Caroline Betancourth

HFM Partner Susan Moriarty Hack practices general tort and business litigation. With over 30 years of experience as a trial lawyer, Ms. Hack primarily handles business disputes, personal injury, premises liability, professional medical and business negligence, and product liability matters. She is also dedicated to meeting the needs of her clients, as well as raising the standard of practice within HFM and the broader San Diego legal community. Often noted for her considerable enthusiasm for ...

Laura Nichols is a Shareholder in Buchalter’s San Diego office, and a member of the Tax, Benefits and Estate Planning practice group. Ms. Nichols is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization and is also certified as an Accredited Estate Planner® by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils. Only approximately five percent of California’s attorneys are certified as specialists...

Matthew C. Smith has extensive experience in all aspects of civil litigation, including trials, arbitrations, and mediations. Matt represents individuals and business clients on a wide variety of professional and business litigation matters. He has served as lead counsel or co-counsel in more than a dozen trials and arbitrations. Matt also handled several successful appeals and has argued before the Fourth District Court of Appeal. Matt earned his Juris Doctor from Washington & Lee Univer...

Elvira Cortez is a member of the firm’s Business Litigation and Employment Law groups. Elvira draws on her extensive civil litigation experience to craft defense strategies to obtain favorable outcomes and solutions for her clients. She has represented businesses from a wide range of industry sectors in both state and federal court. She focuses her practice on defending against claims of discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination and advising clients on other employment-related ma...

Kevin V. Desantis is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Commercial Litigation, Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants, Litigation - Labor and Employment, Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants and Transportation Law. Kevin V. practices law in San Diego, California Best Lawyers has recognized Kevin V. Desantis since 2017. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition refle...

Partner Martin Eliopulos is the head of HFM's Bankruptcy Practice Group. Mr. Eliopulos is one of HFM’s home grown and more seasoned attorneys having joined the firm in 1990 and was admitted to practice law in all courts for the State of California that same year. He is also admitted to practice law in all four Federal Judicial Districts within the state of California including all Bankruptcy Courts, all District Courts, the Ninth Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel and the Ninth Circuit ...

Peter K. Hahn is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Litigation - Patent. Peter K. practices law in San Diego, California Best Lawyers has recognized Peter K. Hahn since 2013. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Peter K. Hahn is held by other lawyers.

William Shinoff is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs and Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. William practices law in San Diego, California Best Lawyers has recognized William Shinoff since 2023. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which William Shinoff is held by other ...

Johanna Schiavoni is certified as a specialist in appellate law by the State Bar of California and has nearly two decades of appellate experience. She has argued more than 40 cases in the state and federal appellate courts, and has been the principal brief-writer in at least 100. Johanna is a leader of state and local legal associations. She was the 2020 President of the San Diego County Bar Association, which serves nearly 10,000 members of the San Diego legal community. In 2023, Johanna was...

Gordon L. Gerson is managing principal of GERSON LAW FIRM APC, concentrating nationwide in all aspects of real estate and commercial real estate finance. Mr. Gerson has an active institutional and mortgage banking practice. He has substantial experience in commercial real estate finance with a particular emphasis on the origination, workout and enforcement of a loan with a particular emphasis on real estate finance for the capital markets. His past and current engagements include some of the ...