Top best L Lawyers in Walnut Creek | 781 available

Peter Cownan
graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School.  Before joining Glynn & Finley, Peter
practiced as a litigation associate at Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP.  He has experience in both state and federal
courts and has litigated a variety of cases, including breach of contract,
products liability, and toxic tort. 
Peter also serves as a pro bono attorney with the San Francisco Bar
Association’s Family Law Project.

Pamela Marraccini devotes her practice to assisting clients with their family law matters. She has over 17 years of experience being a forceful advocate addressing the issues surrounding her client’s divorce and associated issues including, child support, spousal support, complex property division, domestic violence, premarital and post-nuptial agreements. She has successfully helped clients navigate complex dissolution issues, including stock options, deferred compensation packages, valuations and division of business interests and high conflict custody. She also works with clients pursuing mediation and has extensive experience in alternative dispute resolution.. Every client’s needs are unique to their family’s situation and Pamela strives to help clients find the path that is best for them and their family in the dissolution and custody process while protecting their rights.

One of my passions is for the earth's ecosystems.  I went to UC Berkeley as an undergraduate and graduated with a BS in Environmental Science.  Before going to law school I worked for the City of Concord for a few years doing environmental planning.  I learned to draft blueprints and made maps of local flood plains, earthquake areas, waterways, the water district, waste management,  electrical power and streets. I loved the job.  My mom kept pushing me to go to Law School because no one else in my large extended family was a lawyer- that's 14 aunts and uncles and 60 first cousins.. After law school I worked at a firm doing family law, which I loved. I had studied family law under Professor Justice Donald King, who is often referred to as the father of modern California family law.  I was eventually recruited to work for a management consulting firm where I stayed for 20 years. They paid for me to get my LL.M. in taxation. This is a post-doctorate degree.  I found I loved taxes. We advised management for Fortune 100 public corporationson about the federal tax compliance of their retirement trusts.. The consulting firm in which I was a partner eventually went public.  Anyone shareholder over age 52 was offered a severance package and a large lum sum. I decided to take the package.  This turned out to be a godsend because my only sister, Jennie, had had a recurrence of breast cancer. Because I had the time, I was able to help care for my sister and spend time with her until she died at age 60.  I still miss her every day. The time I spent with her was the greatest blessing I ever received.. I was able to not work for 3 years. During that time I got a master's degree in Environmental Science.  I worked for 4 years for the Delta Vision Foundation doing legislative analysis of the implementation of the 2009 Great California Delta Water Act. It was a wonderful experience.. About 10 years ago I started my own law practice--just after Jennie died. I was able to use my knowledge and experience in family law matters and testamentary trusts. I decided to focuse on these two areas eventually expanding to wills and trust, probate and trust administration for individuals.. I am a volunteer park ranger for the Mt. Diablo State Park.  After training I receive a real authentic part vest and a hat, both of which I am extremely proud of. I am a "rover" meaning I hike the trails and help visitors with questions and problems.  I also volunteered to do environmental education activities.. Personally, I have a wonderful husband who is a retired Vet and retiree deputy police chief. We have 2 kids, both of whom are out of the house--mostly.  We have a 90 pound white goldendoodle named Romeo, who is serving as a replacement for the kids.

Nick Casper is a Managing Partner at Casper, Meadows, Schwartz & Cook, where he has worked since 2007. As a plaintiffs' attorney, Nick has been an active participant in the litigation of many of the firm’s largest cases. These cases involved wrongful death, catastrophic injury, products liability, child sexual abuse, and civil rights violations.. Most recently, Nick obtained settlements of $9 million in a premises liability case and $3.2 million in a death of a senior citizen. Nick has been lead trial counsel in five civil jury trials in both state and federal court.. He was named to the Top 100 Northern California Super Lawyers in 2020 and has been named to the Northern California Super Lawyers list every year since 2017. He was on the Northern California Super Lawyers Rising Stars list 2013-2016. He was the Board President of the Contra Costa County Bar Association in 2015 and served on the CCCBA Board of Directors from 2011-2016 and 2019.

