Leslie A. Brueckner is a Partner at Singleton Schreiber with over 35 years of appellate litigation experience across a broad spectrum of cases, including constitutional, consumer protection, antitrust, bankruptcy, class actions, environmental law, and more. Prior to joining Singleton Schreiber, Leslie was a Partner at a prominent national law firm, where she helped lead the firm’s national Appellate and Supreme Court Practice Group. Before then, Leslie spent nearly three decades at Public Justice, a national advocacy organization, where she argued and won numerous high-profile appeals, including unanimous decisions from both the California and United States Supreme Courts. (Leslie’s 2019 oral argument in Noel v. Thrifty, a unanimous class action ruling from the California Supreme Court, can be accessed via this link. Her 2002 argument in Sprietsma v. Mercury Marine, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court decision rejecting federal preemption of tort claims, can be accessed via this link). Leslie also founded Public Justice’s Food Project, which used strategically targeted litigation to address abuses in American’s industrial animal agriculture system. With decades of appellate experience, Leslie plays a key role in enhancing Singleton Schreiber’s ability to manage complex appeals and develop successful litigation strategies. Her extensive track record in high-stakes cases across a range of legal areas continues to solidify the firm’s standing as a leader in precedent-setting litigation for plaintiffs nationwide. A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School and summa cum laude graduate of U.C. Berkeley (where she was recognized as the Most Distinguished Graduating Senior in her class of over 5,000 students), Leslie has been awarded the Pro Bono Achievement Award from the Animal Legal Defense Fund; the Women’s Consumer Advocate of the Year Award from the Consumer Attorneys of California; the Appellate Advocacy Award from the Pound Civil Justice Institute for her 2017 California Supreme Court victory in T.H. v. Novartis (CA 2017), and the Dale Haralson Fallout Award from the Western Trial Lawyers Association. Leslie was also a Finalist for the Appellate Lawyer of the Year Award from the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles. In addition to her litigation work, Leslie has taught appellate advocacy at the Georgetown University Law Center and the American University, Washington College of Law.

Knut S. Johnson, a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, is the practice group leader for our Environmental Litigation & Policy practice group. He brings over 30 years of experience as a trial attorney to Singleton Schreiber. Representing clients in federal and state courts across the nation, he has handled complex trials, appeals, and habeas corpus proceedings and litigated cases alleging violations of environmental laws, including under the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. Mr. Johnson’s diverse and sophisticated litigation practice has included the representation of many clients, from large corporations to small business owners, and from judges to doctors to entire communities. Together with his many trials and appeals, he has represented clients before the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol and the Mueller Special Counsel’s Office investigation. Mr. Johnson has been recognized with many awards and honors, including the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary, unanimous “Well Qualified” rating (the highest ABA rating) after nomination to U.S. District Court, 2020; Top 50 Attorneys, San Diego Super Lawyers, 2020 and 2019; University of San Diego, School of Law, Distinguished Alumni Award, 2018; America’s Top 100 Attorneys Lifetime Achievement Selection, 2018; Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award, 2017; Lawyer of the Year, White Collar Criminal Defense, San Diego, Best Lawyers in America, 2016; and the E. Stanley Conant Award, Defenders Organizations of San Diego, 2005 and 2013. He graduated cum laude from the University of San Diego School of Law and before his legal career, Mr. Johnson studied petroleum engineering and geology as an undergraduate and graduate student at Tulane University, where he received the W.A. Tarr Award for outstanding Earth Sciences Graduate. He then worked as a petroleum geologist for a major oil company, where he mapped oil reserves and worked on production estimates and on rigs during the final stages of drilling. He also received a significant amount of professional training in areas like well completion, exploration, and related topics. Mr. Johnson is licensed to practice in the state courts of Arizona, California, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Washington. In addition, he is admitted to practice in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second, Eighth, and Ninth Circuits, as well as many different U.S. District Courts. He is also admitted to practice before the International Criminal Court, The Hague, Netherlands. He has served as the Chair of the Practitioners Advisory Group to the United States Sentencing Commission and testified before the Commission on several occasions. He presently serves on the Ethics Committee for the San Diego County Bar Association.

