Justia Legal Services & Lawyers Directory

California Civil Appeals and CLE Courses



With over 40 years legal industry experience, Myron Moskovitz has a deep understanding of the state and federal appeals process. He has dedicated his career to civil appeal cases and writs representation, all the while teaching other lawyers and law students his successful methods. Myron's experience and skill are evidenced in an 80% success rate of published cases, compared to the average of 20%.

Myron Moskovitz's CLE (Continuing Legal Education) courses draw attorneys from across the U.S. Moskovitz examines the principles underlying an effective brief and analyze common themes where the result ends in victory. By focusing on strategy, Moskovitz's CLE students refine their abilities to approach appellate cases. Even the most seasoned attorneys can gain valuable insight into this complex legal area.
Attorneys with pending cases from the California Supreme Court, California Courts of Appeal, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, and even the U.S. Supreme Court come to practice their cases in front of Moskovitz and his selected panel of mock Justices. This unique, court-like environment makes CLE classes hosted by Moskovitz not only educational, but fun, dynamic and enjoyable.

Moskovitz's command of the appeals system is respected by lawyers, law professors, and law students across the country. He has published many books on the subject matter, which continue to influence the manner in which appeals and writs are taught. One of his publications, Winning an Appeal, is on its 4th edition and is considered one of the foremost legal guides on appeal cases.

While Myron Moskovitz is a respected law instructor and educator, he continues to practice as an appellate litigator for civil cases. The knowledge that he shares with his students is put into practice as he represents the Appellant in appellate cases. His experience allows him to confidently handle all aspects of the writs and appeal. He also serves as counsel for attorneys engaged in an appeal, helping refine their petitions, briefs, and assists with trial court motion practice.

To discuss the merits of your case and options for appeal, call 510-384-0354. During your consultation, Myron Moskovitz will examine your case and determine the likelihood of a reversal. More importantly, he will explain the process of appeal, allowing you to come to an informed decision if an appeal is in your best interests. For more information about Myron Moskovitz's upcoming CLE courses, visit www.myronmoskovitz.com.

Ingrid M. Evans is the founding partner of the Evans Law Firm. Ms. Evans is a Board Certified Civil Trial Advocate, and was named as a Finalist for Consumer Attorney of the Year, Consumer Attorneys of California, 2009. Ingrid Evans is a veteran in the courtroom and was previously undefeated in jury trials as a former Deputy City Attorney for San Francisco. Ingrid Evans is an experienced litigator in state and federal courts and is licensed to practice law in California, the District of Columbia, and New York. Ms. Evans has been named as a 2010 Northern California Super Lawyers and a 2009 Northern California Rising Star Super Lawyers . She is rated as an AV Preeminent 4.9 out of 5, Martindale-Hubbell Featured Peer Review Rated Lawyer.

Ms. Evans is actively involved in state and national legal organizations. Ms. Evans was the first Co-Chair of American Association for Justice (AAJ) Class Action Litigation Group (formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, www.justice.org). She is also the Past Chair of Consumer Attorneys of California Women's Caucus, and on the Executive Committee for CAOC (www.caoc.org), Board of Governors for AAJ and Board of Directors for Public Justice (formerly Trial Lawyers for Public Justice www.publicjustice.net) and a member of CAALA and SFTLA (www.sftla.org).

Areas of Practice
Elder Abuse Litigation, Physical Abuse and Financial Fraud
Class Actions including Consumer Fraud, Insurance and Banking Litigation
Insurance Fraud Litigation
Qui Tam/Government False Claims Act Litigation
Personal Injury
Pharmaceutical and Asbestos Toxic Tort
Representing Public Entities in Consumer Protection Cases
Employment

Bar Admissions
California, 1995
District of Columbia, 2003
New York, 2004
U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, 1995
U.S. District Court, Southern District of California, 1995
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, 1995
U.S. District Court, Central District of California, 1995
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, 2006
U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan, 2006
U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 2009
U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit, 1995
U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Cirucit, 2010
U.S. Supreme Court, 2005

Professional Associations & Memberships
American Association for Justice
Board of Governors, 2008-Present
Chairperson, Class Action Litigation Group, 2008-2010
Member, Law Student Committee, 2007-Present
Member, Public Affairs Task Force, Membership Oversight, Law Schools and Convention Planning Committees, 2006-Present
Board of Governors, New Lawyers' Division, 2002-2006
Member, Lead Paint Litigation Group, 2000-Present
Member, Firearms and Ammunition Litigation Group, 1997-2004
Chairperson, Firearms and Ammunition Litigation Group, 1999-2000
Chair-Elect, Firearms and Ammunition Litigation Group, 1998-1999, 2004
Member, Women's Caucus, 1996-Present
Education Committee, Chair, 2008
Consumer Attorneys of California
Parliamentarian, Executive Committee 2010-Present
Financial Secretary, Executive Committee 2009-2010
Consumer Attorney of the Year Finalist, 2009
Board of Directors, 2008-2010
Chairperson, Women's Caucus, 2008 - 2009
Member, Membership Committee, 2008
Member, Planning Committee, 2008
Member, Education Committee, 2006-Present
Member, Legislative Committee, 2006-Present
Board of Governors, 2005-Present
Edward J. McFetridge American Inn of Court, 2005-2006
Public Justice
Board of Directors, 2004-Present
Chairperson, Law Schools Committee, 2008
Member, Cy Pres Committee, 2007-Present
Member, Membership Committee, 2006-Present
Co-Chair, Auction Committee, 2005
Board of Directors, 2004-Present
Member, Diversity Committee, 2003-Present
Member, Communications and State Network Committee, 2003-Present
Northern California State Coordinator, 2003-2005
Member, Lead Paint Litigation Group, 2000-Present
San Francisco Trial Lawyers' Association
Member, Diversity Committee, 2007-Present
Community Involvement Committee, 1996-Present
Member, Women's Caucus, 2000-Present

