Justia Legal Services & Lawyers Directory

Nancy is a Certified Specialist in Workers' Compensation Law, having passed a separate exam by the Bar Association in Workers' Compensation laws.

After writing 100s of Estate Packages, Nancy fell into Workers' Comp Defense. She was angered with insurance companies cheating seriously injured people, so after defending Counties and School Districts and Insurance Companies for years, she opened her own office to help just Injured Workers.

Michael Reiter is an Inland Empire Attorney based in Redlands, California. Michael Reiter practices Personal Injury Law, including Federal civil rights cases, vehicle accidents, premises liability, including dangerous conditions of public property, real property torts, including nuisance and trespass, eminent domain and inverse condemnation, including inverse condemnation from flooding, land movement, sewer backups and fires. Michael Reiter also practices Municipal Law, including Code Enforcement, Civil Litigation, Small Business Law, and Real Estate Law. Michael Reiter was the Assistant City Attorney of the City of Redlands, a Deputy City Attorney at the City of San Bernardino, and Staff Attorney at Legal Aid Society of San Bernardino, Incorporated. Michael Reiter, Attorney at Law provides legal services to public entities, corporations, and individuals in California, Southern California, the Inland Empire, San Bernardino County, and Riverside, California, including the cities and communities of Redlands, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Victorville, Barstow, Rialto, Colton, Fontana, Highland, Loma Linda, Calimesa, Chino Hills, Chino, Upland, Apple Valley, Hesperia, Devore, Muscoy, Mentone, Oro Grande, Yucaipa, Banning, Beaumont, Corona, Norco, Hemet, Murrieta, Palm Springs, Indian Wells, and Temecula.

Michael Tam is an associate in the Riverside office of Fernandez & Lauby. Mr. Tam graduated from University of California, San Diego in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Science. In 2008 he received his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of San Diego School of Law. While in law school Mr. Tam received the CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Professional Responsibility. Additionally, during his time in law school, Mr. Tam was a research assistant for a renowned corporate law professor and participated in the Tax Clinic for low income tax payers. He also clerked at Mayfield & Associates, a corporate transaction and business litigation firm, for almost two years. Mr. Tam's current practice includes general civil litigation, business litigation, construction defect, insurance defense and personal injury.

James Olson is an associate in the Riverside office of Fernandez & Lauby. Mr. Olson graduated from University of California, San Diego in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. In 2008, he received his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of San Diego School of Law. While in law school, Mr. Olson volunteered for the San Diego County Public Defender's Office and received recognition for honors in Advanced Legal Writing and Negotiations. Also while in law school, Mr. Olson clerked for Kolod Wager Law Offices. Mr. Olson has worked as an associate attorney at the Law Offices of Robert E. Muir, a real estate and business litigation firm, for more than a year.

Mr. Olson's current practice includes general civil litigation, construction defect, insurance defense and personal injury.

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.

Edward A. Fernandez has over 25 years' experience in general civil litigation with an emphasis in personal injury, premises liability, construction (both injury and defect) and business litigation. He has tried, arbitrated and mediated hundreds of cases throughout Southern and Central California. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of California San Diego in 1979 and his Juris Doctorate from the University of San Diego in 1982. More recently, he completed the Pepperdine University School of Law/Strauss Institute for Dispute Resolution Mediating the Litigated Case program. Mr. Fernandez also recently attended "Impasse Is A Fallacy" a 14-hour Advanced Mediators' Forum with Lee Jay Berman, Doug Noll, and Tim Corcoran of the American Institute of Mediation. He is licensed to practice in the State of California and before the United States District Court and is currently a member of the California Bar Association, the American Board of Trial Advocates, the Riverside Bar Association, The Los Angeles County Bar Association, The American Inns of Court [Leo A. Deegan Chapter], and the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel.