My practice is focused almost entirely on civil litigation, with an emphasis on ethics and professional liability, particularly legal malpractice and related issues, real estate litigation, insurance coverage litigation, and appellate advocacy.  I am a certified by the State Bar of California as a specialist in Legal Malpractice Law.

My office offers a range of services in the areas of real estate law, estate planning, and trust and probate administration matters. I represent clients throughout California in a wide variety of transactional and litigation matters, including leasing and lease disputes, landlord-tenant issues, unlawful detainer actions (evictions), mechanics’ liens, ADA compliance, and other contract and property rights matters; entity formations (corporations, LLCs, partnerships); estate planning (trusts, wills, and power of attorneys), and with the administration after the loss of a loved one.. My services are personalized to each client – I appreciate that my client’s trust me with their matters and I take the time to help each client understand their legal circumstance and provide the best legal options available. I understand the business aspect of my client's goals and offer practical and reasoned options to accomplish my client’s goals OR for efficient handling of your situation.. Call the Law Office of Frank Khalil to discuss your legal needs at.

My name is Paul Schroeder.  I have been practicing in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1996.  I have worked as a partner and an associate at a variety of law firms.  On March 1, 2014, I left my prior firm, where I was a shareholder, to start my own office.  I left so I could provide my clients with more personalized service at reasonable rates.  My goal with any matter, whether litigated or non-litigated, is to resolve it as quickly and efficiently as possible.  While my office is in the Bay Area, I handle litigated and non-litigated matters around the country and around the world, regularly supervising counsel in other states and countries on behalf of my clients, including, Norway, South Korea, Hong Kong, Slovenia, Bolivia and others.  I am available to my clients at all hours, whether I am in my office, at home, or on the road for business or pleasure.. I typically provide a free initial consultation over the phone to triage a new matter.  This allows me to evaluate a potential client’s issues quickly and to determine if a lawyer is needed, if I am the right lawyer and to provide a referral if I think one of my colleagues is a better fit for any particular client.. I have developed a solid reputation over the past two decades for dedicated service to my clients and for successful resolution of their matters.  I achieve this by listening to my clients to understand their goals and needs.  In litigated matters, I advocate strongly for my clients, while trying to avoid picking unnecessary (and often costly) fights.  In non-litigated matters, I get the best deal for my clients, while recognizing that when a business deal is involved, both parties need to be satisfied with the agreement.  My job is to try and foster a deal, not be a roadblock to clients achieving their goals.. I provide ongoing preventative guidance and legal direction to individuals and businesses.  I spend a lot of time thinking about my client’s matters; whether how to order discovery or motion work in a litigated matter to achieve the best result, and get a case resolved quickly or how to write a contract to ensure my client’s needs are protected and we are in a good position if the relationship falls apart.. Prevention often proves to be far less costly than waiting for things to go wrong and dealing with the consequences.  At least half of what I do for my clients is helping them avoid unnecessary fights with unnecessary costs.  Ideally, I work with my clients proactively before matters reach the point where litigation is necessary.  We do this by discussing their contracts, and business practices and often reforming them.  I look at clients’ insurance programs to make sure they have appropriate coverage.  I also frequently refer my clients to other professionals to help them grow their business.  Even in litigated matters, I take a big picture view and try and work with my clients to avoid future litigation and to position them for success if future litigation is unavoidable.. Personally, I graduated from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1995.  I graduated from the University of California in 1992 with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science.  I live in San Ramon with my wife and daughter.  I enjoy cycling, travel, cooking, wine, and cheering on the Cal Bears, Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals, San Diego Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs.. If you are looking for an attorney who has a solid background in litigation, contracts, commercial and business law and construction/development representation, I would be happy to speak with you. Schedule an initial consultation with my office to find out more.

