STONE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- LEGAL ASSISTANT and STAFF ADMINISTRATOR
Alicia Gonzalez, Legal Assistant and Staff Administrator, has over 15 years of litigation experience. She currently assists Suzanne R. Feffer, Gregory S. Miller, and Robyn M. McKibbin in both state and federal litigation matters.
Alicia grew up in Stockton, California and moved to the San Fernando Valley in 1999 to attend college. She graduated from California State University, Northridge in 2003 where she received her Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing.
Alicia is the Fall 2018 recipient of Stone | Dean's R.A.V.E. Award (a quarterly Recognition Award for our Valued Employees). She was nominated seven times by her coworkers because of her positive attitude, high quality of work, and her consistent adherence to the Firm's Core Values.
In her free time, Alicia enjoys going to the movies, traveling and spending quality time with her husband and her two daughters, Izabel and Yvette.
Alisa M. Morgenthaler, Of Counsel, has over 30 years of experience in all types of business and commercial litigation, including real estate, construction, insurance, contracts, entertainment, copyright/trademark, banking/financial institutions, debtor/creditor, securities and employment matters. She has extensive experience in complex litigation, including class actions, and has represented numerous clients in significant, bet-the-farm litigation.
Alisa has been awarded the Martindale Hubbell A-V Rating (Peer Rating 5.0/5.0) for approximately 20 years, is listed in the Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers and has been consistently named by Los Angeles Magazine as one of the "Top 50 Women Lawyers in Southern California." She has been named by Los Angeles Magazine as a "Super Lawyer" in Southern California every year since 2006 and is listed in Who's Who In America, Who's Who In the World, Who's Who in American Law and Who's Who Among American Women.
Alison Starr, Receptionist, is responsible for the day-to-day front line operations of the firm. She supports the firm's attorneys and legal assistants in many ways, including ensuring information is passed to the persons who can help clients, fielding prospective clients inquiries and supporting the firm's attorneys and legal assistants in countless ways. In her spare time, Alison enjoys spending quality time with her family.
Alvaro Zambrano, Administrative Assistant, assists our controller Shannon Carpinelli with our firm's accounting processes. He supports Shannon with billing clients, preparing monthly statements, managing our closed files, as well as our file storage procedures.
Alvaro is currently finishing his studies as a Finance major at California State University, Northridge. During his free time, he enjoys playing soccer, music concerts, and traveling to new places around the globe.
Amy W. Lewis, Senior Associate, is an experienced litigator and trial attorney. Her primary practice includes insurance and commercial litigation. She works with her clients to try and achieve a cost-efficient and beneficial result.
Ms. Lewis is admitted to practice before all state courts in California and the Central, Southern, Eastern, and Northern Districts of the U.S. District Court. She has also been admitted into the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Andra Rivera, Subpoena Czar, is responsible for issuing and reviewing subpoenas for necessary records in preparation for discovery, depositions, trials and more. Andra recently graduated from Cal State Northridge and is exploring her options for post-graduate work.
Angela Jones, Senior Associate represents corporations in employment, premises disputes and public entities in tort, employment and labor law litigation. She has a breadth of experience emanating from the City of Riverside and then the Los Angeles Unified School District where she litigated employment and labor law matters concerning allegations of discrimination, failure to accommodate, and/or harassment/retaliation. She provides advice and counsel on a wide array of issues ranging from bargaining agreements, lay-offs, recruitment and healthcare, with an emphasis of administrative reasonable accommodations processes. She reviews requests for accommodation, attending and questioning at reasonable accommodation meetings, and providing guidance to disability management staff regarding crafting responses to applicants, assessing accommodation requests, meeting internal deadlines and assessing sufficiency of medical information provided in support of the requests. She advises on Equal Opportunity investigations including review and response to internal complaints and resulting investigation determination letters and receipt and review of DFEH complaints and EEOC charges.
Annabelle Hanshaw, Legal Assistant, has more than 15 years litigation experience in both Plaintiff and Defense matters. She currently assists Brandon Dawoodtabar and Tatiana Karamian.
Annabelle grew up in Michigan and moved to California in 2009 with her husband and 2 children. She also travels back to Michigan to help take care of her mother.
In her free time, Annabelle enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband David.
Annette Mendez, Paralegal is a certified paralegal and has been handling litigation matters for eight years. She was the first in her family to go to college and graduated with a double major in history and politics from the University of California in Santa Cruz. She excels at litigation filings, document preparation and client relations.