Honors & Awards
2010 Northern California Super LawyersÃî
AVÃî Preeminentââ 4.9 out of 5, Martindale-Hubbell Featured Peer Review Rated Lawyer
2009 Northern California Super Lawyers Ãî Rising Stars
Finalist, Consumer Attorney of the Year, Consumer Attorneys of California, 2008-2009

Publications & Speeches
Gender Bias, From then to Now: A Historical Perspective of Women in the Law, San Francisco 2010
Avoiding Ethical Pitfalls in a Class Action Settlement: Best Practices in Fee, American Association for Justice, July 2010
Networking for Law Students and New Lawyers: Hitting the Ground Running in Trying Economic Times, American Association for Justice, July 2010
Are Secret Settlements Unethical? American Association for Justice Teleseminar, March 2010.
Overdraft Overkill: The New Bank Scam and How Plaintiffs Are Fighting Back, American Association for Justice, January 2010
4th Annual Class Action Hurdles from the Plaintiffâs Perspective, San Francisco, January 2010
Plaintiffsâ Right to Discover the Identity of Potential Class Members before Class Certification, American Association for Justiceâs Class Action Litigation Group Newsletter, Winter 2009
Bringing Suit on Behalf Of A False Claims Act Whistleblower, San Francisco, November 2009
New Developments in Class Actions, American Association for Justice, San Francisco, July 2009
Protecting Seniors from Financial Abuse, Trial Magazine, July 2009
Deferred Annuities - What You Should Look Out For, 5th Annual Call To Action, San Francisco, California, March 26, 2009
Advocacy Track: Demonstrative Opening Statement - Breach of Good Faith and Fair Dealing/Breach of Contract, AAJ Annual Convention, Philadelphia, 2008
Litigating MUNI cases: Prespectives from Both Sides of the Fence, San Francisco, 2008.
Not Just Defense Anymore: Representing the Interests of Public Entities in Affirmative Litigation, The Sidebar, 2008
PFAC 13th Annual Education Conference, Professional Fiduciary Association of California, San Francisco Airport, 2008
Living Trust Mills and Annuity Sales to Seniors, Legal Assistance for Seniors 4th Annual Elder Abuse Conference, Oakland, 2008
Predatory Mortgage Refinancing, Abusive Reverse Mortgage Practices, Legal Assistance for Seniors 4th Annual Elder Abuse Conference, Oakland, 2008
Elder Financial Abuse - Annuity and Long Term Care Insurance Fraud, Orange County, 2008
2nd Annual Class Action Hurdles from the Plaintiff's Perspective, San Francisco, 2008
Elder & Dependent Adult Abuse and Legal Remedies, San Mateo Chapter Professional Fiduciary Association of California, 2008
Advocacy Track: Discovery in Complex Cases, AAJ Winter Convention, Puerto Rico, 2008
Elder Financial Abuse Trust Mill and Annuity Litigation, various 2004-2008
Living Trust Mills and Annuity Sales to Seniors, Legal Assistance for Seniors 3rd Annual Elder Abuse Conference, Oakland, 2007
Class Action Hurdles from the Plaintifs' Perspective, San Francisco, 2007
Class Action Update, CAOC Annual Seminar, San Diego, 2006
Elder Financial Abuse, USF Law School, San Francisco, 2006
Resumes that Get Results: Getting Hired by a Plaintiff's Firm, ATLA Annual Convention, Seattle, 2006
Living Trust Mills and Annuity Sales to Seniors, Legal Assistance for Seniors 2nd Annual Elder Abuse Conference, Oakland, 2006
Deferred Annuity Marketing and Sales Practices: Seniors Beware!, ALI-ABA Insurance Industry and Financial Services Litigation, Washington, D.C., 2006
Getting Your (Power) Point Made During Closing Argument, CAOC Tahoe Seminar, 2006
Protecting Consumers: A Career as a Trial Lawyer, USF Law School, San Francisco, 2005
Broker Malfeasance in Public Entity Risk Management, ATLA Annual Convention, Toronto, 2005
Lead Paint Litigation - Status of Nationwide Litigation, Western Regional Conference on Eliminating Childhood Lead Poisoning, Berkeley, 2004
Litigating Against the Firearm Industry, American Jurisprudence Trials, West Publications, July 2002
Cities Take Aim: City Firearm Litigation and Nuisance Law, ATLA Annual Convention, Montreal, 2001
City Lawsuits Against the Gun Industry Will Pressure Firearm Manufacturers to Design Safer Weapons and Sell Guns, FindLaw, 2001
Lead Paint Litigation Seminar, ATLA Annual convention, Montreal, 2001
Firearm Litigation: The Impact of Lawsuits Against the Firearm Industry, ATLA Annual Convention, Chicago, 2000
Cities Take Aim: City Firearm Litigation, ATLA Winter Convention, Puerto Rico, 2000
Safety Technology for Firearms: Using Litigation as a Means to Persuade Firearm Manufacturers to Incorporate Feasible and Existing Safety Technology into the Design of Firearms, ATLA Annual Convention, Washington D.C., 1998

