Katherine Knudsen

Joseph P. Reid is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Patent. Joseph P., who practices law in San Diego, California, has been recognized since 2019. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Joseph P. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Jeffrey Padilla is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. Jeffrey, who practices law in Encinitas, California, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jeffrey is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Claudia P. Martorell is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Immigration Law. Claudia P., who practices law in San Diego, California, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Claudia P. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Steven Cologne was elected Managing Partner of the Firm in 2016. He devotes his practice to complex Tort and Commercial litigation in State and Federal Courts. In 2020, Mr. Cologne achieved the distinction of being certified as a Fellow in the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) effective May 2020. On May 4, 2020, he was admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia. Mr. Cologne joined Higgs Fletcher & Mack in 1999 after previously enjoying 15 years as an associate, partner ...

Guillermo A. Escobedo is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Guillermo A., who practices law in San Diego, California, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Guillermo A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

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...

Regina Petty is a partner in the San Diego and Los Angeles offices. She practices in state and federal courts at the trial and appellate levels and is experienced in multi-district and class action litigation. Regina advises employers and public agency boards and handles litigation for private and public employers. She successfully argued Jones v. The Lodge at Torrey Pines Partnership (2008) 42 Cal.4th 1158 before the California Supreme Court, a case noted on Bender's California Labor & E...

John E. Wehrli is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Biotechnology and Life Sciences Practice. John E., who practices law in San Diego, California, has been recognized since 2018. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which John E. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Mark K. Stender is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Real Estate Law. Mark K., who practices law in San Diego, California, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Mark K. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Ed Chapin is the Managing Partner in the San Diego office of Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP, a national law firm with offices in the District of Columbia, New York, California, Tennessee, and Maryland. Ed received his J.D. from the University of Missouri School of Law and his B.S. from Southwest Missouri State University. Ed is a veteran litigator whose practice spans class actions, unfair business practices, professional negligence, insurance coverage, bad faith, toxic torts, serious personal in...