Brandon Tabar is a Litigation Associate at Stone | Dean. His practice focuses on civil litigation and business transactions. Since beginning practice in the greater Los Angeles area, Brandon has handled a wide variety of civil litigation matters on the insurance defense side, including premises liability cases, car/truck accidents, catastrophic injury, and wrongful death. Brandon is expanding his practice into trade secrets, unfair business competition, and complex business disputes.
Brandon received his bachelor's degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and graduated from Loyola Law School in Downtown Los Angeles in 2017. While at Loyola, Brandon participated in pro bono work and assisted indigent debtors in preparing and filing bankruptcy petitions. He is admitted to all California state courts.
When he is not practicing law, he spends his free time jogging, hiking, lifting weights, and finding any excuse to be outdoors.
Job Titles:
- Employee Status of Uber & Lyft Drivers
Dana Leland, is our certified paralegal and a member of the Los Angeles Paralegal Association. She has 20 years of experience in a large variety of civil litigation including insurance defense and business litigation in both federal and state courts. She takes great pride in supporting our founding partner, Greg Stone, and other attorneys in complex litigation, from inception through resolution or trial. She also handles transactional and corporate matters for the firm.
Her passions include family activities, spending time outdoors and at the gym, as well as volunteering at her church and other charitable organizations.
David Breitburg is a Senior Associate at Stone | Dean with over 35 years of experience as a litigator. He has handled a wide range of cases including major exposure cases, catastrophic injuries and complex personal injury defense and has a long history of successful trials and mediations. He is a valued member of the Insurance Defense Practice Group at Stone | Dean.
Mr. Breitburg was educated at the University of Cincinnati where he received a Bachelor of Arts. He received his Juris Doctor at Southwestern School of Law. He is admitted to all California state courts, and is admitted to the Central District of California and Ninth District Court of Appeals.
When he is not practicing law, he spends his spare time with his family, including hiking and going to the beach.
Gregg S. Garfinkel, Partner, is an experienced transportation attorney and nationally-recognized expert in the field of business litigation and transportation law. Gregg has represented the nation's largest transportation & logistics companies, and is personally responsible for some of the most important legal precedent in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Garfinkel has been recognized as a Southern California Super Lawyer from 2005 - 2017, and has received an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell.
Gregg is frequent lecturer at loss prevention seminars, offering insight on current issues and legal developments in the transportation and logistics industry. He is also a gifted writer, and has published numerous articles in local, and national, legal publications. Gregg regularly contributes to Stone | Dean's At Issue Newsletter and has penned articles posted to the Firm's Cutting Edge Blog.
Job Titles:
- FOUNDING PARTNER
- Partner
- Representative Cases
Gregory E. Stone, Founding Partner, is a skilled negotiator, mediator and trial attorney. While an overwhelming number of his cases are resolved prior to trial, Greg has built a reputation for achieving outstanding trial results for his clients. He has tried over 65 jury trials to verdict throughout Los Angeles, Ventura, Kern, Orange, and San Bernardino counties.
Greg has been recognized as a "Southern California Super Lawyer" by his peers in Los Angeles Magazine, Law & Politics Media, Inc., and Super Lawyer publications. He is also a frequent lecturer and presenter for numerous trial lawyers associations including, but not limited to: The San Fernando Valley Bar Association, Los Angeles County Bar Association, CAALA (the nation's largest trial lawyers convention), and the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel.
Greg prides himself on solving problems for others and makes himself available to his many repeat clients for an array of issues. He has handled civil rights cases, instances of gender discrimination, insurance defense, personal injury lawsuits, business disputes, and even criminal matters. Clients include, but are not limited to, small to medium sized businesses, supermarket chains, retail stores, commercial carriers, municipalities, police departments, health clubs, and real estate property management companies. Greg has also represented many defendants in high-profile civil rights actions in state and federal courts, and has successfully defended many police officers from several different departments throughout Southern California.
Holly M. Parker is a Senior Associate at Stone | Dean. She is a seasoned litigation attorney representing and defending individuals, businesses and public entities in a multitude of practice areas. Prior to joining Stone Dean LLP, Ms. Parker was a sole practitioner in the areas of general civil and business litigation, family law, intellectual property, consumer protection, homeowner construction disputes, labor and employment, and contract formation and review.
