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Family Law Advocates Group, PC
Ms. Alyami has dedicated her career to helping families during difficult times. She is a compassionate and empathetic counselor who cares about the whole well-being of her clients. She is a native to the Bay Area and grew up in Contra Costa County. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami in Florida in 2006 and is a life-long fan of the Miami Hurricanes. Ms. Alyami earned her J.D. degree from Santa Clara University School of Law in the South Bay. During law school she worked in a family law office in San Jose in addition to clerking for a Family Law Judge in Santa Clara County. She was active in the Black Law Students Association, including serving as secretary and president. Post law school, Ms. Alyami volunteered with the Family Violence Appellate Project, a non-profit organization, in addition to working for a solo family law practitioner. Since passing the Bar Exam she has worked in family law firms, and she has developed and managed pro bono family law “day-of-court” clinics for self-represented litigants in Alameda County.

Family Law Group
Ms. Levine is an entrepreneur, legal innovator, Certified Family Law Specialist and mom of two girls. She is the managing attorney at Levine Family Law Group and the founder/CEO of Hello Divorce, a “modern breakup service” offering affordable, convenient and on-demand legal help and wellness support. Since launching Hello Divorce in 2017, she has received acclaim from the Legal-Tech industry and beyond. In 2018, she was the Grand Prize winner of Duke University School of Law’s “Law & Technology Accelerator”. Earlier this year, the American Bar Association named her to the prestigious “Women of Legal Tech” list and Clio awarded Levine Family Law Group with the Reisman Award for legal innovation. Recently, she has been featured and/or quoted in various publications including Ozy, ABA Journal, Discover Magazine, Brit+Co, Forbes, Law Technology Today, Conscious Company, and San Jose Mercury News.

Munayco Law, P.C.
Since 2000, Ms. Munayco has been licensed to practice law in California and the Northern District Courts. Ms. Munayco’s legal experience consists mainly of family law, protections against abuse, some juvenile dependency, worker’s compensation and immigration. She is also a certifed mediator and rape crisis counselor. In 2013, she became of Counsel to All for the Family Legal Clinic, Inc and is the founder and managing attorney of Munayco Law Firm, P.C. Ms. Munayco has been named Superlawyer for 2019. The mission of Munayco Law Firm, P.C., is to offer services on a sliding scale to those who may not otherwise be able to afford the high costs of an attorney. Ms. Munayco previously served on the board for the Fremont, Union City and Newark mother’s club, and was a legal mentor to the online legal research site, Justanswer.com. When not working Ms. Munayco frequently volunteers with the courts.

Law Office of Mujdah Rahim
Ms. Rahim began her `family law career with the Family Violence Law Center, and she has also worked for All for the Family Legal Clinic, Inc. With the invaluable knowledge and experience gained in the field, along with her various challenging legal internships and her education from UC Davis and Widener University School of Law, Mujdah Rahim opened her own family law firm. Her law firm has allowed her to dedicate her legal knowledge and expertise to assist families with the navigation of California’s complex court systems. Her devotion to her clients has earned her a widely-known reputation as a dedicated and highly-skilled family law and divorce attorney. Ms. Rahim’s career has led her to become skilled in counseling, advising, and representing her clients. The cases she handles range from divorce proceedings to domestic violence restraining orders. She is ready to help with advice, negotiation, mediation, consultation, pleading preparation, or litigation and knows what is needed to succeed in court.

Ms. Ross is the founder and Managing Attorney of All for the Family Legal Clinic, Inc. a Bay Area nonprofit focusing on family law and restraining orders. She also has a private firm, Pamela Ross Legal Services, PC where they assist modest means clients with Family law, Immigration, Labor/Employment, and Estate Planning/Probate issues. Ms. Ross served as the 2022 President of the Alameda County Bar Association (ACBA) and previously served as the Chair of the ACBA Family Law Section. She has been named a California Rising Star by Super Lawyers over various years since 2016. In May of 2015 she was honored by VLSC as their Volunteer of the Year and in March of 2014 she was honored by Assemblyman Bill Quirk’s office as the District 20 Woman of the Year in Law. Her background also includes six years working for Purchasing Management International, a purchasing firm for hotels and casinos and acting as a visiting professor at Westwood College in Dallas where she taught courses in English Literature and Ethics. Ms. Ross holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and a Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of San Diego. She also holds a Master’s degree in English Literature and received her Juris Doctorate from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.

