BARKLEY COURT REPORTERS - Key Persons

Anthony McClaren practices litigation, primarily in the fields of employment and labor law and civil disputes, and manages his law firm Perleberg McClaren LLP. He represents plaintiffs in disputes against their employers for wrongful termination, and in addition assists individuals in disputes over partnership and business rights. He prides himself on being collaborative and empathetic to his clients, and remains mindful of his constant obligation as a counselor to those in legal crisis. In his spare time he enjoys reading, writing, and adventure activities.

Job Titles:

• Client Resources
• Client Resources / Client Resources

Emily McGrath exclusively represents employees in trial and appeal, arbitration, and negotiations against their employers. Since joining Barbara and Therese Lawless in 2013, Emily has fought on behalf of hundreds of clients and is committed to providing compassionate counsel to those navigating a complicated legal system during a difficult period in their lives.

Since 1995, Gary Barnes has specialized in litigation and settlement multimedia video production. He has been responsible for proposal writing, visual strategy, design, budget, schedule, and resource allocation for projects, utilizing 2D/3D animation, live action video, static exhibits, video depositions, as well as the installation and utilization of presentation systems for use during trial and settlement hearings. Gary has created trial presentation production budgets ranging from $50,000.00 to $500,000.00. He has served as the primary liaison with clients, providing presentation problem solving, programming, writing, technical setup, and trial support. Gary has produced Day-in-the-Life and Settlement Videos that resulted in multi-million-dollar settlements. Clients have included Boeing, Interdigital, Cigna Insurance, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Dept. of Justice and the U.S. Dept. of Defense.

Job Titles:

• Attorney in Dykema 's Business

Jeffrey Huron is an attorney in Dykema's Business Litigation Group and serves as the Managing Member of the Los Angeles office. With 30 years of experience litigating and arbitrating business, real estate and entertainment disputes, he has tried and won multi-million dollar high-stakes cases for a wide range of clients. Jeff also has substantial experience in appellate matters, having handled more than fifty appeals and writs and has been recognized in Southern California SuperLawyers for Business Litigation every year since 2010.

Joel Gerson is with Polsinelli and focuses his practice in complex civil litigation matters with an emphasis in the defense of products liability, premises liability, sports related injury and catastrophic injury claims. As a litigator, he handles cases from inception to resolution and has secured many favorable outcomes for his clients. Joel has represented product manufacturers, real estate developers, property owners, hotels, restaurants, athletic centers, property managers, transportation service providers, public entities and various other corporations in all aspects of litigation. He has taken numerous depositions of plaintiffs, persons most qualified, lay witnesses and expert witnesses. He has successfully argued discovery and dispositive motions, and has resolved cases through mediations and settlement conferences. He also counsels clients in pre-litigation stages.

Job Titles:

• Visual Communication Consultant, Trial Technology Consultant

Lin Yip has over 15 years experience in the field of trial presentation and trial graphics. Notable clients have included Microsoft, Exxon, Coldwell Banker, Britney Spears, Dole, Samsung, Tivo, Motorola and Boeing. Her track record of successful trial outcomes includes a record $134.5 million award in a medical device patent lawsuit, as well as numerous victories in high profile entertainment, real estate, and business cases. Lin brings a strong background in visual storytelling, having worked as an artist for entertainment icons Disney and Digital Domain before embarking on her legal graphics career. In the legal realm, she served as a Senior Graphic Consultant for global giant FTI Consulting before coming to Barkley. Lin is regularly sought out by top trial attorneys for her experience and expertise in developing innovative and highly effective Powerpoint presentations for Opening and Closing. She specializes in transforming complex technical information and abstract concepts into compelling and engaging visual stories which are easily understood by judges and juries alike. Lin is equally skilled, and seasoned in trial technology, with over 12 years experience as an in-court "hot seat" technician. She consults with the trial team on the optimum use of current presentation technology tools to suit the unique demands of their case, then works seamlessly to coordinate the setup and operation of all equipment required to digitally display exhibits, demonstratives, and impeaching deposition video clips.

Job Titles:

• Certified Legal Video Specialist With the National Court Reporters Association

Lindsay Bates is a Certified Legal Video Specialist with the National Court Reporters Association. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communication Design with an emphasis in Media Arts and a theme in Women's Studies from California State University, Chico in 2003. Since graduating, she has worked in all avenues of the legal video industry. As the head Video Editor, she has worked on over 200 mediation presentations and high-profile trial videos, including Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain crash in 2003 for Tom Girardi of Girardi & Keese, as well as the news-making case Karlesson vs. Ford Motor Company, which boasts an awarded recovery in the billions. Lindsay currently films depositions and edits mediation and trial presentations for Barkley Court Reporters.

Job Titles:

• Reporter

Job Titles:

• CEO
• Managing Partner

Mason Farmani, CEO and Managing Partner, joined Barkley a year later, bringing a drive to make the deposition process more efficient through the use of innovative and emerging technologies. Under his leadership Barkley expanded its service offerings and footprint to 23 offices nationally and internationally. Barkley was the first to offer realtime using Digitext software in 1990. In 2007, Barkley was named the first U.S. government-certified green court reporting firm and has planted more than 60,000 trees throughout the U.S. Barkley also was among the first to offer PDF transcripts with linked exhibits via an online repository, earning recognition as an Adobe Acrobat Success Story. More recently Barkley introduced Lexcity (eDepoze) electronic exhibits at LegalTech 2013, launched remote streaming of testimony in 2013 and unveiled a subscription-free transcript management program in 2015. Through the years Barkley has offered complimentary deposition technology consultation services and M/CLEs to the legal community another industry first.

Job Titles:

• Reporter

Ms. Rodriguez received her B.S. from California State University, Northridge and earned her J.D. from Glendale University College of Law. She is a first-generation attorney and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in employment law at Servin Rodriguez Law. Ms. Rodriguez is a 2016 graduate of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles Plaintiff Trial Academy. In 2018, Ms. Rodriguez secured a $2.2 million-dollar judgment in a three-week trial on a sexual harassment case. In 2018, Ms. Rodriguez was part of a trial team that secured a $456,000 verdict in a personal injury case where defendant's only offer had been $10,000. In 2019, Ms. Rodriguez was part of a trial team that secured a $6.8 million-dollar settlement on a disability discrimination case. Ms. Rodriguez is known for her strong work ethic, her passion to fight for the rights of her employee clients, and her compassionate ways in explaining the entire process to her clients. She is active with the Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Charity and is currently a board member.

Job Titles:

• Managing Partner of Tharpe & Howell
• Member of the Defense Research Institute

Stephanie Forman is Managing Partner of Tharpe & Howell and oversees its daily business operations from the Firm's Sherman Oaks, California office. Ms. Forman is AV Preeminent Rated, having achieved the highest rating available to attorneys nationwide. Her practice focuses on all phases of civil litigation in both Federal and State courts, including arbitration, mediation and trial. She represents a broad range of clients, primarily in the areas of employment and labor law, premises liability, product liability, wrongful death and mass tort litigation; and has extensive experience counseling companies on administrative and regulatory compliance issues, including environmental and diverse risk assessment matters. Ms. Forman is also a member of the Defense Research Institute (DRI) and the prestigious Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM) which is comprised of insurance companies, corporations, corporate counsel, litigation and risk managers, claims professionals and attorneys who, through education and collaboration, promote and further the highest standards of litigation management in pursuit of client defense. Ms. Forman has also served on the Los Angeles Superior Court Voluntary Settlement Conference (VSC) Panel. Ms. Forman was born and raised in Mexico City. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, reading, and spending time with her husband and son.