Ms. Parker is a proud native of Seaside and Monterey (Central California). She enjoys mentoring law students and young professionals, music, dancing, recreational basketball, roller skating and hiking, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family.
Joe Lara, Senior Associate, is an experienced litigator who represents clients in commercial litigation disputes. His litigation practice includes experience in trade secrets, employment law, real estate disputes and complex business disputes. He focuses on wage and hour and complex litigation defense involving high value cases. He is a skilled trial lawyer who litigates cases in both State and Federal Courts. A navy veteran, he brings the discipline and teamwork skills that he learned to his practice. Common litigation topics involve trade secrets misappropriation, trademark infringement, complex business contracts, shareholder disputes, SLAPP litigation, commercial lease disputes, wrongful termination and discrimination, and wage and hour law.
Job Titles:
- LEGAL ASSISTANT
- Staff Administrator, at
Judy Brown, Legal Assistant, has over 40 years of commercial and general litigation experience. She is an integral part of Stone | Dean's Commercial Litigation and General Litigation groups. Judy serves as lead legal secretary and is responsible for facilitating secretarial overflow work as needed, training new secretarial hires, and developing and implementing the best practices for secretaries. Currently, Judy supports Managing Partner Kristi W. Dean and Senior Associate Leslie A. Blozan. Judy also assists with daily office management and assists in hiring legal secretaries and support staff.
While Judy loves all genres of music, classical is her favorite having been trained in classical piano for over 11 years. Judy enjoys traveling, reading, musical theater, movies, and spending time with her friends and family, especially her two granddaughters.
Justene M. Adamec has over 30 years of civil litigation experience, including representing clients in mediations, arbitrations, and trials. Her trial experience includes complex cases in unfair business competition and non-compete cases, malicious prosecution, and business divorces and disputes. In her past, she has volunteered as a mediator and arbitrator for the Los Angeles Superior Court, served as an Administrative Law Judge for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and served as a member and co-chair of the Business Litigation Committee for the California Lawyer Association. She has published numerous legal articles and is a contributing author to Litigating and Judging California Business Entity Governance Disputes. She is a committed member of Rotary International and is currently serving as President of the Pasadena Rotary Club. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Pasadena Rotary Foundation and a member of the Board of Governors for the University Club of Pasadena. She was included in Pasadena Magazine's 2023 list of Top Lawyers.
Kasey Wang, Case Assistant, is responsible for daily tasks such as overlooking case files, and subpoena documents to better support the firm's attorneys, paralegals, and legal assistants. Kasey is currently a college student studying Business Law at Cal State Northridge and plans to attend law school after graduating.
On her free time, Kasey loves exploring new cities, taking pictures, and spending time with her family and friends.
Kathy Lawson, Legal Assistant, has over 20 years' experience working in law firms in both a legal and executive assistant capacity. Kathy excels at client relations, litigation filings and document preparation and keeps the firm organized and running smoothly.
Kathy loves spending time with her husband and extended family, as well as bike riding and learning to play golf with friends. Kathy regularly volunteers at her church and is also a trained postpartum doula.
Katrina Garcia, Paralegal, has over 16 years of litigation experience which includes civil litigation, estate planning, subrogation, transactional and corporate matters.
During free time Katrina enjoys camping with her family and trying out new cooking recipes.
Kim S. Eisenberg has more than 20 years experience as a legal secretary. Currently, Kim supports Managing Partner Kristi W. Dean, Tim Ceperley, and Senior Associate Leslie A. Blozan.
Kim grew up in the San Fernando Valley, then moved to Ventura County to raise her son in Thousand Oaks, California.
In her free time, Kim and her husband enjoy going camping and boating with family and friends, but most of all, she enjoys spending time with her grandson, William.
Kori N. Macksoud, Associate, is the most recent addition to the firm's legal team after passing the California Bar Exam in 2017. In June 2017, Kori graduated cum laude and earned her Juris Doctorate from West Los Angeles School of Law where she was awarded the Bernard E. Witkin Award for academic excellence in Constitution Law, Real Property, Pre-Trial Litigation, and Professional Responsibility/Ethics.
