VAN DE POEL - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Certified Litigation Paralegal
- Education
- Paralegal Supervisor
Ben Yeung joined the firm in 2010 as a certified litigation paralegal. As a paralegal who has quickly built a successful career path, Ben supervises the firm paralegals and assists all firm attorneys in managing all aspects of litigation from initial fact investigation through trial. Having watched the changing landscape for over a decade, Ben has developed the skills needed to master the field of eDiscovery. These skills have directly transferred to how the firm develops litigation readiness systems and risk management controls to better serve the firm's clients. Ben has developed a sharp eye for tackling inefficiencies and retooling firm technology and software for a smoother, strategically focused organization. Ben has participated in numerous trials over his career and his experience offers a plethora of litigation and trial support to the firm's clients.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate
- Education
Brian E. Colton joined the firm in February 2023 as a Senior Associate Attorney. His practice is focused on civil litigation, with an emphasis on construction defect litigation. Additionally, Brian has litigated personal injury, premises liability, products liability, and habitability claims on behalf of defendants. He has also litigated workers compensation/property subrogation matters representing two large insurance companies, with whom he was previously employed as staff counsel. His practice covers all phases of civil litigation from pre-litigation negotiations to pleadings, law and motion, discovery, alternative dispute resolution, arbitration, and trial.
Brian received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Science from the University of California, Irvine in 1995. He graduated from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco in 2000, and was admitted to the California Bar in 2001. He is licensed to practice law in all courts within the state of California, as well as the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Senior Associate
- Education
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Associate Attorney at Van De Poel, Levy, Thomas
- Education
David Levy is experienced in all areas of litigation and trial work, including construction-defect, insurance recovery, personal injury defense, professional liability, general liability, risk management and business torts.
David's active professional liability practice involves defending real estate brokers/agents, loan originators, funds control companies, and property managers from claims brought against them by real estate purchasers or third parties, and through the Department of Real Estate. David's practice also includes significant experience in the handling of architects and engineers, testing agents, attorneys, tax preparers and CPAs, and insurance brokers among other specialty groups.
David and his team have considerable recent trial experience. This includes over 120 trial days within the last two years. One case involved a $30 Million claim involving a high end single family home in the exclusive Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco where we represented the architect. Not only did we obtain a net $-0- award for our client, but we were able to secure the general contractor to pay ½ our defense. As a side note, the award against the general contractor exceeds $19 million. The other recent trial involved the defense of an engineering firm which had claims of delay and elder abuse from a 90 year old high end property owner in San Jose, one of the most expensive property regions in the country. In this case, the jury sided with our defense team for a 12-0 defense verdict. The Court also awarded our client recovery of attorney fees and costs.
David founded the firm in 2002 with Jay Van De Poel, Jr., with whom he had previously worked in the Walnut Creek office of Dale, Braden, and Hinchcliffe. David practices in both our Northern and Southern California offices.
He is a member of the State Bar of California, the American Bar Association, the Contra Costa County Bar Association, and the Contra Costa County Barristers Association. He is also a former member of the Barristers Board of Directors.
Douglas Poulin is an experienced litigator whose practice focuses on real estate litigation and complex business disputes. He has represented a variety of clients, including domestic corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies, developers, real estate investors, landlords, property managers, tenants, apartment owners, and lenders.
In the realm of real estate litigation, Mr. Poulin has handled a wide range of cases involving breach of purchase and sale agreements, co-ownership disputes, commercial and residential landlord-tenant disputes, CC&Rs, boundary disputes, easements, excavation and soils, fraud and nondisclosure, residential rent control, commercial tenant disputes, neighbor disputes, franchisor-franchisee contracts, title insurance disputes, partition claims, and those involving construction defects and homeowners' associations. He also litigates complex business disputes involving real property, bankruptcy adversary proceedings, and business and partnership disputes. Mr. Poulin is skilled in all aspects of litigation, including alternative dispute resolution, pleadings, discovery, motion practice, settlement, trial, and judgment enforcement proceedings. He has represented clients in federal and California state courts and has handled dozens of business litigation matters involving dispute resolution, arbitrations, and lawsuits relating to real estate and the sale of private companies.