Paul Starita is a Partner at Singleton Schreiber with over 30 years of experience as a trial attorney. He exclusively represents plaintiffs in catastrophic personal injury and mass tort matters in State and Federal courts. He leads the Fire Litigation practice group at Singleton Schreiber and litigates a wide range of cases including Personal Injury, Fire, Mass Torts, and more. Before joining the Singleton Schreiber team, Paul served the people of San Diego and Imperial counties as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for over 18 years. Paul represented the United States, its agencies, officers, and employees in a wide variety of civil litigation matters, including cases involving industrial and vehicle accidents, premises liability, wrongful death, medical malpractice, constitutional torts, and employment. In addition, Paul prosecuted civil health care and procurement fraud cases under the False Claims Act. Paul was a federal prosecutor for 10 years before serving as a civil trial attorney. He investigated and prosecuted more than 1,000 felony cases involving corruption, drug trafficking/organized crime, human trafficking, money laundering, and violent crime. He has tried more than 50 jury and bench trials in Federal court. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Paul spent two years at a mid-size law firm in Newport Beach, California, where he litigated land use claims for individual landowners and developers throughout Southern California. Paul proudly served our nation as a U.S. Marine, on active duty and in the Reserve. He attained the rank of Colonel and served in various leadership and legal roles, including Military Trial Judge and Appellate Judge on the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals. For many years, Paul also advised senior government officials on environmental compliance and litigation matters in the Marine Corps’ western region. He also served as the Marine Corps’ lead counsel on regional Clean Air Act matters involving hazardous air pollutants / toxic air contaminants, emissions trading, compliance with national ambient air quality standards, mobile source emissions, stationary source compliance, and fuels. Early in his career, he had a robust trial practice as a military prosecutor involving criminal conduct ranging from DUI to murder. While our nation was at war, Paul was handpicked and returned to active duty to defend Marines accused of war crimes related to combat operations in Iraq. Paul attended Thomas M. Cooley Law School and holds a Master of Laws (LLM) with a concentration in Environmental Law from the University of San Diego School of Law. Paul is currently an adjunct professor at the University of San Diego School of Law, where he instructs first-year law students on civil trial practice.

Alicia Zimmerman is a partner in Singleton Schreiber’s San Diego office and leads our Fire Litigation practice group, where she oversees a team of more than 100 employees. Ms. Zimmerman is an experienced litigator, well-versed in handling multi-party, complex cases in federal court. Before joining our firm, she worked for Scott+Scott, litigating antitrust class actions on behalf of plaintiffs in various consumer and pharmaceutical cases. Subsequently, she worked at an Am Law 100 international firm, where her practice focused on pursuing and maximizing claims on behalf of national and international clients in complex, financial antitrust settlements. A graduate of the University of San Diego School of Law, Ms. Zimmerman served as a judicial extern for the Honorable M. Margaret McKeown, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Ms. Zimmerman is admitted to practice in California. She also serves as a member of the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego Women’s Caucus Committee. Ms. Zimmerman is a certified yoga-sculpt instructor and loves spending time with her family, climbing mountains, and relaxing at the beach.

Terry Singleton is an experienced litigator with an emphasis on handling personal injury claims for clients throughout the metro San Diego area and surrounding portions of Southern California. Mr. Singleton is an accomplished trial lawyer with a long track record of success in representing injured individuals and small businesses against corporations, insurers and government entities.

Alexander T. Bauer is a member of Singleton Schreiber’s Fire Litigation practice group and is responsible for managing the discovery team. He is dedicated to advocating zealously for his clients and pursuing justice on their behalf. Prior to joining Singleton Schreiber, Mr. Bauer represented clients in business transactions, personal injury matters and real estate disputes. He was senior counsel for a prominent defense firm, focusing on complex trial litigation, and was responsible for defending and negotiating settlements in catastrophic injury cases. Mr. Bauer then spent six years as trial counsel for a military-focused insurance carrier and developed extensive experience litigating cases, including first-chair jury trials. Mr. Bauer earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ, before receiving his juris doctorate from California Western School of Law. During his time in law school, he was awarded the Moot Court Honors Board Distinguished Advocate Award. Mr. Bauer is barred in California and is admitted to practice in San Diego, California, and the U.S. District Court, Southern District of California. Mr. Bauer volunteers in his spare time and has previously served on the YWCA Board of Directors and as a Volunteer Panel Judge for the Constitutional Rights Foundation Orange County high school mock trials. In his spare time, Mr. Bauer enjoys golfing, bowling, and spending time with his wife and three children.

