Richard P. Sullivan

Thomas “Tom” H. Bienert, Jr. is a highly experienced trial attorney who handles the spectrum of litigation matters. After spending ten years as a federal prosecutor and two years at a national law firm, Tom founded Bienert Katzman Littrell Williams LLP (BKLW) in 2000 and steadily grew the firm to its current size through the addition of other trial attorneys. Since starting the firm, he has obtained many multi-million dollar verdicts for plaintiffs in civil cases, multiple zero-su...

Jesse Gessin is trial counsel for businesses and individuals. He is the rare attorney who successfully tries both civil and criminal cases. For example, his multimillion-dollar jury verdict was recognized as the highest California verdict in several categories for that year. He entered the case only a few months before trial. In 2022, hired less than ten days before trial, Jesse achieved a complete defense verdict for a successor trustee against multimillion-dollar claims of wrongful investme...

Mr. Golubow devotes his practice to and has extensive experience in the areas of financial restructuring, insolvency law, complex bankruptcy and business reorganizations, liquidations, and litigation, out-of-court workouts, acquisitions and sales of distressed assets, Uniform Commercial Code Article 9 foreclosure sales, general assignments for the benefit of creditors, and receiverships. Mr. Golubow has also been consulted and retained as a bankruptcy, insolvency and financial restructuring e...

Caroline Djang is a member of Buchalter’s Insolvency and Financial Law practice group in the Firm’s Orange County office. Ms. Djang practices in the areas of insolvency, bankruptcy, and litigation. She has vast experience representing various creditors, trustees, debtors, and committees in bankruptcy cases and adversary proceedings. Ms. Djang is a Chapter 11 Subchapter V Trustee for the Central District of California. She counsels her clients on the best strategies for pursuing an...

Ira G. Rivin is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Banking and Finance and Litigation - Real Estate. Ira G., who practices law in Irvine, California, has been recognized since 2019. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Ira G. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

PRACTICE AREAS Complex Commercial Litigation White Collar Criminal Defense Trials EXPERIENCE Chase Scolnick specializes in complex civil and criminal litigation. Having tried as lead counsel approximately fifty federal jury trials, Chase is among the most seasoned young trial attorneys in the United States. He has also been one of the most successful. In separate years, Chase led three of the nation’s largest federal districts in both defense trials and wins. In 2017, Chase was the only...

A shareholder at Berger Kahn, Stephan S. Cohn’s practice is concentrated in the areas of insurance, business, real estate and community association law. He routinely litigates business torts, real estate issues, environmental-toxic torts and insurance matters. In addition, he regularly counsels insurers regarding fair claim practices and claim investigations, and directors and officers in the enforcement of governing documents and other day-to-day operational matters. Steve has represen...

Kathleen Carothers Paone, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been an Orange County resident since 1980. She and her husband, Tim Paone, have 3 adult children. Ms. Paone graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, (cum laude, 1977) and received her Juris Doctor degree from Loyola University (J.D., 1980). While in law school, she was a member of the St. Thomas More Law Honor Society. She was admitted to the California State Bar in 1980 (and the Northern, Central and Southern Fe...

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

Richard Cohn is a persistent, aggressive trial attorney who takes a "turn every stone" approach toward the legal matters he handles. He was recognized as one of the "Top 500 Litigators in the Nation" in the inaugural issue of Law Dragon Magazine, and was one of only three lawyers in Orange County, California to receive that distinction. The magazine again recognized him as one of the Nation's Top 3000 Plaintiff's Lawyers in America in 2007. He has been repeatedly designated a Southern Califor...