Sylvia Woods Law Office of Sylvia Woods
At the law office of Sylvia Woods in Oakland City Center, she and her associate attorney, Terry S. Wheeler, along with the rest of their legal team, provide quality legal support and counsel to families throughout the Bay Area. Since opening their practice in 1992, they have earned a reputation for being consistently thorough, honest, understanding, and committed to their clients. They think mediation is often preferable to litigation in family law conflicts, and they welcome high-conflict and multi-ethnic custody cases. Among her professional and community affiliations, Ms. Woods is a member of the Alameda County Family Law Association, the Alameda County Bar Association, and the Women Lawyers of Alameda County.

Family Law Matters
Ms. Collins is a paralegal with the firm Family Law Matters in Temecula, California. She started her legal career in 1986 with Riverside Superior Court where she worked for 15 years, advancing from file clerk to supervisor. Since then, Ms. Collins has worked as a paralegal exclusively in family law. She is primarily a litigation paralegal and is familiar with Riverside, Orange County, San Bernardino County, Los Angeles County and San Diego County filings. Ms. Collins has worked as a paralegal under B&P code 6450 since 2000 exclusively in Family Law. She attended California State University Fullerton and regularly takes continuing education courses at University of California Riverside. She is a member of the Court Clerks Association, Riverside Bar Association, Orange County Paralegal Association, National Association of Legal Assistants, National Notary Association

H. William Edgar is the founder of the Law Offices of H. William Edgar, APLC, and the principal trial attorney. Mr. Edgar has been in private practice since 2004, at which time he limited his practice to family law. Previously, he was an associate with another law firm handling family law, personal injury, civil litigation, construction defect, medical malpractice, and criminal law. A Riverside native, Mr. Edgar has been recognized as one of the best family law attorneys in the Inland Empire and is highly respected by other lawyers and the judges. He makes every attempt to settle cases, but tries between 25 and 30 cases a year. Mr. Edgar also handles appeals and writs in the California Appellate courts and has argued cases in the California Court of Appeals. His firm has successfully reversed a judgment in a non-published opinion in the court of appeal. Mr. Edgar appears regularly in the Riverside Superior Court, both in Riverside and Hemet; San Bernardino Superior Court; Orange County Superior Court and various courthouses throughout Los Angeles. Mr. Edgar earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and History at the University of California – Santa Barbara. He graduated from Southwestern University School of Law in 1998 and was admitted to practice in California in December 1998.

Shannon Highfield is a paralegal, registered legal document assistant, and owner of Fed-Up Legal Solutions in Riverside, California. She is dedicated to providing quality document preparation and professional services to the community. Ms. Highfield has an associates degree in Paralegal Studies and an associates degree in Business Administration, graduating with Principles Honors and earning the Student of Distinction Award in 2011. In 2017 she received several commendations for outstanding business practices and legal services from the Better Business Bureau and the Riverside Bar Association. Prior to opening the doors of Fed-Up Legal Solutions Ms. Highfield worked as a paralegal in several law firms where she primarily focused on family law. While working under attorneys, she applied her skills managing cases, drafting pleadings, and client relations. Ms. Highfield has six years of experience working as a paralegal, four working in a law firm, and two running her document preparation business.

Jeremy N. Roark is an attorney exclusively practicing family law in the Temecula office of the Law Firm of H. William Edgar, APLC. He is managing attorney and handles family law cases throughout Southern California. Mr. Roark is an active member of State Bar of California and practices exclusively family law. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Economics from the University of California – Los Angeles and earned his Juris Doctor degree from University of California Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, California. Prior to joining the Law Offices of H. William Edgar, Mr. Roark worked at various family law firms in the Inland Empire. He is familiar with the local courts and has represented clients in varied family law matters. Mr. Roark was recruited to the firm for his knowledge of the law, familiarity with the courts, and zealous advocacy of his clients.