Kori has been a California State Bar Certified Law Clerk with Stone | Dean since 2014. During her time as a law clerk, Kori gained experience in general civil litigation with an emphasis in insurance defense, personal injury, premises liability, and insurance law. Kori has extensive experience in handling document intensive litigation matters, legal research and writing, preparing evidence for use at trial, depositions and discovery, trial and arbitration preparation, law and motion matters, and background investigations.
Kori also regularly contributes to the firm's marketing efforts and community outreach. She is the chairperson to Stone | Dean's Social Conscience Committee, which contributes to nonprofit organizations such as the YMCA and Kid's Movement. In addition, Kori produces a quarterly California Case Law White Paper and regularly features in the firm's At Issue Newsletter & Cutting Edge Blog.
Kristi W. Dean, Managing Partner, is an experienced litigator and transaction attorney who represents clients in business transactions and litigation disputes. Her litigation practice includes extensive experience in trade secrets, unfair business competition, insurance law and complex business disputes. She focuses on insurance-related issues and complex litigation defense involving high value cases. She is a skilled trial lawyer who litigates cases in both State and Federal Courts, as well as private arbitration. Common litigation topics involve complex business contracts, high exposure accidents, errors and omission claims, shareholder obligations, wrongful termination and discrimination, unfair competition, and trade secrets. She also acts as general counsel for businesses who seek to avoid litigation through effective risk management techniques.
Kristi is a regular speaker and panelist throughout the United States and U.K on issues affecting the insurance industry. She is qualified as a continuing education provider for the California Department of Insurance and provides CE courses to her clients and to insurance trade associations.
Kristi was named a 2013 Trusted Advisor by the San Fernando Valley Business Journal. She has been consistently named a "Southern California Super Lawyer" and recognized as "one of the top" lawyers in Southern California by her peers in Los Angeles Magazine, Law & Politics Media, Inc., and Super Lawyer publications.
Leslie A. Blozan, Senior Associate, has been practicing law in business and insurance- related areas since 1979. Her focus is on litigation, primarily on behalf of business clients, insurance companies and their insureds. She also devotes a significant portion of her time to insurance coverage for carrier and business clients who need assistance in obtaining insurance benefits. Recently, she expanded her focus into financial elder abuse, working on behalf of the elders and their families. As a litigator, Ms. Blozan participated in numerous jury and bench trials. These trials have encompassed a wide range of disputes, from simple to catastrophic bodily injury; slumlord; landlord-tenant; cargo claims; insurance bad faith and business disputes; and financial elder abuse. She arbitrated and mediated hundreds of cases on behalf of clients, involving cases of only two parties, up to complex litigation involving dozens of party-litigants.
Lorena Negrete, Legal Assistant has over 20 years' experience working in civil litigation in the areas of insurance defense, premises liability, construction defects and personal injury. Lorena grew up in the San Fernando Valley and then moved to the Santa Clarita Valley where she currently resides with her husband, kids and 2 Labrador Retrievers. She enjoys spending time with her family, dogs and friends. She loves attending her kids' sporting events, going on road trips, camping, fishing and serving in her church's nursery with the babies and preschoolers.
Nydia Martinez, Legal Assistant, has more than 20 years experience assisting attorneys as a bilingual legal secretary. She currently assists Gregg S. Garfinkel and Amy W. Lewis.
Nydia is a native New Yorker of Ecuadorian descent, who moved to California in 1991 with her parents and younger brother.
In her free time, Nydia enjoys going to the movies, bowling, miniature golf and Zumba, but most of all she enjoys spending quality time with her daughter, Sophie.
Patricia Pangelinan, Law Clerk, has spent the last 14 years as a licensed insurance broker and agent specializing in risk management, insurance solutions, and educating clients on proper coverage and policy limits. It was always a goal to attend law school and transition to the practice of law. She brings a unique perspective to the practice of law from this background.
Patricia earned her bachelor's degree in communications from Southern New Hampshire University in October of 2016 and Juris Doctor from the University of San Francisco School of law in 2021. During law school she had the opportunity to intern with the Alameda District Attorney's office in the Insurance Fraud Unit.
In her spare time Patricia enjoys travel, cooking, and spending time with her Fiancé and Cat.
Job Titles:
- Subpoena Czar and Marketing Assistant
Rachel Schachter is one of our Subpoena Czars and our Marketing Assistant. She is responsible for issuing and reviewing subpoenas for necessary records in preparation for discovery, depositions, trials and more. As a marketing assistant, Rachel helps us spread the word about our firm's successes and growth, and keeps our clients advised about changes in the law.