Mr. Fernandez is the recipient of the 2008 Defense Attorney of the Year Award presented by The International Association of Special Investigation Units, Southern California Chapter. He is a former director for Southern California Insurance Professionals and in addition to doing private mediations, also serves as a mediator for the Riverside Consolidated Courts and the California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division Two. From a personal standpoint, he is married and has five children. He and his family live in Riverside and he has been actively involved in the AYSO Soccer Program where he served as a Board Member, Referee Administrator, Coach and Referee. He is an instrument-rated private pilot and enjoys activities such as flying, skiing and playing golf.

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.

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.

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. Tucker was born and raised in Southern California. After graduating from Corona High School, he spent two years in Central America before enlisting in the Air Force. He married his wife, Judi, in 1971 just before joining the Air Force from which he was honorably discharged in 1974. With the support and encouragement of Judi and their four kids, he began law school and graduated in 1980. In late August 2009, after 28 years of personal injury defense experience including the last 14 as a managing attorney at a major insurance company, Mr. Tucker opened a small local law office in Redlands. In a short time, and with the help and association of excellent local attorneys and staff, the office began representing clients dealing with civil and personal injury claims and criminal charges. Soon thereafter the office was also helping clients seek debt relief under the Bankruptcy Code and therefore became a "debt relief agency" as defined by the code. Mr. Tucker is an Alternative Dispute Resolution attorney for civil cases. The office serves all of Southern California but is proud to focus efforts on the Inland Empire.

In addition to the practice of law, Wayne enjoys mountain biking and has biked many mountain trails in the Western United States. He recently became a four wheel drive enthusiast and enjoys revisiting many of his favorite mountain bike spots but now with an engine, air conditioning and satellite radio.

Wayne and Judi enjoy a considerable amount of time as cheering fans at their 8 grandkids' soccer, little league and other activities and performances.

Mr. Mellor obtained his Bachelor of Science Degree from Cornell University in 1988. While at Cornell he was a member of Cornell University's National Debate and Forensics Team, repeatedly recognized as an exceptional debater and individual public speaker throughout the country. Mr. Mellor obtained his Juris Doctorate from Southwestern University School of Law in 1992. He was admitted to both the California and the District of Columbia Bars and has been practicing law for over 16 years in both state and federal courts, including the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Mellor started his own Real Estate and Business Litigation Practice in 2001 and has had three published opinions in the California Courts of Appeal since that time.

Mr. Mellor is the Immediate Past Chair of the Executive Committee for the Litigation Section of the State Bar of California and was Chair in (2007-2008); Vice-Chair (2006-2007); Treasurer (2005-2006); Secretary (2004-2005) and Executive Committee Member (2002-2004). He also assists with the State Bar's Real Estate Section Committee in California. He has special interests in Real Estate and Business litigation involving Loan Modifications, Foreclosures, Mechanic’s Liens, construction defects, business contracts, business entity formation, and technology.

Joseph L. Richardson graduated from the University of Redlands in political science, cum laude, and from Northwestern University School of Law with a Juris Doctorate Degree. While at Northwestern, he participated in moot court, served as SBA class representative for two years, and took business school courses at Kellogg School of Management, including a course through which he completed research with classmates in Ghana.

Mr. Richardson has 10 years of experience as a civil litigation attorney. Earlier in his career, he specialized in personal injury and wrongful death litigation.
For the last several years, he has primarily represented individuals and corporations in tort, contract, labor and employment matters, and also also advises on contract and corporation formation issues.
Mr. Richardson has extensive experience with all aspects of litigation, including discovery, depositions, law and motion, and alternative dispute resolution. He has successfully tried several cases to verdict and handled binding arbitrations. He regularly uses his legal background for presentations in keynote and seminar formats on general liability issues, and also presents to college campuses on the legal ramifications of Greek hazing.

Mr. Richardson is admitted to practice before all California courts and the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. He is peer review rated by Martindale-Hubble and is a member of the San Bernardino County Bar Association, the Redlands Chamber of Commerce and Business Networking International.

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.

I have been practicing law for two years. My practice has always focused on Civil Litigation, which I have now expanded to Probate, Business Transactions and Estate Planning. I am excited to learn new areas of law, new cases and meeting new clients.

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.