Dayna Ellsworth is an attorney at Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, Inc. She is passionate about victim advocacy and believes in providing a voice for those who have experienced an injustice or injury. She has years of training and experience in victim advocacy, which includes building client trust while compassionately managing emotional and sensitive information. Ms. Ellsworth earned her Juris Doctor degree from California Western and graduated with multiple degrees from the University of Utah. In law school, she received several awards for her trial skills and was nationally ranked as a student trial advocate. She also received the prestigious M. Eugenia Lopez scholarship for exemplifying dedication in the community, practicing with integrity, and demonstrating leadership in the legal profession.

John F. Klopfenstein, the founder of the Law Office of John Klopfenstein, received his law degree from San Diego’s Thomas Jefferson School of Law and has been practicing in California since 1993. During his 20 plus years practicing law, and more than 10,000 cases, he has shown incredible success getting his clients lesser charges and abbreviated prison terms. Mr. Klopfenstein has a diverse background when it comes to the law. In the mid-1990’s, he had his own practice in Beverly Hills, litigating personal injury cases on behalf of other attorneys. After acquiring valuable experience in civil court, he went on to work as a public defender for 15 years between 1997 and 2012, serving the California counties of Yolo and Monterey for ten and five years. In 2007, Mr. Klopfenstein was asked to teach Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure at Parma, the oldest and most prestigious University in all of Italy. During this time he also worked with Italy’s most famous law professor Mr. Cadopi, as commissioned by the Italian Government to rewrite the Italian Penal Code basing it on American Law from New York and California. This experience, as well as his many years as an award-winning public defender, allowed Mr. Klopfenstein to gain a great deal of crucial insight into the workings of the California criminal justice system.

Mark A. Sigala has been with Corsiglia McMahon & Allard, L.L.P., since its inception. Mr. Sigala prides himself with helping individuals who have been seriously injured and families whose loved ones have been tragically killed by the wrongdoing of others. He has been instrumental in securing several multi-million dollar settlements and jury verdicts for the firm. Mr. Sigala has been chosen by his peers as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers of Northern California several times. He is the past president of the Santa Clara County Trial Lawyers Association and past member of their Board of Governors. He is a member of Law Raza Lawyers of Santa Clara County, Santa Clara County Bar Association, San Francisco County Trial Lawyers and Consumer Attorneys of California. Mr. Sigala gained extensive experience working as a personal injury paralegal and investigator for many years with several nationally recognized personal injury firms. Having been raised in San Jose, Mr. Sigala is active in the local community.

Mr. Suits is the Chief Executive Officer of Suits Litigation, Inc., a plaintiff personal injury firm based in San Jose, California, which he founded in 2012. With 22 years of legal experience, he focuses his practice on advocating for individuals who have sustained serious injuries in motor vehicle accidents, including those involving cars, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians. Mr. Suits earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1997 before obtaining his law degree from the University of Southern California Law School in 2003. Prior to establishing his own practice, he worked as a litigation attorney for the firms of Tharpe & Howell, LLP and Robinson & Wood, Inc.

Patricia A. Turnage, Esq., CPCU, is the founding attorney of the Law Offices of Patricia Turnage. She attended Golden Gate Law School where she actively participated in Law Review and served as Managing Editor. Upon graduation, she became an active litigator, primarily in the area of personal injury defense. Prior to opening her law office in early 1999, she worked for large, prestigious law firms in the San Francisco Bay Area. Ms. Turnage was selected to participate in a five-year program in which she studied all aspects of insurance and insurance claims. Upon completion of that program in 1994, she earned a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter designation (“CPCU”). This designation has proved to be a valuable asset to her clients in settling personal injury claims, construction defect claims, and insurance bad faith claims. Ms. Turnage has been a licensed member of the State Bar of California for more than 20 years, and she is active in local bar organizations. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Alameda County Bar Association. She is also past president of the Eastern Alameda County Bar Association and is president-elect of the Earl Warren American Inn of Court for 2011-2012. Ms. Turnage has served as a Judge Pro Tem for the Alameda Courts since 1998.