My employment practice and my efforts are aimed at achieving justice, equal treatment and compliance for my clients while maintaining the utmost service, respect and integrity.. We work or run our businesses most of the time we are awake.  If my clients' experiences doing so are miserable because of an employment law issue, I endeavor to help them remedy that issue.

Mr. West formed West & Associates in February 2004. Mr. West and is the managing patent attorney at West & Associates. Mr. West is responsible for coordinating prosecution, transactional, and litigation matters. In addition to counseling clients in matters related to the litigation and licensing of intellectual property rights, Mr. West's practice also includes counseling clients in obtaining, protecting, and enforcing rights associated with patents, trademarks, service marks, trade names, trade secrets and copyrights. Mr. West has extensive experience in obtaining, protecting, and enforcing rights associated with patents, trademarks, service marks, trade names, trade secrets, and copyrights. The technical fields of Mr. West's practice include flash memories, programmable logic devices, architecture and fabrication of semiconductor devices, disk and tape drive mechanics and electronics, holographic optical elements, optical networking, optical data storage and transmission, voice and data telecommunications and other technologies related to mechanical, electrical, civil and/or structural engineering.

Mr. Rosen represents individuals, public entities, and companies in civil litigation and trials, construction, mechanics liens, public contracts, real estate, landowner's liability, and business litigation cases.. Mr. Rosen is fluent in spoken Mandarin Chinese. He was awarded the Bar Association of San Francisco, 2004 Outstanding Barrister of the Year award and the 2010 Award of Merit.

Mr. Mallory has significant experience successfully representing owners, general contractors, and subcontractors on private and public projects in construction disputes.  Mr. Mallory handles all aspects of construction litigation matters including a wide variety of construction claims, including mechanics’ liens and scope of work changes, as well as post-construction defect cases.

Mr. Light firmly believes in the power of authenticity 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 following 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. Drawing on his significant jury trial experience throughout Colorado and California, Mr. Light is a powerful and dynamic trial advocate for individuals and families coping with loss and persevering through adversity and hardship.. Widely revered for his trial advocacy, Mr. Light has quickly established himself as one of Colorado’s most accomplished trial lawyers. Selected by his peers as a Super Lawyers Rising Star, an honor that is limited to 2.5% of attorneys in Colorado, in 2019 and 2020, Mr. Light was selected as a Super Lawyers Rising Star in both California and Colorado – a very rare and unique accomplishment. Mr. Light has been recognized by the National Trial Lawyers Association as a “Top 40 Under 40” trial attorney and the American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys has selected him to their “10 Best” List. In 2019, Mr. Light and his partner, Michael Miller, were selected to attend the prestigeous Trial Lawyers College founded by Gerry Spence in Dubois, Wyoming. The Trial Lawyers College is dedicated to training and educating lawyers and judges who are committed to the jury system and to representing and obtaining justice for individuals; the poor, the injured, the forgotten, the voiceless, the defenseless and the damned, and to protecting the rights of such people from corporate and government oppression.. Mr. Light is a member of the San Francisco Trial Lawyer's Association, Colorado Trial Lawyer’s Association, Colorado Criminal Defense Bar, Colorado Bar Association and sits on the Board of Directors for the Mountain High Camp for young adults with brain injuries. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, exploring the outdoors, playing the piano and being a dad.. To learn more about Mr. Light’s story:

Mr. Kaster is an attorney with offices in Walnut Creek and San Francisco who practices in the areas of estate planning, trust administration, probate, conservatorships, trusts and estates litigation and civil litigation.. Mr. Kaster graduated cum laude from UC Hastings College of the Law in 2000, where he earned membership in the Order of the Coif. He received the highest class score in several of his law school classes (Torts, Civil Procedure and Negotiation/Settlement).. Mr. Kaster began his legal career as a litigator at a major national law firm. More recently, he worked as a senior associate at a mid-sized litigation firm in Oakland.. Mr. Kaster is a member of the Trusts and Estates Section of the State Bar of California, the Elder Law section and Conservatorship, Guardianship, Probate and Trust section of the Contra Costa County Bar Association and has served as a volunteer attorney at Legal Assistance for Seniors in Oakland. He lives with his wife, two children and two dogs.

