Mike received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1970. At graduation he also received...

The Law Offices of Maria E. Crabtree is a full service, bi-lingual (SPANISH), family law firm dedicated to delivering personal, practical, and effective representation at an affordable cost. We are conveniently located in Walnut Creek, California, across the street from the BART station. Attorney Maria Crabtree received her Bachelor of Arts degrees in Psychology and Communications from the University of California at Davis. She later returned to the University of California, Davis and earned her J.D. degree. As a sole practitioner, Ms. Crabtree is dedicated to helping families navigate through the complexities of the laws and policies...

As an San Francisco Bay Area labor and employment attorney at Littler Mendelson, I represent employers in all phases and types of employment litigation (e.g., wage and hour class actions, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, misclassification, wrongful termination, etc.), provide advice and counsel to employers regarding their employment practices and policies, and create and present customized workplace trainings and presentations unique to employers' goals and company culture. My professional experiences outside of the realm of law are rooted in business, management, and accounting.

Ms. Benedetto has assisted hundreds of clients with the creation of their Wills, Living Trusts and other estate planning documents. She assists families with trust administration and probate procedures when loved ones pass away, and also prepares legal documents for conservatorships of elderly clients and limited conservatorships for developmentally disabled adults. In 2006, Ms. Benedetto created the Family Trust Law Center, later incorporated to Family TLC, Inc., to be a firm where families come for professional estate planning by licensed attorneys, at flat, reasonable fees. Amendment of documents and other hourly work is done as...

Michael Hassen's litigation practice spans over 30 years and emphasizes general business and commercial litigation, including class action defense and matters involving intellectual property and unfair competition.

Rebecca's undergraduate degree in Social Work carries forward in her caring and passionate attitude toward representing her clients in tax issues, including tax levies, offer in compromise. Her practice includes preparing trust plans (trust, pour over will, health care directive, and power of attorney) for her clients and assisting clients selecting and forming their business entity (S Corp, C Corp, LLC or LLP). Rebecca is determined to get the best result for her client. Prepare today, for peace of mind in the future.

Throughout her legal career, Vanessa has practiced exclusively in family law. With her legal training and knowledge, she provides compassion and advocacy for her clients. Vanessa’s experience working on a broad spectrum of family law matters include divorce, pre-divorce counseling and planning, premarital agreements, complex marital property issues, high conflict child custody disputes, child and spousal support issues and domestic violence prevention and defense. Vanessa protects her clients’ assets and the best interests of her clients and their children. She represents clients in public court and before private judicial officers. In addition, she serves as a consulting attorney for clients...

I am a former police officer and deputy district attorney in Contra Costa County. I received my Bachelor's Degree from California State University Sacramento and a Juris Doctor from John F. Kennedy University, School of Law. As principal attorney of this firm, I guide the firm’s staff and manage major cases and matters on behalf of individual and business clients. I have tried numerous cases to verdict and have appeared before the California Court of Appeal, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal. Our firm practices real estate, labor and employment, and business litigation. Our firm also drafts wills, trust...

Joe Appel has specialized in personal injury cases for more than 30 years. He’s seen it, tried it, and won it, both in state and federal courts. Joe graduated from St. Mary’s College of California, Moraga, California in 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He also played basketball for the Galloping Gaels for four years. At graduation Joe received the Scholar Athlete of the Year Award. He then attended and graduated from University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 1979. Joe was admitted to the California and Federal Courts in the same year. He has been a member...

With more than 40 years of legal experience, Andrew Schwartz has handled countless cases for clients ranging from serious injuries and personal injury to product liability law at Casper, Meadows, Schwartz & Cook. A 1975 graduate from the University of San Francisco School of Law, Mr. Schwartz has been admitted to the Federal and California Bars and the U.S. Supreme Court. Throughout his legal career, he’s achieved numerous multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements for injured clients, including a $5.6 million jury verdict that was considered one of the top 100 jury verdicts in California in 2017. In addition to holding memberships...

Mr. Light firmly believes in the power of empathy and humanity. His strength of empathy and unique personal experience with tragedy has allowed him to connect with clients who’ve suffered their own profound losses. Mr. Light is honored to represent and advocate for individuals and families suffering from the universe of challenges that inherently follow a traumatic brain injury.

Nobody expects or can anticipate what follows a brain injury, even a “mild” trauma. Growing up, Mr. Light was reminded on a daily basis of the strength, determination, love, patience and understanding necessary to endure the aftermath of a life-altering event....

Attorney Adam M. Carlson is managing partner at Casper, Meadows, Schwartz & Cook. While he is skilled in various areas of law, he focuses the majority of his practice handling cases related to wrongful death, civil rights, and personal injury. He believes that tailoring each case to each client’s needs is key to providing aggressive and compassionate legal representation.

Before joining the firm, Carlson served as an intake assistant for our team, where he was responsible for fielding calls from potential clients. It was at this time that Carlson decided he wanted to do more. He found that he was passionate...