Ms. Kusik, P.E., C.B.O., is a California-licensed civil engineer and ICC-certified building official with over 20 years’ building and safety, and community development work experience with various Southern California cities and counties. She has extensive experience working with architects, engineers, developers, contractors and homeowners throughout the plan review, permitting and inspection processes. Ms. Kusik has participated on various state and local code committees for over 10 years, and she has written numerous local code amendments, policies and interpretations. Her strong knowledge of building codes and regulations has made her a recognized code expert among local building inspectors, architects, engineers, city planners and contractors.

Owner of Occidental ExpressMr. Karnilowicz has been the owner of the general contracting company Occidental Express since 1975. He is a licensed general, plumbing, and electrical contractor who has an Associates Degree in Building Inspection. Mr. Karnilowicz also sits on the Code Advisory Committee at the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection, is a member of the ICC (International Codes Council) and AIA (American Institute of Architects). He is also a member of the Eastern Neighborhoods Citizens Advisory Committee, an advisory body to the planning department. He attended the College of San Mateo and speaks Polish.

David A. Lurker – Shareholder with Buchalter Law Firm
Mr. Lurker has more than 30 years of legal experience serving the real estate industry and is a tremendous asset for his clients. Having experienced numerous economic and industry cycles, he knows how to help guide clients in effective deal structuring. Mr. Lurker represents owners, developers, investors, contractors, landlords, tenants, property managers and lenders in planning, negotiating, and implementing transactions that involve purchases and sales, development, leasing, and construction of all types of projects, including retail, office, industrial, residential, multifamily, senior housing, and churches and nonprofits. Over the years, he has developed a highly valued corporate transactions practice working with small to midsize companies across a broad range of industries, with a substantial portion of these in the real estate industry. Mr. Lurker has been actively involved in several trade organizations, including the Associated General Contractors (Legal Advisory Committee). He is a member of the California Bar Association, Real Estate Law Section, the Orange County Bar Association, and has lectured for the Orange County Section of the American Planning Association. Mr. Lurker supports and is involved in several civic, political, and community organizations. He has also served on the Board of Directors of a Christian School and a local Church Board.

Mr. Wance is a shareholder and former chair of Buchalter’s Land Use Practice Group. He has built a cross-disciplinary practice involving land use and entitlements, water resources, environmental compliance, natural resources, and public law through the representation of both public agencies and private businesses throughout California. Mr. Wance has handled all aspects of these substantive areas, from advising clients regarding the applicability of the law, to guiding clients through a permitting or entitlement process, or defending clients subject to enforcement actions. He successfully represented businesses and public agencies in sophisticated financial, real estate, water resource, environmental compliance, and land development matters in court and before administrative agencies. Mr. Wance’s land use and entitlement background includes representation of residential developers, public entities, major industrial facilities, and other commercial businesses in all phases of project development before local and state agencies, city councils, and county board of supervisors. He has assisted clients in obtaining development and environmental permits and project approvals for power plants, schools, mixed-use, and industrial development projects.

Mr. Day helps his clients – public entities, transportation agencies, publicly regulated utilities, and private business owners – resolve eminent domain and complex business disputes throughout Southern California. The majority of the public projects on which he has worked have been large-scale and linear in nature, resulting in multi-million dollar challenges and claims that increase in complexity and scope as the project proceeds. His complex business litigation cases have been similarly intertwined with complicated issues featuring dense fact patterns that he must compress to their essence when presenting to the jury. Mr. Day has worked on a variety of public projects, including roadway realignments, subterranean pipelines, public transportation facilities, school campus acquisitions and the infrastructure and property rights necessary for the development, production and transmission of renewable energies throughout the state. He has experience in all phases of public projects and heavily-litigated eminent domain actions, including pre-project planning and acquisition, early project implementation, and all aspects of eminent domain and inverse condemnation trial work. In each case, he approaches the situation with the end result in mind – to resolve the matter in a way that aligns with his client’s business and strategic objectives.

