RIVERA HEWITT PAUL - Key Persons
Jesse earned his J.D. from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 1978. He started his career at the Sacramento County Public Defender's Office where for a decade he tried hundreds of cases in all areas of criminal law including serious felonies and homicides. In 1987, Jesse joined the law firm of Porter, Scott, Weiberg & Delehant where he spent three years honing his trial skills in the arena of civil litigation. Jesse is our resident trial expert having tried in excess of one hundred jury trials.
Since entering private practice, in addition to having tried numerous automobile claims in state court, Jesse has successfully defended to verdict over ten civil rights jury trials in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California which requires a unanimous verdict. He has handled and tried cases before the California State Bar Trial Court, regarding attorney malfeasance and he has also successfully defended several construction defect claims to verdict in Sacramento, Placer, and Stanislaus Counties, among others. Additionally, he has argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Third and Fifth District Courts of Appeals for the State of California. As a result of his trial successes, in 2007 he was invited to join the membership of the prestigious American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) and he previously served as President of the Sacramento Valley Chapter of ABOTA as well as a State Board Member of CAL ABOTA. Jesse currently serves as a National Board Member of ABOTA.
Jesse is authorized to practice law throughout the State of California; the United States District Courts for the Central, Eastern, and Northern Districts of California; the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth and Eleventh Circuits; and the Supreme Court of the United States of America. He is also a member of the Sacramento County Bar Association, Association of Defense Counsel (ADC), and Cruz Reynoso Bar Association of Sacramento. Jesse is fluent in Spanish and has spoken as Guest Lecturer at American River College, the McGeorge School of Law, and the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office for MCLE credit through the California State Bar.
Jonathan has acquired a reputation for being a passionate and hardworking trial attorney and knowledgeable appellate advocate. His courtroom development began as an intern in the Major Crimes Unit of the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office where he assisted in the preparation and presentation of homicide trials. Thereafter, he served as a certified law student for the McGeorge School of Law Community Legal Services Clinic during which time he successfully tried his first civil case before the Sacramento Superior Court while only a second year law student. Jonathan went on to serve as a member of the McGeorge School of Law Appellate Advocacy Moot Court Competition Team and later became a Teaching Assistant within the Appellate Advocacy Program.
In 2001, Jonathan joined the Law Offices of Moreno & Rivera as an associate engaging in all aspects of civil litigation. In October 2003, Mr. Paul joined the Freidberg & Parker Law Corporation to practice in the areas of Personal Injury, Complex Business Litigation and Legal Malpractice. While there, he litigated and obtained multi-million dollar settlements for his clients and successfully negotiated a variety of partnership and real estate developer disputes. However, finding little fulfillment in plaintiff's work, Jonathan resumed working with Jesse Rivera and Shanan Hewitt to focus on growing a goal-oriented insurance defense practice.
Jonathan has successfully tried cases before the Sacramento Superior Court, United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, and argued cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He is admitted as a member of the bar of the State of California; the United States District Courts for the Central, Eastern, Northern and Southern Districts of California; the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; and the Supreme Court of the United States of America. Jonathan is also a member of the Cruz Reynoso Bar Association, the Sacramento County Bar Association, the Eastern District Historical Society and the California Lawyers Association Litigation Section. Jonathan also has served as a committee member for the Litigation Section's Committee on the Federal Courts, a Board Member of the Eastern District Historical Society and Chair of the Eastern District of California Judicial Advisory Committee. He holds an AV Preeminent rating with Martindale-Hubbell which is the highest peer rating given to attorneys in recognition of their professional excellence for their expertise, communication skills, and ethical standards.
Shanan earned her law degree from Willamette University College of Law in Salem, Oregon, where she was Production Editor of the Willamette Law Review, a Trustee Merit Scholar, and member of the Inns of Court. While attending law school, she also served as clerk for a labor law arbitrator, focusing on labor contract disputes and employment disciplinary issues.
Shanan has over seventeen years experience with the focus of her practice on insurance defense, civil rights, public entity defense, and employment law in both state and federal courts. Her litigation expertise includes every phase of civil litigation from motion practice to trial and even through appellate review. Shanan has not only successfully obtained unanimous jury verdicts for her clients, but championed their positions on appeal before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals .
Shanan is authorized to practice in all California state courts, and admitted to practice in the United States District Court for Eastern, Central and Northern Districts of California, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States. She is a member of the California Lawyers Association Labor & Employment and Litigation Sections, the Sacramento County Bar Association, and Sacramento Women Lawyers. Shanan is also an integral part of her local community having received the Bank of America Local Hero Award for community.