Northern California Super Lawyers Articles

The San Francisco attorney puts her psychology creds to work in her family law practice

Barbara, Therese and Maria Lawless followed in their father’s footsteps—and stuck together 

Dan Baradat has won millions of dollars in jury verdicts for blue-collar workers like the ones he grew up with

Two SF attorneys champion a freelance journalist whose home was raided after he refused to name a confidential source

How a group of local attorneys launched an organization to help the homeless 

How Ryan Abernethy found more creativity in the law than in animation

After her first case involving vulnerable pets, Jill Telfer couldn’t say no

Four trial lawyers find that a little luck never hurt

Discovery with Arturo J. González

Local Counsel with Andrew W. Stroud

How Dale Minami took on the U.S. government and rewrote an internment survivor’s story

Jennifer Hartman King brings harmony when developers and state regulators start butting heads

Michael Nunez fights for the right of people of all abilities to enjoy the good things in life

Bob Moore once caught passes from Kenny Stabler; now his wins take place in the courtroom

Russell Reiner and Todd Slaughter on stepping up to protect the community

Michelle Roberts sees her hardworking dad in clients struggling for benefits they’ve been denied

Christopher Banys’ pro bono work helps immigrants and YouTubers

Now that recreational pot is legal, public law attorneys like Ruthann Ziegler are helping cities cut through the haze

How #MeToo is impacting gender-discrimination cases

The $1.4 billion comes from a $14.7 billion payout negotiated in 2016 by San Francisco’s Elizabeth Cabraser

Karine Bohbot’s trial prep: organization (then more organization), coffee, tunes and her Wonder Woman lunchbox

Elizabeth Cabraser tackles Volkswagen, Takata and Exxon—and seldom misses a drumming gig

The Sacramento attorney says it’s all about the people you meet along the way

How real estate lawyer James Abrams has helped shape his adopted town

How a timely technology purchase eased Peter Brewer’s mind after a serious accident

Brandi Brown thrives on fielding whatever life throws her way

Pat Gillette wants firms to put more women and minorities in the board room

Anthony Perez, author of Second Wind, finds his second wind

An international network headed up by Charles Kagay arms boutique firms with more firepower

That’s how Sacramento attorney Shaye Diveley helped deliver an arena for the Kings—and just before the buzzer

… Even though the Elk Grove family law attorney is very much alive and well

San Francisco insurance-coverage lawyer Ivo Labar is spearheading a class action against The Hartford

San Francisco attorney Cody Harris turned to GoFundMe to counteract a planned extremist rally  

If Rebecca Kagin weren’t a lawyer, she might be hard to track down

Oakland’s Vincent Tong tells us what’s good in the neighborhood

An oral history of local lawyers who clerked in the rarefied chambers of the U.S. Supreme Court, for justices ranging from William O. Douglas to Stephen Breyer

How Daralyn Durie and high-tech clients like Google are shaping the future of copyright law

Rick Watters keeps his focus on the client—and his ego in check

For local lawyers in love with the grape, options range from helping vintners finance land deals to producing wine of their own

Handy legal apps

Bill Smith is determined to bring back good manners

Yosef Peretz has taken on heavyweights like Tesla, but he always finds time to help those down on their luck hang onto their homes

The Sacramento attorney, who has been lead counsel on a score of statewide initiative and referendum measures, reveals his inner Elvis

The San Francisco attorney tells us what’s good in the neighborhood

An oral history of attorneys who remember wearing fedoras and watch fobs, hopping the “C” train to the office, and triumphantly negotiating a salary of $9,000. A year.Featuring Gerald C. Sterns, …

How Kathryn Doi’s penchant for wading through regulations helped save dental coverage for millions of CaliforniansFeaturing Kathryn Doi

Karen Goodman defends attorneys facing malpractice claims; Bill Gwire puts them in the hot seatFeaturing William M. Gwire, …

How she got a judge to reject broadcasters’ demands for an injunction against DISH NetworkFeaturing Annette L. Hurst

Why Russell Austin can’t say no to community serviceFeaturing Russell J. Austin

The daughter of immigrant workers returns to Central Valley, law degree in hand

When Luke Ellis gets a case, the first thing he does is tear it apartFeaturing Luke Ellis

Jean K. Hyams is all about making sure her clients get a fair shake in the workplaceFeaturing Jean K. Hyams

Antitrust attorney Bruce Simon has gotten ‘in the heads’ of Archer Daniels Midland, Anheuser-Busch and international cartels—but he says there’s no need to be nastyFeaturing Bruce L. Simon

