Matthew W. Leivo

James Lance is an experienced trial attorney who has represented both plaintiffs and defendants for 38 years. He regularly represents defendants in bet-the-company litigation, and has obtained several 7 and 8 figure verdicts, judgments and settlements for personal injury and commercial plaintiffs. Lance obtained a judgment of $12,933,000 in 2024 for an individual plaintiff asserting an employment claim. In addition to commercial matters, Lance routinely represents individuals asserting seriou...

Melanie Gold spent more than three decades as a research attorney for California appellate courts. She primarily worked with the justices of the Fourth District Court of Appeal in San Diego, but also with those of the Sixth District Court of Appeal in San Jose as well as the California Supreme Court in San Francisco. During that time, Melanie analyzed thousands of briefs, motions, and petitions, advised justices on hundreds of appeals, and developed a deep understanding of how appellate court...

John Moot is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Commercial Litigation. John practices law in San Diego, California Best Lawyers has recognized John Moot since 2026. 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 John Moot is held by other lawyers.

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...

Dan Mogin was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1980. He is also admitted in The Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth, Seventh and Second Circuits and the United States District Courts for the Southern, Central and Northern Districts of California. Mr. Mogin’s practice concentrates on antitrust, unfair competition and complex business litigation. He has been selected as lead or liaison counsel in numerous cases and has also freque...

For more than 20 years, Jason M. Kirby has represented hundreds of clients in litigation cases in San Diego and throughout California. Kirby’s primary practice areas are business litigation and real estate litigation, but he has been involved in almost every type of civil case at some point during his career. Kirby is an experienced trial lawyer. Kirby handles both plaintiff’s cases and defense cases. As a plaintiff’s lawyer, he has had multiple jury verdicts in excess of a ...

In his practice, HFM Partner James “Jim” Peterson focuses on business and employment litigation. Mr. Peterson advises and litigates disputes for a number of business clients on various aspects of the employment relationship, including misappropriation of trade secrets and proprietary information, protection of customer lists and employees, discrimination, sexual harassment, breach of contract, wage and hour laws, and wrongful termination. Mr. Peterson is an expert on employment-re...

Nicola A. Pisano is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Litigation - Intellectual Property. Nicola A. practices law in San Diego, California Best Lawyers has recognized Nicola A. Pisano since 2025. 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 Nicola A. Pisano is held by other lawyers.

Louis Mezzullo’s principal areas of practice are Taxation, Estate and Business Succession Planning, and Employee Benefits. He was on the faculty of the University of Miami School of Law Graduate Program in Estate Planning from 2004 to 2007 and on the faculty of the University of San Diego School of Law in 2009. He was an adjunct professor of law at the University of Richmond Law School from 1978 until 2006. He is listed in Who's Who in American Law, Who's Who in Emerging Leaders and Who...

Christopher Conti is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Litigation - Labor and Employment. Christopher practices law in San Diego, California Best Lawyers has recognized Christopher Conti since 2025. 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 Christopher Conti is held by other lawyers.