I am an attorney and C.P.A. with over 20 years of business experience. My background in accounting provides me with a unique perspective, allowing me to fully analyze the financial as well as the legal implications of a transaction. As such, my practice focuses on individuals and businesses under audit or executing transactions with intricate tax implications. In my childhood, I watched my dad as a small business owner work through every penny taxed or saved. I saw the effects of insufficient and even bad advice. And I saw how every dollar earned or taken away affects a business, and even more importantly, family. It's not just dollars, it's time and the opportunity cost that could otherwise provide more for loved ones. As such, my mission is to help individuals and businesses tackle problems and seize opportunities by providing informative and timely legal guidance. I am dedicated to my clients, focusing on communication and trust within the attorney-client relationship, maximizing the value I can provide.

Alexandra Laine is an associate of the Cifarelli Law Firm. Alexandra was born and raised in Chicago and moved to California after graduating high school to accomplish one of her many lifelong dreams. Ms. Laine received her associate degree from Orange Coast College and her Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University, Long Beach, where she graduated from both Summa Cum Laude. She then went on to receive her law degree from Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law. Ms. Laine has an unsurpassed zeal to represent the voice of victims as a trial attorney. She is a tenacious, passionate, effective attorney who is seasoned in devising strategies for the most complex and challenging areas of litigation. She is a natural empathetic advocate who can navigate and honor the most delicate spaces of one’s life. While holding the truth that all human beings, regardless of race, socioeconomic, political, religious, or sexual orientation, deserve justice. Working with victims has continued to fuel her drive to be a relentless advocate for those affected by abuse and injustice. Ms.Laine is a voice of empowerment for those who have not had their voices heard.

Michael Goode is a practicing lawyer in the state of California. Mr. Goode received his J.D. from the Pepperdine University School of Law.

​Antonio J. Bestard has 40 years of experience, and is prepared to manage the complexity issues of criminal law. Mr. Bestard is Certified Legal Specialist in Criminal Law, and is fluent in Spanish. He has been an active member of the State Bar of California since 1976. He is a member of the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice.

George Louis is a practicing lawyer in the state of California,

Benjamin T. Ikuta is a trial attorney who has been licensed in California since 2008. For his entire career, Ben has focused on cases of wrongdoing against healthcare providers. Ben is a preeminent attorney in prosecuting medical malpractice actions who has tried multiple cases to verdict. He has presented and been published many times on medical malpractice issues.

Nicholas J. Leonard is a seasoned trial attorney who now manages Ikuta Hemesath’s Northern California office. Nick has practiced exclusively in medical malpractice after graduating from law school in 2008. Specifically, for the first 14 years of his career, Nick practiced as a defense attorney at Low McKinley & Salenko, a prestigious medical malpractice defense firm located in Sacramento. While there, Nick quickly rose through the ranks and became a partner in 2014. Hired by insurance companies, Nick successfully defended countless doctors, nurses, and hospitals in civil actions and board proceedings. Nick even presented to medical malpractice insurance companies, large hospitals, and medical groups on how to limit exposure in medical malpractice lawsuits. Nick was named a Rising Star, awarded to the top 2.5% attorneys under the age of 40, by Super Lawyers Magazine in the field of medical malpractice defense in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2020. Nick’s transition from the defense has been seamless. His defense experience is the foundation and motivation for Nick, who uses the skills and knowledge learned during those years to achieve maximum compensation for injured victims of malpractice from those same insurance companies and large hospitals. To that end, Nick often speaks to other plaintiff lawyers about litigation strategies focused on leveraging internal pressure points insurance and large companies have to compensate injured persons for their losses. Nick graduated from the University of California Hastings College of the Law in 2008, where he was a member of the Hastings Communications and Entertainment Law Journal and clerked at the California Attorney General’s Office. Before law school, Nick received an athletic scholarship from Seattle University to play on their basketball team and was honored as a member of the league’s academic all-conference first-team three times. He received a B.S. in Computer Science with a Business Specialization from Seattle University. After graduating but prior to law school, Nick worked as a Business Systems Analyst at Microsoft.

Rated by Super Lawyers, Peter F. Iocona - Attorney at Law, and his partners, Alan Castillo and Marlo Cordero, formed "The SoCal Law Network" and selected as one of Orange County's "Best" or "Top-Rated" DUI Defense Firms. Each lawyer is Rated "Superb" or "10/10" by AVVO, the attorney-rating service and Peter F. Iocona and Alan Castillo have been selected into the list of the "Top 100 Trial Lawyers" and part of "The Nation's Top 1% of Attorneys" across the country.

Michelle Buxton Hemesath’s practice is focused on representing injured victims and their families. She formed Ikuta Hemesath, LLP in April of 2022 with law partner, Ben Ikuta. She began her career representing healthcare providers and learned from some of the best defense attorneys on the West Coast. During this time, Michelle. gained invaluable experience and intimate knowledge of how insurance companies handle lawsuits, how to best position a case for trial, and how to wade through complex medical issues. Michelle treats every case as if its going to trial. Michelle stoutly believes that the only way to obtain maximum recovery in a settlement is for the defense firm and insurance carrier to know that she is willing and able to try cases. Michelle was raised in Torrance, California. She attended college at San Diego State University. After receiving her Bachelor of Arts in political science, Michelle attended the University of San Diego School of Law. While at there, she participated in the university’s special education clinic advocating on behalf of students and parents to ensure students received the maximum benefits allowable under the law. Michelle graduated in the top twenty percent of her class and received awards in Complex Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution. In addition, Michelle received the Maria Shih Award for Diversity Awareness and Service. Michelle is licensed to practice in the State of California, United States District Court for the Central District of California and United States District Court for the Southern District of California. She is immediate past the President of the Women Lawyers of Long Beach (WLLB) and current Treasurer, as well as a member of the Orange County Bar Association (OCBA), Orange County Trial Lawyers Association (OCTLA), Orange County Asian American Bar Association (OCAABA), and Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA). Since 2019, Mrs. Hemesath has served as an attorney coach for the mock trial team at Valley High School. In 2021 and 2022, Michelle was selected as a Rising Star in plaintiff-side medical malpractice, awarded to the top 2.5% of attorneys under the age of 40, by Super Lawyer Magazine.