Mr. Muñoz has over a decade of experience serving clients as an attorney. He began his career practicing criminal law as both a prosecutor and defense attorney gaining valuable jury trial experience. Armed with this experience and teamed with Mr. Franco, René Muñoz now advocates on behalf of you, the injured worker. He never forgot his roots and is extremely excited to represent your interests and fight for justice. Mr. Muñoz initially practiced in Workers' Compensation advocating for employers and insurance. His experience working on behalf of institutional clients gave him a better understanding of what motivates defendants in Workers' Compensation...

Richard is a USPTO Registered Patent Attorney who loves helping creative people realize their dreams. Rich received his BA from Princeton University, then completed his Physics coursework at San Francisco State University. Rich received his J.D. with Honors & Certified in Intellectual Property from the University of Oregon School of Law. Rich has practiced in patent prosecution, patent litigation and military law, having served as an Army JAG Corps Captain stateside and overseas. Many lawyers call themselves "i.p. lawyers," but few are truly Registered with the USPTO, licensed to secure you your patent or ® Trademark. Look...

Mr. Williams is the founder of The Williams Firm and has over 21 years of extensive experience in the areas of real estate, construction, business and corporate law. Mr. Williams' practice areas include all aspects of civil litigation and dispute resolution in all courts, government hearings, arbitrations and mediations in the areas of real estate, construction and business law. Mr. Williams also represents and advises clients in business transactions, corporate law, real property transactions, and trademark law. In real estate matters he has represented owners and developers of residential and commercial properties, including multi-million dollar properties, negotiated sales...

Private Practice in real estate and business law for 40 years. Court and private mediator for 25 years. AV Rated and Northern California Super Lawyer.

Jenny Tiu received her B.S. degree in Physiological Science from UCLA. During her undergraduate studies, she was a research assistant at UCLA for both spinal cord injury and atherosclerosis research. Ms. Tiu then earned her J.D. degree at Golden Gate University School of Law with an emphasis in Public Interest Law. During law school, she interned for the San Francisco City Attorney's Office in the Juvenile Dependency Unit. She then went on to intern for the Solano County Alternate Public Defender's Office in the Juvenile Dependency Unit and later in the Misdemeanor Unit. After being...

Mr. Luna holds Bachelor of Science degrees in both Management and Marketing from San Francisco State University and went to the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, where he graduated with honors and was appointed a member of the Traynor Honor Society. In addition, Mr. Luna received a coveted Witkin Award for studies conducted in International Banking.

After graduating from law school, Mr. Luna worked in a boutique civil litigation and general practice firm in Fresno, CA and then went on to work with a couple of different Workers' Compensation firms in the Bay Area (doing both applicants and...

Mr. Cross is an expert in the field of criminal law. Mr. Cross will fight more aggressively than anyone to bring you the best outcome possible. He passionately cares about defending his clients and does everything within his power to help them. Having attended the University of California, Berkeley for Undergraduate studies, he received a B.A. in Legal Studies. He subsequently attended the prestigious San Francisco Law School to receive his J.D. He is a member of many associations, including the State Bar Association, the Alameda County Car Association, the San Mateo County Bar Association and the Delta Theta Phi...

Steve Franco is an award-winning attorney who has dedicated his legal career toward fighting on behalf of injured workers. He is one of the few workers’ compensation attorneys in Northern California to have received part of his legal training at the prestigious California Supreme Court where he oversaw and worked on numerous labor and employment cases affecting all Californians when he served as a judicial extern for Justice Carlos Moreno. In 2018 and 2017, Steve was selected by Super Lawyers Magazine as a Rising Star in the area of Workers' Compensation Law. The attorneys selected as Rising Stars are limited...

Karen S. Fenchel

Professional Biography

Karen Fenchel is a sole practitioner in Walnut Creek, CA. She is a Certified Family Law Specialist and has focused on all areas of family law. Her practice is settlement oriented and includes both family law mediation and collaborative law. Karen has a strong commitment to helping clients resolve issues without going to court. She utilizes her training in both mediation and collaborative practice to assist families in crisis and help them gain control of their lives. Through mediation, collaborative process and negotiated settlements, she works toward equitable solutions that consider the...

Mr. Poulin is experienced in the areas of real estate, business, and construction litigation. He has trial experience in both state and Federal court, and has experience in all aspects of dispute resolution. Mr. Poulin has successfully represented clients in broker disputes, foreclosures, neighbor disputes, title insurance coverage, fraud, breach of contract, breach of lease and landlord-tenant issues. Real estate issues include construction defect cases, damages on behalf of contractors, subcontractors, architects and engineers in mechanic's liens, stop notice, payment and performance bond actions. Prior to joining The Williams Firm, Mr. Poulin was an associate at the law...

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...

I am also a Certified Public Accountant and have been doing tax work in the Bay Area for 30 years. I specialize in helping people and businesses pay as few taxes as possible without getting audited. In the estate planning area I help people preserve their property for their families and pay as few estate taxes as possible. I also am the Probate Doctor who can help fix impossible situations when estates are stuck in the quagmire of California Probate.