Best Best & Krieger
Mr. Easter’s practice focuses on public agency acquisitions, including eminent domain and inverse condemnation litigation. Mr. Easter is a partner in the Riverside office. He represents public agencies throughout California on a wide variety of public acquisitions, including projects for cities, counties, school districts, special districts, water districts, transportation agencies and housing authorities. He has extensive court and jury trial experience in eminent domain-related matters. Mr. Easter is a member of the Inland Empire Chapter of the International Right of Way Association (IRWA), an organization devoted to excellence in all aspects of public right-of-way work, including legal issues related to eminent domain and inverse condemnation litigation. He frequently writes articles for the IRWA and speaks at IRWA seminars. In 2018, he was named Professional of the Year by the Chapter.

Mr. Grabske specializes in real estate and complex business litigation. His practice is focused on assisting landowners, businesses, and public agencies with eminent domain, inverse condemnation, contract disputes, land use and environmental issues. Mr. Grabske has successfully represented clients in high stakes trials and before the Court of Appeals. Mr. Grabske has also been recognized as a “Rising Star” in Los Angeles magazine’s Southern California Super Lawyer edition.

With close to 40 years of experience helping his clients resolve disputes – through trials, arbitrations, mediations, and appeals – Mr. Hensley has argued cases before U.S. Supreme Court as well as all Southern California State and Federal courts. In addition, Mr. Hensley is often asked to assist clients across the country and as a result has made a number of pro hac vice appearances before various Federal and State courts throughout the United States. Throughout his career, he has been involved in lawsuits related to a wide range of corporate disputes, from real estate, securities, and corporate governance issues, to trade secrets, employment matters, unfair competition, and California financing laws. He has significant experience defending class action lawsuits. Mr. Hensley has an active real estate and appellate practice covering both transactional and litigation matters: he’s helped clients structure and defend mechanics liens, purchase agreements, commercial leases, homeowner’s disputes, commercial common area maintenance disputes, subordination agreements, financing arrangements, and more. He regularly lectures at bar association and continuing education seminars on real estate, mechanics lien, and attorney fees issues. Mr. Hensley earned his J.D. degree from Rutgers University School of Law.

Pallamary & Associates is owned and operated by Michael J. Pallamary, a professional land surveyor licensed by the State of California. Mr. Pallamary has 42 years experience in the land surveying, land planning, land use consultation and engineering professions. He is a nationally recognized authority on land surveying and local land development regulations. Mr. Pallamary is a founding member of the Land Surveyors Advisory Council on Technical Standards (LSACTS). He writes a regular column for The American Surveyor magazine. He owned and operated Precision Survey & Mapping from 1983 to 1999. Mr. Pallamary has also been the owner and president of Land Survey Service of La Jolla since 1983. He is recognized as the preeminent authority on the redevelopment of property in La Jolla and San Diego’s coastal regions. Mr. Pallamary is also the owner and operator of www.tiepoints.com, the state of California’s premiere Land Surveyor Resource and Research Site. This site is also used as a tool to locate City of San Diego Tie Points. Pallamary & Associates specializes in land use litigation and the processing of complex land use permits, land planning, discretionary permits and coastal development permits issued by the City of San Diego and the California Coastal Commission. The company also provide project management services and land development consultation services for conventional projects and also in connection with insurance matters. As the owner of Land Survey Service of La Jolla, Mr. Pallamary owns the largest private collection of property records and survey maps of La Jolla properties. Mr. Pallamary is also a former member of the City of San Diego’s Board of Zoning Appeals in addition to having spent many years as a member of a variety of planning organizations including a term as the elected chairman of the Clairemont Mesa Planning Group, an elected member of the North Bay Project Area Committee and an appointed member of the Mission Bay Park Committee and Mission Bay Park Planners. In these capacities, he has co-authored the Mission Bay Park Master Plan, the Clairemont Mesa Community Plan and the North Bay Redevelopment Master Plan. Mr. Pallamary is also a co-author of the City of San Diego’s Mapping and Land Title Document Preparation Manual.

Nossaman LLP
Ms. Coffee is a Partner in the Environment & Land Use Practice Group at Nossaman LLP. Based in Irvine, California, she has extensive experience providing strategic, legal and regulatory advice and counsel with respect to permitting and compliance under CEQA, NEPA, and state and federal water quality, wetlands, endangered species, and other natural resource protection laws. Her practice focuses on assuring responsible development, operation and maintenance of much needed public infrastructure and housing in full compliance with applicable environmental laws, including CEQA, NEPA, state and federal Endangered Species Acts, the federal Clean Water Act, Porter-Cologne, and the California Fish and Game Code.