In addition to litigation, Mr. Poulin also provides transaction assistance to sellers and buyers of commercial and residential real property at every stage of the transaction, conducts lease negotiations for commercial and residential landlords and tenants, provides counsel to property management companies, and assists clients with zoning and land use matters.
With his comprehensive knowledge and experience in real estate litigation and business disputes, Mr. Poulin is committed to providing high-quality legal services to his clients and achieving the best possible outcome in every case.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Education / University of California
Douglas S. Saavedra joined the firm on July 11, 2022 as an Associate Attorney. His practice areas include construction defect, personal injury, premises liability, public entity defense and represented clients in California State and Federal Courts.
Douglas received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in 2015, studied International Law at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark as a Study Abroad Law Exchange for one semester in 2019 and graduated from the University of California, Davis School of Law in 2020. He has been a member of the California State Bar since January 2021 and previously practiced in the Sacramento area.
Douglas enjoys a variety of outdoor activities as well as reading and movies.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate
- Education / University of the Pacific
Elisabeth (Beth) Morris is experienced in all areas of litigation, including real estate, construction, general liability, products liability, and business torts. Her practice also includes trust and estate litigation.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Attorney
- Education
joined the firm in August 2018. Hua's practice focuses on real estate and construction litigation, products liability, premises liability, and personal injury. She graduated from UCLA Law School in 2015, during which she interned for a civil rights litigation firm where she assisted attorneys from intake through complaint filing, discovery, and trial. She also served as the chief comments editor of the School's Journal of International Law and Foreign Affairs.
Hua is admitted to practice in all California state courts and she is a member of the American Bar Association. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking and playing the violin. Hua is fluent in Mandarin.
James Ghilotti is an experienced litigator and case negotiation specialist. He brings a wide array of expertise to each client interaction. He obtained his B.S. degree from St. Mary's College in Economics and Business Administration. James has a Masters in Legal Studies and his J.D. from Empire College School of Law. James is licensed to practice in both state and federal courts in California.
James endeavors to provide each client with personal attention and fervent representation, suited for the unique circumstances of each case. James spends his time working primarily on high value injury, products liability, premises liability and transportation cases. James' ability to decipher what really matters gives him a keen ability to navigate even the most complex matters.
During his time in law school, James worked as a law clerk at a large civil litigation firm working on all aspects of civil litigation from evaluating cases before filing, to litigation through appeal. During law school, James was a student member of Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC) and Sonoma County Bar Association. James holds his Occupational Safety and Health 30 certification and was previously a member of the safety team for a general contractor with a focus on risk minimization and safety process implementation.
In addition to providing advice and counsel to clients and businesses he volunteers his time with many local non-profit organizations. He currently serves as an officer of Sonoma Valley Little League and as Vice President of Sonoma Valley United, his children's soccer league.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Attorney
- Senior Associate
- Education
James Merriman is an Associate Attorney who joined the firm in October of 2019. Jim's primary practice area is construction defect litigation, he also has experience in real estate law (including Airbnb, condo conversions and landlord/tenant) and personal injury litigation. He graduated from Creighton University School of Law in 1983.
Jim is a member of the State Bar of California and has practiced in the Northern and Eastern District of California in the Federal System.
Jay Van De Poel, Jr. brings a wealth of litigation and practical experience to his cases. He has an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell - an indication of the high level of skill, integrity and professional excellence Jay has attained during his years as an attorney.
Jay founded the firm in 2002 with David Levy, with whom he worked previously in the Walnut Creek office of Dale, Braden, and Hinchcliffe. He is also the son of John Van De Poel, Sr., who was a litigator in the Bay Area, and a Superior Court judge before his passing.
Jay has tried over 20 cases to verdict. Jay represents clients in a full range of litigation and civil matters, including catastrophic injuries, property, personal injury, construction defect, business litigation, professional liability and landlord/tenant cases. He has also acted as a private and court-appointed arbitrator and mediator.