Zachary Rayo brings experience, efficiency and empathy to estate planning. Mr. Rayo’s approach is people-centered. He recognizes that the legal needs and special issues differ from client to client, that each person is unique, with unique needs that must be met with efficiency, active listening and care. Mr. Rayo knows the importance of social responsibility which manifests not only in ethical decisions and practices but also in involvement in socially important causes.

We are dedicated to the practice of Immigration and Naturalization Law exclusively, serving the San Francisco Bay Area. Te: 925-407-2149 Services include: Family immigration law: marriage and fiance visas, family petitions, waivers of unlawful presence, green cards. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Original Applications and Renewals) Business Immigration law: visas to work and/or invest (HB, TN, E investor visas, employment-based green cards. Visas for athletes and entertainers. LGBT Immigration law: visas and petitions for same sex couples. Citizenship and Naturalization. Languages: English, Spanish Marcela Knaup is a bilingual Spanish-English attorney. www.knauplegal.com Marcela@knauplegal.com Te: ...

Alexandra Danielle Wilson is a Calfornia State Bar member and a Contra Costa County Bar Association member. She is a passionate member of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) and American Immigration lawyers Assocation (AILA). She volunteers at several Bay Area non-profit organizations. Alexandra graduated from University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

Alexandra is fluent in Spanish and passionately advocates for immigrant's rights.

While in law school, Alexandra focused almost exclusively in the area of immigration. She participated in the Refugee and Human Rights Clinic during which she travelled to Guatemala on a fact-finding trip to gather information...

Michael J. Young is an Estate, Probate and Asset Protection Attorney in Walnut Creek, CA. Mr. Young helps his clients plan for not only "What Happens if You Die", but for "What Happens If You Don't Die And Become Ill and Need Care." He helps his clients in the design of their estate plans, to protect their assets for their senior care and to also provide a legacy for their loved ones.

Mr. Young, who has been in practice for over forty years, gives workshops every month in Walnut Creek on basic estate planning and advanced estate planning. The basic...

Attorney John Fetto was born in New York, and received his Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in Philosophy from the University of California, Los Angeles. He then went on to earn his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of California, Hastings, where he specialized in trial advocacy. Mr. Fetto is a member of the Consumer Attorneys of California, the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, and the Contra Costa Trial Lawyers Association. It did not take Attorney Fetto long to realize that his passion was personal injury law, and he has been representing clients for 26 years. During this time,...

Hi! I'm Scott M. Johnson and I am founding Partner of Gale, Angelo, Johnson & Patrick PC. I graduated Cum Laude from the University of California, Los Angeles with a major in American Literature, then attended Santa Clara University Law School and graduated Cum Laude. Prior to starting Gale, Angelo, Johnson & Patrick, P.C., I worked for a consumer bankruptcy law firm assisting debtors. I have represented hundreds of Debtors in Chapter 7, 11 and 13 bankruptcy cases throughout Northern California, successfully helping them to discharge the burdensome debt, keep their homes, and restore their credit. Scott also represents consumers in...

Joseph A. Motta was born and raised in the East Bay. He attended St. Mary’s College and graduated in 1984. He graduated from McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento in 1987. Joe’s legal career started as a Deputy District Attorney in Contra Costa County; from 1988 to 2004. There, he handled thousands of cases. He was a trial attorney on every team including Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, and Homicide. He supervised the Misdemeanor, Domestic Violence, and Sexual Assault Teams; as a supervisor, he maintained his own load of serious cases. As a deputy D.A., Joe prosecuted a number of high...

Mr. Prutton graduated with high honors in 1979 from Michigan State University with a B.S. in Forestry. He received his law degree in 1982 (J.D. cum laude) from one of the top schools in the country, the University of Illinois College of Law. From 1982 - 1985 he practiced law with Baxter & Hammond in Grand Rapids, Michigan representing insurance companies and corporations. From 1985 - 1987 he represented similar interests while an associate with Low, Ball & Lynch in San Francisco. In 1987, Mr. Prutton opened his own law office in the Bay Area, switched sides...

Thomas M. O'Connor is a founding partner of the firm and currently focuses his practice on Criminal Defense and Personal Injury. As a partner in OâConnor, Runckel & O'Malley LLP, Mr. O'Connor regularly litigates personal injury and wrongful death actions and defends clients in all misdemeanor and felony matters. Mr. O'Connor is a 5th generation San Francisco native and comes from a long line of distinguished attorneys. His grandfather and namesake, Thomas Martin O'Connor, held the office of City Attorney of San Francisco from 1961 until he retired in 1977. His great-grandfather, also Thomas Martin O'Connor, was...

Eric Farber is the Founder of Pacific Workers, the Lawyers for Injured Workers. We represent injured workers in their fight for justice against the insurance companies. With a solid team of well trained, caring and compassionate professionals, it is easy to see why Pacific Workers has garnered numerous awards and accolades but more importantly, over 250 five star reviews from clients.