Suzanne Spencer

John Benedict Phillips—known as Ben Phillips for all his life—received his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis, and his Juris Doctor degree from Chapman University School of Law. Mr. Phillips is a Certified Family Law Specialist by the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization, and rated AV Preeminent® by Martindale Hubbell—the highest rating attainable for legal ability and professional ethics. Mr. Phillips practices exclusively fam...

Casey R. Johnson is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Insurance Law, Litigation - Insurance, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs, Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs and Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs. Casey R., who practices law in Santa Ana, California, has been recognized since 2016. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Casey R. is held by other top lawyers in the s...

John Hueston has been described by Chambers USA, which ranked him in Band 1 nationally, as “the best trial lawyer of his generation” with “a commanding reputation for trial advocacy.” He has been recognized twice as a “California Lawyer of the Year” by California Lawyer magazine, twice as “California Trial Lawyer of the Year” by Benchmark Litigation, and among the “Top Lawyers of the Decade” by the Daily Journal. Mr. Hueston won &ldq...

Christopher L. Pitet is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Intellectual Property and Commercial Litigation. Christopher L., who practices law in Newport Beach, California, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Christopher L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Thomas W. Tuttle is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law. Thomas W., who practices law in Irvine, California, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Thomas W. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Andy has more than 40 years of experience as a civil trial lawyer defending insurance companies, financial institutions, and other businesses against a wide variety of claims. With decades of experience litigating insurance bad faith claims, Andy’s capabilities are in high demand. He has successfully tried cases throughout California and in seven other states. He also tries cases before the United States Court of Federal Claims which hears monetary-related claims against the federal gov...

Ryan W. Smith is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Real Estate. Ryan W., who practices law in Irvine, California, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Ryan W. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Michael Rubin is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law and Litigation - Land Use and Zoning. Michael, who practices law in Irvine, California, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Michael is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Scott O. Smith is a Shareholder in the Financial Institutions, Litigation and Insolvency & Financial Law groups, working in both the Orange County office of Buchalter. Mr. Smith focuses his practice on representing financial institutions, with an emphasis in creditor’s rights, commercial litigation, prejudgment remedies, receiverships, real estate, collections, loan workouts, restructuring and insolvency issues. Mr. Smith also has extensive experience in defense litigation, includin...

Warren Nelson is a partner in the firm's Irvine and Los Angeles offices. His practice emphasizes collective bargaining, defense of unfair labor practice charges, arbitrations, representation of employers in union organizing campaigns, occupational safety and health, and wage and hour law. Warren has over 30 years of labor and employee relations experience in unionized and non-unionized environments. He has negotiated over 250 labor agreements for employers, covering construction, manufacturin...