Rachel also attends CSU Northridge and is pursuing her college degree in Marketing. She enjoys many activities in her spare time, especially anything that is outside, allowing her to enjoy the beautiful southern California natural wonders. She is also an avid reader and loves to travel.
Shannon Carpinelli, Controller, is responsible for Stone | Dean's back office systems, the Firm's financial matters/reports, Receivables, Payables, Benefits, and assists in the administration of Stone | Dean's Profit Sharing, 401k, and FSA Plans. She works closely with the Firm's CPA and reports directly to Stone | Dean's Managing Partner. Shannon has previous law firm experience working as a Paralegal and Legal Secretary for law firms located in downtown Los Angeles, including the firm where she previously worked with Founding Partner, Gregory E. Stone.
Education:
Cal State Los Angeles, California, Bachelors of Business Administration
Certified Paralegal
Personal:
Born in Louisiana and raised in California, Shannon enjoys boating, off-roading, traveling, watching her daughters' sporting events, and spending time with her two daughters, family, and friends. Shannon is actively involved with the Parent Board, her daughters' sporting events, and community service clubs.
Sodaba Cozza, Paralegal has over 9 years of civil litigation experience. She has Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and a minor in Business law from California State University of Northridge. Her passion for law took her career path in the direction to becoming a Paralegal. She graduated from the ABA approved, UCLA Paralegal Program and received her Paralegal Certificate.
Her free time consists of being a mother and enjoying time with her family. She loves to have family time at the beach and enjoying California weather.
Suzanne R. Feffer, Senior Associate, practices in several fields of civil litigation. Her practice spans the gamut of defense litigation in civil cases. She defends primarily large retailers in many aspects of claims which they may face, from defense of slip and fall claims to pharmacy malpractice actions.
Ms. Feffer handles cases in state and federal courts, including trial and appellate work. She focuses her efforts on early resolution of matters.
Talitha Galstyan is a litigation associate at Stone|Dean LLP. Prior to joining the firm, Talitha worked at a law firm in Los Angeles providing litigation support to the firm's trial team in personal injury, wrongful death, product liability and insurance litigation matters. Additionally, she worked in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California as a judicial extern to the Honorable Ronald S.W. Lew. Talitha received her law degree from Loyola Law School in 2020. During her time at Loyola, she was the managing editor of the Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law Review and was an inaugural member of the Business Law Fellows program. She recently volunteered as a law clerk for the Armenian Bar Association Pro Bono Legal Clinic. Talitha is also an avid volunteer at her local Armenian church. During her free time, Talitha enjoys reading, baking, traveling and Pilates.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Dean LLP
- Litigation Associate
Tatiana Karamian is a litigation associate at Stone/Dean LLP. Her practice focuses on civil litigation emphasizing in Insurance Defense, Litigation, and Employment law.
Tatiana earned her bachelor's degree in History from California State University Northridge in June of 2017. She received her Juris Doctor from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 2020. During law school she interned at the office of the Public Defenders in San Diego in the Felony Arraignment Division.
Prior to joining the firm, Tatiana worked as a Senior Associate defending employees in all areas of labor and employment law, focusing on mediations and negotiations.
MEMBERSHIPS:
Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA)
Armenian Bar Association
William E. Johnson, Senior Associate, is a highly accomplished attorney offering a solid track record of success with over 30 years' experience as trial counsel in civil litigation in southern California courthouses. He brings a diverse legal knowledge and extensive involvement in numerous areas of the law including personal injury, premises liability, product liability, and landlord tenant matters.
Will has excelled at all aspects of the management and trial of cases, including negotiation of settlement and mediation of disputes in hundreds of matters and also acheived successful judgments, favorable results and verdicts in complex litigation matters. During his extensive time practicing law in the greater Los Angeles area, Mr. Johnson was National Counsel for several Fortune 500 Companies and was recently counsel for a $5 billion publicly traded REIT.
Yessica Juarez, Legal Assistant, has over eight years of general litigation experience including employment law, commercial real estate, legal malpractice, and business law. Currently, Yessica supports the senior litigators including Holly Parker.
Yessica grew up in the San Fernando Valley. She has a Bachelor's degree in political science with a concentration in political theory and a minor in education from University of California, Los Angeles.
In her free time, Yessica enjoys reading, watching movies, and spending quality time with her family.