Mr. Vlasak focuses his practice on civil litigation for plaintiffs, including habitability and wrongful eviction suits for tenants, as well as consumer, employment and personal injury actions. Mr. Vlasak earned his Juris Doctor degree from Temple University Law School in Philadelphia, where he was Staff Editor of Temple International and Comparative Law Journal.

Prior to his career as an attorney, Mr. Vlasak was an Adjunct Professor and taught courses including philosophy, ethics, and logic.

Mr. Rayo represents clients in Contra Costa County and throughout the San Francisco Bay Area in California, including Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, San Rafael, Walnut Creek, Danville, San Ramon, Pleasanton, Dublin, Livermore, Redwood City, Daly City, San Jose, Mountain View, Hayward and Fremont, and across San Francisco County, Alameda County, San Mateo County, Santa Clara County, and Marin County.

Tim Hoffman is a pioneering California attorney with a storied, 45-year legal career, during which he has helped recover more than $1 billion for his worthy clients. Mr. Hoffman has successfully tried dozens of matters to verdict, specializing in complex civil cases, and has litigated over 200 arbitrations. He has practiced in Oakland, CA, since 1971, and was most recently selected for inclusion in 2009 Northern California Super Lawyers.

Since the mid-1990's, Mr. Hoffman has been a leader among plaintiffs' employment lawyers, scoring huge victories for classes of thousands of employees at Pacific Bell (who recovered $36 million), Macy's, Starbucks, and many other Fortune 500 companies. In overtime class actions, Mr. Hoffman has represented misclassified assistant managers, stockbrokers, truck drivers, and reservation clerks, among many other categories of employees. Among employees forced to work off-the-clock, Mr. Hoffman has represented classes of handymen, janitors, bike and driver messengers, and others. Mr. Hoffman has represented victims of sexual harassment and numerous other forms of discrimination.

Mr. Hoffman has also specialized in consumer protection cases, including, for example, class actions against credit card companies, and a current case against termite-protection providers Orkin and Terminex, who misrepresent the nature of their services and provide false guarantees to customers.

Other current cases on which Mr. Hoffman is working include: Mevorah v. Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, regarding misclassified loan officers denied overtime; Chu v. Wells Fargo, regarding misclassified stockbrokers denied overtime; and Contreras v. Bank of America, regarding misclassified personal bankers denied overtime.

Mr. Hoffman's best known cases, the Continental Can class actions, alone recovered nearly half a billion dollars from the company after a four-month trial. The company had been discriminating against employees based upon their pension benefits, a practice prohibited under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). In that case, the company was shutting down plants based upon how many employees in each location would soon vest their full pensions, laying off wholesale any employees whose benefits were about to vest.

Among Mr. Hoffman's favorite career moments were: having lunch with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Alabama when Mr. Hoffman was a member of the Law Students Civil Rights Research Council; defending famed 60's radical Abbie Hoffman in a free speech case; preceding current President Barack Obama as a Chicago community organizer and attorney in Chicago Legal Aid; introducing Cesar Chavez at a banquet for the National Hispanic University, where Mr. Hoffman served as General Counsel and a founding member of the Board of Trustees; successfully settling his own whistleblower retaliation case, after he (as a then-Presidential appointee) reported a federal government manager's improprieties; serving as President of his American Federation of Government Employees Union Local, and a member of the San Francisco Labor Council, and representing the Communication Workers of America Local for the last 38 years; volunteering on the Board of Visitors to College of Arts & Sciences at Howard University; and, playing craps with Thurgood Marshall in Puerto Rico.

Mr. Hoffman is a native of Chicago, IL, an alumnus of the University of Illinois (in Champagne, IL), a former President of Oakland's Beth Jacob Congregation, and former Board member of the Anti-Defamation League.

He has been practicing law with Arthur Lazear for more than 30 years, is married, and has four children.

Since 1995, Joe has specialized in ERISA counseling and litigation. He has represented ERISA-regulated benefit plans and their trustees, dozens of participants and beneficiaries, and ERISA plan sponsors and beneficiaries, as well as serving as a named plan fiduciary. From 2003 to 2005 he represented the United States Secretary of Labor in ERISA litigation and investigations.

Joe also practices in the areas of employment, executive compensation, unfair competition, and consumer litigation under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.