He is a member of the State Bar of California, Claims and Litigation Management Alliance, The American Bar Association, the Contra Costa County Bar Association, and the Defense Research Institute. He is also a member of the Association of Northern California Defense Counsel, where he is a former member of the Board of Directors.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate
- Education
Mr. Heck is a graduate of the University of California, Davis and Santa Clara University School of Law. He was admitted to the California Bar in 2001 and is admitted to practice before all the courts of the State of California.
Mr. Heck represents developers, general contractors, and specialty subcontractors of all trades in all aspects of construction-related litigation including contract disputes, complex and high exposure construction defect claims, and the prosecution of indemnity and subrogation claims on behalf of contractors and their insurers. Mr. Heck's experience with construction defect claims includes production and custom single-family homes, multi-unit residential projects such as condominiums and apartments, and commercial buildings.
Job Titles:
- of Counsel
- Education
- Member of the State Bar of California
Michael LaMay's practice focuses on trust and estate litigation, financial elder abuse litigation, contested conservatorship litigation, trust administration, and probate. He has over three decades of experience litigating difficult and contentious cases. Michael assists clients in all aspects of trust, estate, and conservatorship litigation matters, including practical counseling, settlement negotiations, mediation, and litigation through trial.
Michael is a member of the State Bar of California, State Bar of California Trusts and Estates Section, Contra Costa County Bar Association Elder Law Section -where he is a former Chair of the Board of Directors, and the Contra Costa County Bar Association Estate Planning and Probate Section.
Michael has been recognized as a Northern California Super Lawyer in Estate & Trust Litigation every year since 2014.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Member of the State Bar of California
Natalie is a member of the State Bar of California, the Contra Costa County Bar Association, and the California Refuse and Recycling Counsel, the trade association representing solid waste and recycling companies in the State of California.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate Attorney at Van De Poel, Levy, Thomas
- Education
- Member of the State Bar of California
Nicolet E. Corliss is an Associate Attorney at Van De Poel, Levy, Thomas LLP. Her practice focuses on real property, landlord/tenant, and business litigation. Nicolet is a strong advocate for her clients. She received her J.D. from Santa Clara University, where she served as both the Managing Editor for The Advocate, Santa Clara School of School of Law's award-winning newspaper, as well as a Technical Editor for the Santa Clara Law Review. Nicolet is a skilled, passionate litigator, having placed as a Semi-Finalist at Harvard's 2011 Animal Law Moot Court Competition.
Nicolet served as a Judicial Extern for the Hon. Nathan Mihara of the Sixth District Court of Appeal of California, where she refined her legal research, writing and understanding of California Appellate practice. Ms. Corliss also served as a Judicial Intern for Hon. Richard Loftus, Jr. of the Santa Clara County Superior Court.
In 2013, Nicolet was honored by the Bar Association of San Francisco's Justice & Diversity Center as one of the top 15 percent of the volunteers in its Pro Bono Legal Services Program, Homeless Advocacy Project, and Diversity Educational Programs. In addition, Nicolet has been selected to the 2015 and 2016 Super Lawyers Northern California Rising Star list.
Nicolet is a member of the State Bar of California. She is licensed to practice law in all courts within the State of California as well as the United States District Courts for the Northern, Eastern and Central Districts of California.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Education
- Member of the State Bar of California
Reid is a member of the State Bar of California and currently serves on the Executive Committee The Lawyers' Club of San Francisco Inn of Court. He is licensed to practice law in all courts within the State of California.
Job Titles:
- of Counsel
- Counsel in the Walnut Creek Office of VLT
- Education
- Member of the Association of Defense
- Member of the Business & Commercial
Stephen K. Anderson is Of Counsel in the Walnut Creek office of VLT. Mr. Anderson is a member of the Business & Commercial, Construction Law, Professional Liability practice groups, primarily handling personal injury, premises liability, product defect, construction defect and bankruptcy matters. He has been practicing in the Northern California area for over 13 years with significant focus on civil litigation matters, including first party collection, judgment enforcement, contract dispute litigation, construction claim management and litigation, landlord tenant litigation, and general civil defense work. He has been active in the construction bar for over 13 years, assisting clients as they navigate the ins and outs of construction litigation. Mr. Anderson is licensed to practice law before all courts in California, including the Southern, Central, Eastern and Northern Federal District Courts.
