Michele B. Brown

David Balfour is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Health Care Law. David practices law in San Diego, California Best Lawyers has recognized David Balfour 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 David Balfour is held by other lawyers.

Christine De Santis is a Partner at HFM and is certified as a legal specialist in family law by the State Bar of California. Ms. De Santis specializes in handling dissolution of marriage and paternity cases, child custody and visitation, child support and spousal support, and division of assets and debts, and mediations. She also handles step-parent adoptions and child support cases through the San Diego County Department of Child Support Services. Ms. De Santis has been named a San Diego Sup...

Michael Patrick Hernandez is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. Michael Patrick practices law in La Jolla, California Best Lawyers has recognized Michael Patrick Hernandez since 2024. 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 Michael Patrick Hernandez is held by other lawyers.

Noel Gillespie is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Patent Law and Trademark Law. Noel practices law in San Diego, California Best Lawyers has recognized Noel Gillespie 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 Noel Gillespie is held by other lawyers.

Danielle C. Humphries, a partner in the firm’s San Diego office and Chair of San Diego’s Trusts & Estates practice group, is a trusted wealth advisor to her clients and their families through her trusts and estates work. The majority of Danielle’s practice focuses on trusts and estates, including estate planning, wealth transfer and preservation, business succession planning, trust administration, probate, and probate litigation. Danielle also has extensive experience re...

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...

John E. Fitzsimmons is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Employment Law - Management. John E. practices law in San Diego, California Best Lawyers has recognized John E. Fitzsimmons 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 John E. Fitzsimmons is held by other lawyers.

For more than 30 years, Michael L. Kirby has been involved in civil litigation, trying more than 50 jury trials throughout his career and obtaining total recoveries valued in excess of $275 million as lead counsel. His expertise is extensive and covers a variety of practice areas that involve business, partnerships, real estate and investor disputes. He has received multiple Outstanding Trial Lawyer awards from the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego. He successfully tried five cases in five diff...

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 ...

Nicholas D. Brauns is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Commercial Litigation and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Nicholas D. practices law in San Diego, California Best Lawyers has recognized Nicholas D. Brauns 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 Nicholas D. Brauns is held by other lawyers.