Pauline Edgemon

Elinor Leary is a seasoned trial lawyer dedicated to protecting the rights of her clients and guiding them through some of the most difficult moments of their lives. She founded First Person Legal in 2025 and focuses her practice on complex personal injury and wrongful death cases, with a record of achieving significant verdicts and settlements for individuals and families facing life-altering harm. Elinor is known for her compassionate approach and unwavering advocacy. She takes the time to ...

John Bartko is a Founder and a Principal of the firm. He represents both plaintiffs and defendants in complex civil, criminal and regulatory matters. He has represented many executives ensnared in complex regulatory investigations and has been involved in significant international discovery and complex investigations requiring foreign court appearances, including conducting examinations in Switzerland and Japan through pioneering requests for civil judicial assistance. He has traveled to Euro...

Conte Cicala is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Admiralty and Maritime Law. Conte, who practices law in San Francisco, California, has been recognized since 2013. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Conte is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Lou Cisz concentrates his practice on insolvency, restructuring debts, creditors’ remedies and related litigation. His clients include lenders, special servicers, manufacturers, vendors, contractors, health care companies, insurers, indenture trustees, buyers and sellers of assets and business ventures in a large cross-section of industries. Mr. Cisz has also worked in the food and beverage industry and has represented clients in that industry throughout his career. He has represented p...

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

Michael O’Bryan is a partner in the firm’s Corporate Department. His practice focuses on U.S. and international mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and other strategic transactions, including “going private” and other related party transactions. He has been involved in more than 350 M&A transactions, advising companies, boards, and special committees, as well as investment banks, in both negotiated and contested transactions. Mr. O’Bryan has worked extensive...

Christopher Kao is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Intellectual Property and Litigation - Patent. Christopher, who practices law in San Francisco, California, has been recognized since 2018. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Christopher is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Daniel M. Hutchinson chairs the firm’s employment practice group and supports the firm’s employment cases. His practice has been focused on litigating, settling, and taking to trial complex class actions that have advanced the public interest. As a partner at Lieff Cabraser, Daniel served as lead or co-lead counsel on cases that recovered over $800 million for his clients in all variety of industries and across myriad discrimination, unpaid wages, ERISA, consumer protection, and f...

Joshua Zachariah is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Corporate Law. Joshua, who practices law in San Francisco, California, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Joshua is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Brad has been practicing in the employee benefits field for over forty years, and his practice is primarily in the areas of ERISA litigation, fiduciary responsibility matters, qualified pension and profit sharing plans and Department of Labor investigations. Brad serves as a private mediator in ERISA litigation matters and has been appointed as an Alternative Dispute Resolution Neutral in over sixty ERISA cases by the United States District Court, Northern District of California. Brad has als...