Divorce lawyer Esther Lerner makes it her business to see that kids don’t get caught in the crossfireFeaturing Esther R. Lerner

Gary L. Bradus brokers 9-figure deals, but at heart he’s a ‘small-town’ kind of guyFeaturing Gary L. Bradus

For Morrison & Foerster, pro bono work is more than just a priorityFeaturing Diana B. Kruze

Victor Schachter on launching mediation centers in emerging democracies around the world

Immigration attorney Minette A. Kwok helps possibilities become realitiesFeaturing Minette A. Kwok

How Kurt Melchior, who escaped Nazi Germany at 13, metamorphosed into a business litigatorFeaturing Kurt W. Melchior

That’s what Charles Schwab calls his general counsel Carrie Dwyer

An unlucky draft number proved transformational for the San Jose environmental lawyerFeaturing Jeffrey S. Lawson

Geoff Howard orchestrates Oracle’s landmark case against fellow tech giant SAP

Julie Pearl leads Pearl Law Group’s pro bono charge on immigration casesFeaturing Julie C. Pearl

The formidable personal injury attorney both goes for the jugular and encourages civility (through scotch and baseball)Featuring Debra F. Bogaards

Bankruptcy boutique Felderstein Fitzgerald Willoughby & Pascuzzi plays well—and fights well—with othersFeaturing Thomas A. Willoughby, …

How Susan T. Kumagai rose from a disadvantaged childhood to co-found a thriving employment law firmFeaturing Susan T. Kumagai

Facebook’s first general counsel participates in hackathons, runs races, and brings the legal and engineering teams together

Josh Floum helped Visa unify its business and continues to guide the company as currency evolves

Mindy Ross says the human issues are the same, even if the client is named Sean Penn

Protecting children from sexual abuse—it's a calling for Robert Allard

Terry McMahon’s working-class roots helped make him an uncommonly good IP attorney

How Eric Havian became a ‘giant-killer’Featuring Eric R. Havian

Once a child soldier in Lebanon, Haitham E. Ballout rebuilt his life in the U.S. Now he helps others do the sameFeaturing Haitham E. Ballout

To Susan Popik, insurance law is riveting stuff

Kevin M. Fong brings old-fashioned elegance to the appellate courtFeaturing Kevin M. Fong

Therese and Barbara LawlessFeaturing Therese M. Lawless, …

Heidi Timken and Marvin Starr

How Jeremy Goldman helped battle the anti-gay marriage measure

How this employment defense attorney with Kronick Moskovitz Tiedemann & Girard helped save California $2 billionFeaturing David W. Tyra

Life as Google’s top lawyer is a crucible filled with extraordinary demands. He couldn’t be happier

Laurence Wilson guides Yelp through its early twists and turns

In Roger Dreyer’s eyes, he’s never lost a caseFeaturing Roger A. Dreyer

Robert Rubin has made protecting civil liberties his life’s work

Growing up, Gary Hernandez was anxious to leave, but he keeps coming back

So believes William Gagen, even though his clients sometimes do terrible thingsFeaturing William E. Gagen, Jr.

No one digs up and chews details like trial lawyer Gerald Schwartzbach—just ask Robert BlakeFeaturing M. Gerald Schwartzbach

Timothy Tosta was given two years to live … 19 years agoFeaturing Timothy A. Tosta

Pamela Duffy loves San Francisco, which makes sense—she’s behind some of its most successful developmentsFeaturing Pamela S. Duffy

Don Specter

Daniel OlmosFeaturing Daniel Olmos

Gordon GreenwoodFeaturing Gordon D. Greenwood

Robert ArnsFeaturing Robert S. Arns

Andy GillinFeaturing Andrew R. Gillin

District Attorney Kamala Harris on working for Jesse Jackson, Barack Obama, and where to get really good Indian food in the city

How Robert Gordon went from a farm commune to Safeway Inc.

Meet Michelle Banks, counsel to Gap Inc. 

