Education

Law School/Year: Thomas Jefferson School of Law, 1986

College/Year: Western State University, 1984

Bar Admissions

California, Indiana, Guam, U.S. Supreme Court, Southern District of California, Central District of California, Northern District of Indiana, Southern District of Indiana

Practice Areas

Civil Litigation, Insurance, Medical Malpractice, Personal Injury & Property Damage, Product Liability     

Major Cases

All of my cases are special to me, but I really enjoy helping elderly people who can’t always fight for themselves. I represented a local widow whose husband died while they were celebrating their 50-year anniversary on a cruise. They had purchased travel insurance to cover unexpected medical bills during the cruise. When her husband had a medical emergency and had to be air-lifted to a hospital at substantial cost, the insurance company denied the claim for various reasons. We fought the company and ultimately made them pay the entire claim, and then pay substantial compensation to our client for their wrongful denial of the claim.

Professional Background

Before becoming an attorney, I was an insurance adjuster. I then became an insurance defense attorney representing insurance companies and civil defendants. Although I usually won my cases, I often didn’t feel good about winning. I saw many people, who should have won their cases, lose or settle cheaply because their lawyers didn’t know how to fight powerful insurance companies. Some lawyers were just too scared or inexperienced to take a complex insurance case to trial. After years of working for the insurance industry and learning all their tricks, I decided to put on the white hat, and I now represent plaintiffs against those powerful insurance companies. I love what I do and I sleep much better.

Professional Affiliations

I am on the board of directors of the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego, a member of the Consumer Attorneys of California, the American Association for Justice and the San Diego County Bar Association.  I teach business law and international business law as an adjunct professor at a local university. I am also a column editor for the <i>Trial Bar News </i>and I volunteer my time to teach trial skills to other lawyers through the San Diego Inn of Court.

Personal Affiliations

In addition to practicing law, I spent 24 years proudly serving our country as a naval intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve. My last duty was as the deputy reserve intelligence area coordinator for systems, which kept me on the cutting edge of information technology, systems and security, and which I have been able to implement into my law practice. I have found technology to be a great equalizer. 

Personal Background

My hobbies include music, photography, cooking, sailing and travel. I love computer technology and I spend a lot of my leisure time reading and learning about new software or equipment. I have a 17-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son and I’m one of those few parents who know more about computers than their kids do.