Mr. Christopherson brings exceptional insight and depth of understanding to his mediation and litigation practice, drawing on more than 30 years of experience in commercial and banking litigation. In September 2016, Mr. Christopherson tried an action in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, achieving a $3 million judgment in favor of his client, a well known international heavy equipment manufacturer, and against his NYSE traded opponent.Coming from an early background as an in-house counsel for Wells Fargo Bank, Mr. Christopherson has developed a successful litigation practice focusing on defense claims relaring to real estate secured lending (wrongful foreclosure, equitable subordination, partition, eminent domain, and mechanic’s liens) and personal property loans and leases (“Lemon Law”, the California Automobile Sales Finance and Vehicle Leasing Acts, and dealer fraud). Cases arising in retail banking, including claims for improper payment of forged checks at the hands of an embezzling bookkeeper and losses from safe deposit boxes are also in Mr. Christopherson’s area of expertise. Mr. Christopherson is skilled both at recovering collateral and collecting money from commercial and consumer debtors. His expertise extends to prejudgment writs of possession (i.e., replevin) and attachment (i.e., imposing a prejudgment lien to secure previously unsecured obligations). Furthermore, contempt proceedings are sometimes filed against judgment debtors who ignore, at their peril, a judgment requiring that they redeliver collateral.He has also, on occasion, represented debtors in defense of collection actions, asserting FDCPA claims when appropriate, and with good results.In the mediation realm, Mr. Christopherson focuses on maintaining a civil and cordial process, requiring the parties to try to look at the dispute through fresh eyes and find collaborative solutions when possible.

Mr. Anderson offers conscientious and quality representation to his clients in the areas of construction, business, and real estate litigation with over thirteen years of litigation experience. He earned his J.D. from U.C. Davis in 1993 where he was an associate editor of the U.C. Davis Law Review, and his B.A. from U.C. Berkeley in 1990 with majors in economics and history. He is a member of the Real Estate and Litigation Sections of the Contra Costa County Bar Association.

Michael Schachter is a founder and an owner of Pearson & Schachter, where he is a business, corporate and real estate transactional attorney. Michael has represented a broad range of companies, from early stage to publicly traded companies.

Michael Meadows is a trial lawyer with over 30 years of experience in complex litigation.  Mr. Meadows specializes in litigating serious injury cases. He acted as co-lead counsel in a toxic tort case which resulted in an $80 million settlement. A graduate of the University of California, Hastings College of Law in 1974, Mr. Meadows was admitted to the Bar in the same year. He served on the Board of Governors of the Alameda/Contra Costa Trial Lawyers Association and the Consumer Attorneys of California. Mr. Meadows has been selected to the Northern California Super Lawyers since 2004.  He is a continuing legal education lecturer.

Michael LaMay's practice focuses on trust and estate litigation, financial elder abuse litigation, contested conservatorship litigation, trust administration, probate, conservatorships, and estate planning.  Michael represents beneficiaries, elders, and relatives or friends of elders, trustees, executors, agents under durable powers of attorney, conservators, and private professional fiduciaries. Additionally, he is a member of the complex-conservatorship panel for court-appointed attorneys in Contra Costa County and also regularly serves as a Guardian ad litem in contested trust and estate proceedings.  Michael assists clients in all aspects of contentious trust, estate and conservatorship matters, including client counseling, settlement negotiations, mediation,and litigation through trial.. Michael prepares proactive estate planning documents for married and single clients from his distinct perspective as both an experienced drafting attorney and a litigation attorney with over 30 years of experience.. Michael serves as the President of the Board of Directors of the Contra Costa County Bar Association Elder Law Section.

