NEWPORT BEACH - Key Persons
David A. Grabhorn is a Senior Attorney at the Temecula Valley office of Messina & Hankin.
He came to the firm after an extensive career in the labor movement, during which he successfully chaired hundreds of collective bargaining negotiations throughout the United States. He has dealt with nearly every major newspaper chain and commercial printer in the United States, as well as with the largest paper and packaging corporations in the world. The types of negotiations through which Mr. Grabhorn has guided clients run the full gamut of first-time contracts, to routine contract renewals, to plant acquisitions, to plant closures-and from small single plant bargaining units to multi-plant operations owned by multi-national corporations.
Just as some of the most effective defense lawyers for those accused of white-collar crime are former federal prosecutors, and some of the most effective tax lawyers are former IRS agents, Mr. Grabhorn has been able to effectively represent companies by obtaining their objectives efficiently. There are any number of mammoth law firms claiming to have achieved success after extracting a king's ransom from the client in legal fees. Real success must be efficient because it is of dubious value for a company to give up more in legal fees than all the economies it obtained from the transaction itself.
Mr. Grabhorn's experience includes practice before the National Labor Relations Board, labor arbitration, and federal WARN Act, EEOC, ERISA, and FMLA litigation. He has successfully represented employers in their dealings with executives, exempt and non-union personnel. He has obtained agreements acceptable to the client companies for the beginning and ending of employment or defended against wrongful termination cases in state court.
The volunteer and pro bono work donated by Mr. Grabhorn began in college when he read for the blind; it continued after law school when he assisted animal rescues and set up charitable trust operated by unpaid trustees delivering 100% of donations to beneficiaries.
After completing military service in the United States Army, Evan Smith returned to college and earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Claremont McKenna College in 1978 and his Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School in 1981. He then initially practiced as a tax professional in the Los Angeles office of a Big 8 public accounting firm for 3 years, after which he joined a boutique Los Angeles law firm. While there, his practice focused on estate planning and probate, business planning and transactions, and civil tax disputes, including successfully defending a large group of taxpayers against substantial tax and penalty assessments by the IRS that arose from investments in a large, fraudulent, syndicated oil and gas partnership scheme.
In 1990, Mr. Smith joined with a law school classmate to form a law firm focused on matters involving bankruptcy, business reorganization, insolvency, and related tax matters. He has since practiced law either in firms at the partner level or as a sole practitioner. Mr. Smith is now Of Counsel to Messina & Hankin, resident in the Temecula Valley office, where his practice emphasizes taxation, business law, and insolvency matters, including Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization cases and alternatives to bankruptcy, and related civil litigation and appeals.
John A. Messina Jr. is the head of the Messina & Hankin's Temecula Valley office.
Prior to law school, Mr. Messina had extensive experience in the real estate field, both as a licensed real estate broker (which he still is) and as the head of a mortgage banking firm in the San Gabriel Valley. He received his undergraduate degree in management (with distinction) from the University of Redlands, and his J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law. He was admitted to the California Bar in 1994 and is admitted to practice before all Courts in California.
John C. Maxwell wrote, "A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way." The attorneys at our firm are Leaders; we know the way from years of real-world experience and apply what we've learned to successfully navigate our clients through to lucrative settlements, solid business agreements, and winning litigation. As Leaders, we use our experience and acumen to lead the way, allowing our clients to take solace knowing they have hired the most knowledgeable, creative, hard-working, and caring legal professionals to handle their most pressing challenges.
A Southern California native, Theodore "Ted" M. Hankin has been practicing law since 1977. During this time, he has also maintained his license as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Over the past 40 years, he has continuously combined his experience in finance and business law to deliver quality counsel tailored to his clients' needs and objectives. Mr. Hankin is well-known in the community and has a reputation as a top-rated lawyer. He works out of Messina & Hankin's Newport Beach office.
Mr. Hankin applies his considerable knowledge in the field of business law to advocate for clients dealing with transactions and litigation, from the formation of a business to its operation and dissolution. He is also a competent real estate and estate planning lawyer, taking care to protect his clients' financial interests and assert their wishes in these complex matters.
Professional Experience
After graduating from Hastings College of Law with his Juris Doctor degree in 1977 and passing the bar, Mr. Hankin immediately began practicing law. He worked as a partner at the Santa Ana law firm of Oster, Suchman & Hankin and then worked as a sole practitioner in Newport Beach for 22 years before becoming the Chair of the Estates, Probate, and Wills Department at AlvaradoSmith, APC. He then became a partner at Lytton Williams Messina & Hankin, LLP.
Through his decades in practice, Mr. Hankin has amassed a considerable amount of experience inside and outside of the courtroom. He has represented numerous high-profile business clients and banks and has extensive estate planning experience. He has represented clients before the Internal Revenue Service, Securities & Exchange Commission, National Credit Union Administration, and more. No opponent is too formidable for Mr. Hankin's experience and drive.
Education
University of California Los Angeles, Bachelor's in Economics (1974)
University of California, Hastings College of the Law, Juris Doctor (1977)