Steven R. "Steve" Franklin

Barry W. Lee, a partner in the San Francisco and Los Angeles offices, is co-chair of the trial practice group and the financial services litigation group. He focuses on commercial litigation and has extensive jury and bench trial experience encompassing a variety of areas, including real estate, banking/lender liability, antitrust/unfair competition, employment, consumer class actions, environmental, construction, probate, securities, products liability and insurance coverage. Barry’s m...

Noel Matthew Cook is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trademark Law. Noel Matthew, who practices law in San Francisco, California, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Noel Matthew is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Tim Miller founded the Silicon Valley office of Valle Makoff after 14 years as a litigation partner in the Northern California offices of the international law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Mr. Miller has extensive experience litigating complex cases in federal and state courts. Mr. Miller's practice includes a broad range of business and contract disputes, claims of trade secret misappropriation, claims against officers, directors and trustees asserting breach of fiducia...

Denise De Mory is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Intellectual Property and Litigation - Patent. Denise, who practices law in Redwood City, California, has been recognized since 2013. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Denise is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Attorney R. Brent Wisner is a managing partner of Wisner Baum (formerly Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman), a nationwide law firm based in Los Angeles, California. He focuses his practice on holding negligent and sometimes malicious corporations accountable through pharmaceutical product liability, toxic torts and consumer fraud and class action litigation. One of the firm’s leading trial lawyers, Brent oversees the mass tort litigation department. He is actively involved in all litiga...

Susan Horst is a specialist in writs of mandamus and prohibition in the California appellate courts. For more than 31 years, Susan served as the writ attorney for the California Court of Appeal for the First District, Division One, in San Francisco. Susan is one of the only practicing attorneys in California to have devoted virtually her entire career to appellate writs. As writ attorney in the First District, Susan evaluated thousands of pre- and post- trial writ petitions in all types of ci...

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...

Jahan P. Raissi is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy). Jahan P., 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 Jahan P. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Deborah Elisabeth Quick is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Land Use and Zoning Law. Deborah Elisabeth, who practices law in San Francisco, California, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Deborah Elisabeth is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Derek Boswell is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Real Estate Law. Derek, 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 Derek is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.