Michael is an experienced litigator and Owner of Meinert Law. He is admitted to practice in all Courts in the State of California and the Federal United States District Courts, Northern District and Eastern District of California. Michael is proud to be an eight-year Decorated Veteran of the United States Air Force. (Please note that the website is currently under construction.)

Michael Geller grew up in San Francisco, CA. He attended the University of Southern California for his undergraduate studies, the City University of New York for his medical training, and Santa Clara University School of Law for his legal education. Michael then opened The Geller Firm to help with Family Law.

Maxwell has been licensed to practice law in the State of California since 1999.  He is the managing owner of Njelita Law Offices. After his law degree, Maxwell obtained an MBA in financial management from the Middlesex University in London. Maxwell has successfully handled many cases and trials in California Superior Courts; and appeals in the Courts of Appeal, where cases he handled have been published in the court’s official records.  Maxwell is active in the community, and in his spare time enjoys following politics, playing tennis, and writing.  He works passionately and aggressively in representing his clients and protecting their legal rights, while ensuring that the legal services he provides to them are pin-pointedly tailored to their finiancial circumstances.

Matthew is a top rated Elder Law and Trust Attorney in Walnut Creek, CA. Matthew specializes in Trust Law, Conservatorships, Financial Elder Abuse and related Probate matters including Estate Planning. Matthew began his career in the field of trusts and estates, and expanded into elder law, becoming a specialist in complex conservatorship and trust issues.. Matthew's commitment to outstanding service has earned him the prestigious Super Lawyer's Rising Star designation for 2016 and 2017, Avvo's top rating of "Superb" in Elder Law, Lead Counsel Rating in Estate Planning, and recognition in San Francisco Magazine.Additionally, Matthew is a member of the Complex Conservatorship Panel for Contra Costa County, an exclusive group of highly qualified attorneys. He has also been chosen specifically by the Courts to represent individuals in complex court proceedings involving Trusts, Estate Planning, and Conservatorships. He has also assisted in high profile celebrity probate cases.. Matthew is committed to advocating on behalf of his clients, and has gained a reputation in the legal community as a trusted professional.. Mr. Talbot is deeply involved in his community. He has taught classes on behalf of the Contra Costa Bar Association to other attorneys, given talks for the Robert McGrath Inns of Court and Barristers Association, and continues to serve as a mentor for attorneys in the practice of Trusts, Estate and Elder Law.. Matthew was admitted to the California bar in 2006 and has practiced probate law in Contra Costa County since 2006. He earned his J.D. at the University of San Francisco. He earned his Bachelor's Degree from the University of California Berkeley.. Matthew is a member of the Trusts and Estates section of the California State Bar. Additionally, he is a member of the Barristers section, Estate Planning and Probate section, Elder Law section, ADR Section, Solo and Small Firm Section, and Litigation section of the Contra Costa County Bar Association.. Matthew is on the Executive Board for the Robert G. McGrath American Inns Of Court. He is an active member of the Executive Board for Contra Costa County Senior Legal Services, on the board of directors for the Barristers Section of the Contra Costa County Bar Association, and a contributing member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.. Matthew is also a California Notary Public.. Email Matthew at:

