Our firm was founded by our father and mentor Virgil Jackson in 1971 in the mid-wilshire area of Los Angeles, California. He was able to use the knowledge he had gained working for insurance companies to help victims of accidents obtain fair compensation for their injuries. Over the years he continued to focus his practice on helping injury victims, particularly those with work injuries. He earned an excellent reputation among his peers, judges and court personnel as a compassionate and tenacious advocate who fought tough yet fairly to obtain the full measure of compensation for his clients. Mr. Jackson’s excellent reputation for results quickly spread throughout Los Angeles and surrounding counties and his practice flourished with most of his clients being referred by other clients.

Mr. Novak is the founding partner of our firm. He was born on the great Canadian prairies in the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba. After a distinguished educational career at the University of Manitoba, he attended the University of North Dakota School of Law. He was named on the academic dean’s list for his entire six semesters of law school and was awarded the degree of Juris Doctor With Distinction. Following graduation from law school, he hung up his hockey skates and moved to the gentler climate of California. Since 1998 Mr. Novak has based his practice of law in the Southern California area. However, he has actively litigated cases throughout the State of California, and the United States. Mr. Novak has established himself as a well-respected trial attorney in the region. In particular, he is renowned for his keen legal mind and aggressive litigation approach. His commitment to fighting for clients’ rights has led to the recovery of in excess of $130,000,000.00 in verdicts or settlements for clients within the past twenty-two years of his practice. Before concentrating his practice on protecting the rights of individuals, Mr. Novak worked for several years as a defense attorney handling primarily large-loss cases on behalf of numerous entertainment production companies, large corporations, and insurance companies. During this time period, he successfully protected clients from exposure to multi-million dollar claims for damages.

Keith Custis is a compassionate and dedicated litigator who founded Custis Law, P.C. to help individuals facing difficult work issues. Keith focuses his practice on the representation of employees in cases involving wrongful termination, workplace discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, wage and hour laws and violations of the numerous laws that require job-protected leaves of absence. Keith also represents employees and consumers in wage and hour and consumer class actions. Having represented some of the largest companies in the world, Keith evaluates employment law matters from every angle and perspective, including the employer’s point of view. He is a strategic negotiator and effective litigator who provides caring, personalized representation focused on each client’s individual goals and circumstances.

With many years of courtroom experience, Mr. Kohanbash can deliver exceptional representation. We are confident that the Accident Defenders can take care of our client’s needs and get them the maximum compensation for their injuries. If you have been injured on the job or suffered a work-related illness, you can count on our aggressive lawyers and staff to help you obtain the highest value for your claim. At the Accident Defenders, we have helped numerous clients obtain workers’ compensation benefits. However, our office’s “secret sauce” is our team of lawyers. In fact, our founding partner, Joshua R. Kohanbash Esq. was an insurance defense attorney for over half a decade. Kohanbash worked for various insurance carriers and employers defending multi-million dollar claims. He switched sides to find the human element in legal representation. Representing injured employees has been his newfound passion.

Founding Partner Christopher Guldjian is an aggressive advocate and trial attorney for those who have been injured due to the negligence and intentional acts of other individuals and companies. Mr. Guldjian was trained by clerking for the Los Angeles Superior Court in Long Beach and the Huntington Beach City Attorney’s office. His trial experience grew while working for major private firms and renowned plaintiff trial attorneys. He relishes the fact that justice can be served for his clients in a courtroom with impartial jurors having the final word. Mr. Guldjian has successfully brought several cases to verdict and has aggressively advocated major plaintiff settlements emulating in the millions of dollars. Recently, Chris was featured on the front page of the Orange County Register after suing a mental health facility related to his client being raped by another patient. Mr. Guldjian received his B.A. in Political Science and International Relations at California State University, Long Beach. He earned his J.D. from Whittier Law School. While in law school, he received an award in pretrial litigation and graduated top of his class. During the course of his career, Mr. Guldjian has achieved top ratings by Super Lawyer, Nolo, Best Lawyers, and Avvo. He has numerous articles published and presented topics throughout the nation. Mr. Guldjian is a member of the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association (OCTLA), Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC), and Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA). Chris remains active in community-based organizations through his Church and is married with three beautiful children.

John W. Amos, II has represented injured workers in the State of California since 1979. His tireless work and legal expertise has helped many clients in both workers’ compensation and personal injury claims throughout his many years of practice collect the compensation to which they are entitled. Mr. Amos graduated from the Monterey College of Law, wherein he earned his Juris Doctorate in 1980, and from the University of California Berkeley (Ph.D.) in 1972. He is admitted to practice before all California State Courts.

Ashlee Randel is a practicing lawyer in the state of California handling employment matters.