Mike Kelly is a very funny man. But facing him in court is no laughing matterFeaturing Michael A. Kelly

Bill Veen has traveled a long way since his days in Satan's ChauffeursFeaturing William L. Veen

Chris Dolan's cases are a real-life Streets of San FranciscoFeaturing Christopher B. Dolan

Diana Richmond works to connect new ideas of family with old ideas of family lawFeaturing Diana E. Richmond

Matthew Powers is the Willie Mays of Patent litigationFeaturing Matthew D. Powers

Why Mike Godwin disowns his own content

For Clifford Yin, success came earlyFeaturing Clifford E. Yin

It took all of three months before Hiep Truong was made the head of his firm's workers' comp practiceFeaturing D. Hiep Truong

Racing cars has helped Ed Hugo's focus in the courtroomFeaturing Edward R. Hugo

Sports, says O'Reilly, have taught him to never give up

Alice O'Sullivan transformed from piano prodigy to legal savantFeaturing Alice W. O'Sullivan

Featuring Jon Eisenberg

Michael Callahan on negotiating with Microsoft, Google and Icahn

Allen Ruby's early training in the ring (and we're not talking Wagner here) prepared him for the fight  Featuring Allen J. Ruby

Anyone who can replace stacks of files with piles of toys can't be all bad        Featuring Boris Feldman

Thorny business problems are Gordy Davidson's playground  Featuring Gordon K. Davidson

A gentle man is sought by emerging life sciences companies        Featuring Alan C. Mendelson

It's so much fun winning appeals for clients  

Who believes that stuff? Amos ... and Arthur Bryant        Featuring Arthur H. Bryant

Become the King of Janitors? No, thanksFeaturing Daniel Johnson, Jr.

Nanci Clarence wants you to see the good she sees in people        Featuring Nanci L. Clarence

Some people are guided by a moral compass; San Francisco employment attorney Cliff Palefsky has a moral GPS   Featuring Cliff M. Palefsky

A former investigative reporter advises newspapers on where to draw the line        Featuring Roger R. Myers

Featuring Bruce A. Wagman

Jack Londen may be his family's (political) black sheep, but he's a liberal hero        

Ronald Rossi goes back to college in his 50s        Featuring Ronald R. Rossi

Robert Van Nest proves that “world-class litigator” and “decent guy” aren’t mutually exclusive concepts

A '60s Norman Vincent Peale survives. No-thrives Featuring Andrew R. Gillin

Christopher Ho is a firewall for mistreated immigrants

Liberal Cristina Arguedas fights for those downtrodden, underdog corporate honchos

At first glance, Barry Melton appears to be a “Fish” out of water

Ronald Malone demands that people keep their word

John Poswall wonders if ’60s idealism died with seven-figure salaries 

Dennis Riordan, who likes underdogs, takes on a mad-dog case

What kind of weirdo likes justice more than money? Meet Brad Seligman

Richard Greene built a law firm and a cultural institution in one

The pseudonymous Will Nathan wrote a book about lawyers with no moral limits

Robert Bunzel fights for his clients … and for poetry

Cynthia Plevin works on behalf of Burundi’s women and children

Elizabeth Cabraser is a 5-foot giant among Bay Area lawyers

Eva Jefferson Paterson is the underdog’s best friend

Paul DeStefano has represented more than 100 biotech companies

Marc Van Der Hout opens doors for immigrants

Nancy Hersh fights for women’s health

He’s the lawyer lawyers want to hireFeaturing John W. Keker

The woman who never does anything surprising decides to change her ways

Annette Hurst wasn’t toying around when she took on Mattel, but she still finds law a lot of funFeaturing Annette L. Hurst

Between his baseball games, watching over his restaurant, and a few years of ducking angry protestors, Duncan Barr has been working the same case for over two decadesFeaturing Duncan Barr

Why does Joe Cotchett win so often? Street smartsFeaturing Joseph W. Cotchett

Don Tamaki helped the defendant in the landmark internment case win exonerationFeaturing Donald K. Tamaki

Dan Higgins, who almost lost his legs in Vietnam, knows health care from the inside outFeaturing Daniel B. Higgins

Sara Thorpe climbs against cancerFeaturing Sara M. Thorpe

Richard Mendelson represents vineyards and grows them tooFeaturing Richard P. Mendelson

An unexpected phone call puts Tom Weathers on a new path in lifeFeaturing Thomas Weathers

Jeff Selbin with partner Laurel Fletcher and their daughter Aiden

In addition to coming out on top in court, Siegel tops the best-seller listsFeaturing Sheldon Mark Siegel

Arturo González is a Latino hero with one eye on the law, one on injustice and both on a possible political careerFeaturing Arturo J. González

Assistant San Francisco D.A. Paul Henderson charms his juries into submission

He’s always seemed to lead several lives. These days, one of those is as an author of popular thrillersFeaturing John S. Martel