Martin was born in 1974 in Gdynia, Poland which, at the time, was a nominally independent communist dictatorship occupied by the USSR.  The economic conditions were generally bleak under communist rule.  They became even worse in 1981 when the Polish government, at the request of the USSR, crushed the Solidarity movement and imprisoned its leaders for seeking political and economic change.  When Martin was 9 years old, he and his parents moved to a small desert town in Libya where his father taught at a university and his mother worked as an engineer in a factory to earn dollars and make ends meet.  After three eventful and surreal years of living in a country ruled by the late Muammar Gaddafi, one of the craziest dictators of our time, Martin and his parents immigrated to Germany.  Martin stopped the home schooling that he received from his parents and other professors in Libya and began attending a German middle school.  To make things more interesting he did not know any German.. By the time he learned sufficient German to communicate with his classmates and understand his teachers, Martin and his parents immigrated to the US.  However, to keep Martin on his toes, his parents decided to transition him from mid-5th grade in a German school in Munich to mid-8th grade at a Louisville Kentucky middle school.  This effectively caused Martin to skip almost all of middle school while learning English as a second language and obtaining a scholarship to a ritzy private high school.  He drove an old Ford escort without AC (or power anything) to school and proudly parked it next to the other students’ BMWs and Volvos.. After graduating from high school at the age of 17, Martin began attending the University of Chicago in 1991.  At this intensely competitive and scholastically focused university (where one of its president is credited with saying “When I get the urge to exercise, I lay down until it goes away”), Martin earned the distinction of being on the Dean’s List, and received the Humana Scholarship.  Martin graduated from the University of Chicago in 1994 with a double major in English literature and Polish literature in a little over three years.  Martin then attended Cornell University Law School between 1995 and 1998, an Ivy League institution, and doubled up on law school work graduating with a J.D. and LLM in just three years rather than the usual four years.  He earned the Kosciuszko Foundation Scholarship, and attended a summer program at the Sorbonne University in Paris.  Martin clerked for the Kentucky Supreme Court and two law firms during law school and started to practice law when he was just 24 years old.. Martin started as an associate at Squire Sanders – now one of the ten largest firms in the world – where he practiced corporate law and litigation before moving to the Bay Area to work in smaller firms and eventually starting his own practice.  By the time he was 28, Martin had tried three cases to judgment, one of which resulted in a defense judgment for his client, and the other two with his clients collecting over $400,000 in damages.  Not long after that he obtained his first $1 million dollar result in a personal injury case in which he was the lead trial attorney.  During his 15 years as a lawyer, Martin tried, arbitrated and mediated many cases often successfully taking on very challenging cases that other attorneys had given up on.  He has always felt like the underdog and that is why he strongly prefers to represent the “little guys” and taking the fight to the large corporations and insurance companies.. Martin is a student of advocacy and is working towards completion of Gerry Spence’s Trial Lawyers College.  He was admitted in Ohio in 1998 and California in 2001.  Martin has taught various legal subjects at San Francisco State University and the Academy of Law and Diplomacy in Gdynia, Poland.  When he isn’t working away at the office, Martin enjoys rock climbing, running, reading history books and, most of all, spending time with his daughter Isabella and wife Unsook.. Areas of Practice. Bar Admissions. Education. Teaching:. Past Employment Positions

Mark is an ethical, energetic and aggressive litigator, who truly enjoys his work. Mark attended Saint Louis University in St. Louis, MO. In 2002, he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing, and a minor in English. He attended the University of Dayton School of Law in Dayton, OH, and obtained his Juris Doctor degree in 2006. In law school, Mark became a published member of the University of Dayton Law Review. He also actively participated in the Sports & Entertainment Law Society, the Volunteer Student Lawyer Project (VSLP), and the Voluntary Income Tax Assistance program (VITA), operated by the Internal Revenue Service. He also participated in a variety of community volunteer organizations aimed at providing pro bono legal advice to indigent clients. Mark is admitted to practice in California and Washington State. Federally, he is admitted to the U.S. District Courts for the Central and Northern Districts of California. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the California Bar Association, the Bar Association of San Francisco. Mark is a trial attorney in San Francisco. Civil litigation has been the primary focus of his legal career, and he has extensive experience handling high-stakes business & commercial litigation, product liability, premise liability, toxic tort, mass transit cases. He also enjoys assisting people navigate the legalities of creating businesses. Community service is also very important to Mark: he is accredited by the Department of Veterans Affairs to handle Veterans' claims; he is a benefactor to the Bar Association of San Francisco's 'Volunteer Legal Services' and 'Minority Law Student Scholarship' programs; and he volunteers with other private organizations.

Maria Schopp, Esq. is a family law attorney with nearly 20 years' experience and clients located in San Francisco and other Bay Area counties.