Krystle Berkstresser is Senior Counsel at Singleton Schreiber, where she serves within the firm’s Public Entity and Fire Litigation Practices. With over a decade of litigation experience, Krystle plays a key role in managing complex cases, including those involving personal injury, insurance defense, public entity defense, product liability, and homeowners' association litigation. Her leadership extends to overseeing all aspects of her cases, from initial intake through settlement or trial. In her role at Singleton Schreiber, Krystle continues to apply her proven ability in navigating mediation, trial preparation, and courtroom strategy, making her a key player in the growing firm. She currently represents wildfire victims who have suffered devastating losses caused by the negligence of utility companies and others, working to support them in their rebuilding journey. Before joining Singleton Schreiber, Krystle was a Partner at a prominent California law firm, where she managed an active caseload and helped mentor budding attorneys. Her previous legal positions gained her significant experience in public entity defense, ADA litigation, and personal injury cases. Krystle earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of San Diego School of Law, where she served as the Managing Editor of the San Diego International Law Journal. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Davis.

Ms. Guizar has worked with Auto Fraud Legal Center since 2016. First as part of the legal staff when she gained valuable experience working with partners and associates on all aspects of the case, from the inception to trial. During the time as a legal staff, Ms. Guizar attended trials, mediations, arbitrations and depositions. Now, as an attorney Ms. Guizar litigates her cases while also acting as a case manager, overseeing all cases, preparing discovery plans and helping the associates and partners get ready for trial. Ms. Guizar graduated as an attorney from the Universidad Automoma de Baja California in the top ten of her class. While studying law in Mexico, Ms. Guizar started working for a federal agency dedicated to consumer protection. In 2003 she became the supervisor of the complaints department. From 2005 to 2007 she worked for the City Council of Tijuana as the Coordinator of Social Programs for one of its districts. In 2007 Ms. Guizar joined the Municipal Legal Counsel for the city of Tijuana, Mexico, as a legal advisor for the director of Public Transportation. In 2008 Ms. Guizar co-founded the Law Firm of Marquez & Associates where she litigated civil, commercial and family law. Mr. Guizar was admitted to practice in California in September 2025.

Attorney Christopher “Hawk” Barry joined the Auto Fraud Legal Center in 2002, and was made a partner in 2006. With over 20 years of consumer protection litigation experience, Mr. Barry has served as trial counsel in numerous auto fraud and lemon law cases resulting in precedent-setting punitive damage and civil penalty awards across California, including San Diego County, Orange County, Los Angeles County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Kern County, Sacramento County, and Imperial County.

Josh Green is a former federal prosecutor who joined the Auto Fraud Legal Center LLP in 2023. Josh served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California for more than seventeen years. Josh was the Chief of the Majors Frauds and Public Corruption Section at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and he has considerable experience prosecuting cases involving deceptive, fraudulent, and predatory practices. Josh is a seasoned trial attorney, and he was a long-time faculty member at the U.S. Department of Justice’s trial advocacy program for new federal prosecutors. Josh also has considerable appellate experience handling matters before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Josh graduated, with honors, from The George Washington University Law School in 2001. Josh received his undergraduate degree in Chemistry from Albion College in 1997. Josh believes in giving back and is very active volunteering in the community. Josh is a past President of the Poway National Little League and past Director of the Chaparral Elementary School Foundation. Josh is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of Albion College. Josh has been an adjunct professor at the California Western School of Law for more than a decade. Mr. Green has been admitted to practice in California since 2007.