Mr. Anderson handles corporate and personal bankruptcy debtor and creditor work as well, having formerly clerked for Judge Louise DeCarl Adler of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of California. Previously, he worked for the Department of Justice in the United States Trustee's Office in San Diego, California.
Mr. Anderson is an active member of the Association of Defense Counsel for Northern California.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate
- Education
Victoria Townsend joined the firm in August of 2018. Vicky's practice focuses on personal injury, products liability, construction defect, homeowners association liability, and landlord-tenant disputes. She has also served as a designated Special Investigations Unit attorney investigating and defending against suspected fraudulent claims. Over the course of her career, Vicky has worked in private law firms as well as working as staff counsel for two major companies. She has tried several cases to verdict.
Vicky graduated from Antioch College in 1980 and from the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law in 1983. She has been an active member of the State Bar of California since 1983, and is also admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for the Southern, Central and Northern Districts of California as well as the Ninth Circuit United States Court of Appeals.
Job Titles:
- Director of Administration
Virginia (Jenny) Balestrieri, Director of Administration is a professional with 14 years of human resource experience. For the last eighteen years she has held a management and support role with VLT. Prior to joining VLT, she was with the law firm of Strickland & Haapala now titled Haapala, Thompson and Abern in Oakland, CA for eight years. She has notable experience in human resource planning, performance management, federal and state law compliance, employment contracts (offer letters, ICA's, various designations of employment) compensation, employee benefits and office management.
She holds a Business & Management Degree from Salisbury University. She has been a member with the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA), previous member and served on the board for East Bay Legal Administrators Association (EALA), designation of certification from the Human Resources Certification Institute (HRC1) and pending certification for CLM (Certified Legal Management) and has developed a network of contacts in various areas in relation to VLT business and the community.
Virginia (Jenny) Balestrieri enjoys serving her community by coordinating donations to Children's Hospital in Oakland, CA. She supports Toys for Tot's and One Warm Coat with donations from various supporters including VLT during the holidays.
Job Titles:
- of Counsel
- Education
- Member of the Bar of the Supreme Court
William E. (Bill) Manning, a very active trial attorney since 1985, has successfully represented his clients in a broad range of jury trials, court trials, arbitrations, administrative hearings, mediations, class actions, military hearings, summary judgments and summary dismissals, as well as extraordinary writs and appeals, throughout California in State, Federal, and Military courts. Mr. Manning has extensive litigation, trial, writ, and appellate experience in a wide variety of cases, including professional liability, business disputes, construction defect, personal injury, OSHA matters, First Amendment issues, premises and restaurant liability, and the defense of municipalities, police and special agencies and districts. He has also researched and authored numerous insurance coverage opinions. The breadth of Mr. Manning's three decades of experience enables him to advise his clients about the wisdom of early case resolution, or a carefully crafted litigation strategy through trial and appeal
Mr. Manning represents Dentists, Physicians, Optometrists, Nurses, and Attorneys in malpractice claims, state board licensure and disciplinary matters, peer review and credentials inquiries, managed care disputes, discipline hearings for military medicine, and practice-related legal matters, including professional practice issues, practice sales, and transitions. Mr. Manning has lectured nationally and internationally on Risk Management and other legal issues for Dentists and Dental Auxiliaries, and to the Dental Managed Care industry. Mr. Manning is also a court-qualified expert witness in legal malpractice cases.
Mr. Manning also advises parties in a variety of business transactional matters, mechanic's liens, and routine estate planning and probate matters. In the Aviation arena, Mr. Manning represents airport districts, pilots, mechanics, fixed base operators, and aviation insurers.