Bartkiewicz, Kronick & Shanahan
Mr. Fitzgerald is an attorney with Bartkiewicz, Kronick & Shanahan in Sacramento. He advises clients on numerous water resources and public agency issues, including water right and water supply matters and compliance with state and federal water quality laws and the California Environmental Quality Act. He also provides counsel on Brown Act, California Public Records Act, and Political Reform Act compliance, and he has provided counsel and litigation assistance on Endangered Species Act matters. He represents clients in state and federal court and in proceedings at the State Water Resources Control Board. He received his B.A. degree from Stanford University, where he was editor in chief of the Stanford Daily, and received his J.D. degree with honors from Columbia Law School, where he was a notes editor of the Columbia Law Review.

Best Best & Krieger LLP
Mr. Krieger is an associate in the Riverside office of Best Best & Krieger LLP. He primarily represents public agencies, including water districts and counties, and he specializes in environmental, natural resource, and tribal law. Mr. Krieger is currently litigating several disputes in state and federal court involving groundwater rights, the California Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), and other land use related matters. He also regularly advises clients regarding water rights and quality compliance. Prior to joining Best Best & Krieger, Mr. Krieger clerked with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, Division of Natural Resources. He earned his law degree and masters of Business Administration degree from the University of Arizona, and he received his undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University.

GSI Environmental Inc.
Mr. Lentz is a vice president and principal with GSI Environmental Inc. and he has more than 20 years of experience providing multi-media compliance support to industry, the public sector, and the legal community. He has successfully managed large, logistically challenging projects, and he has extensive experience developing compliance programs involving stormwater, hazardous waste, hazardous materials, air quality, wastewater, and a variety of health and safety-related programs. Mr. Lentz’ practice has involved assisting hundreds of industrial, municipal and construction industry clients comply with NPDES stormwater regulations and development and implementation of their compliance programs. He serves as co-chair of the California Stormwater Quality Association’s Industrial Stormwater Subcommittee and is a member of the California State Water Resources Control Board’s Industrial General Permit Training Team.

Best Best & Krieger LLP
Ms. Mouawad is an attorney with the Environmental Law & Natural Resources practice group at Best Best & Krieger LLP. She is focused on matters involving water rights, including California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), as well as transactional commercial real estate development matters. She is part of the team of attorneys handling the Las Posas Valley Basin groundwater adjudication in Ventura County, the first adjudication of water rights in California intersecting with SGMA. Ms. Mouawad previously served as assistant general counsel for the Palmdale Water District and as special counsel for the Carson Reclamation Authority.

Best Best & Krieger LLP
Ms. Wang is an attorney in Best Best & Krieger LLP’s Environmental Law & Natural Resources practice group, who works with public and private clients on matters involving water law, including California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. She was part of the successful team that earned a Top Verdict recognition in 2018 from the Daily Journal for a jury verdict that favored water agencies in a first-of-its-kind groundwater rights trial. Ms. Wang was also part of the team of attorneys that secured a trial court judgment in the Antelope Valley groundwater adjudication, the largest groundwater rights case ever in California.

Mr. Deatherage is a founding partner in the Dallas law firm of S. Deatherage Law, PLLC. For more than 30 years, he has focused on environmental issues, energy, and climate change. For most of his career, he worked with large law firms in Dallas, but four years ago he formed his own firm and also began pursuing entrepreneurial opportunities. He earned his B.A. in Letters from The University of Oklahoma in 1984 with highest honors, with minors in Botany and French, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1987 cum laude, where he served as the Articles Editor for the Harvard Environmental Law Review. Mr. Deatherage was one of the founders of the American Bar Association’s Environmental Disclosure Committee. He has published a book entitled Carbon Trading Law and Practice, originally published by Oxford University Press. He has taught Climate Change Law at the University of Texas Law School. He currently is general counsel of a company developing electric vehicle charging stations and planning to supply them with utility-scale solar plus storage facilities.