Joel R Villasenor, Attorney

Mr. Villaseñor has successfully represented a variety of clients in litigation in both federal and state courts, as well as before regulatory agencies.  Mr. Villaseñor's practice focuses on complex business and employment litigation, particularly in the areas of unfair business practices, harassment/discrimination, and wage and hour lawsuits.  He also handles litigation involving public utilities, including alleged unfair debt collection practices, power-burn damages, catastrophic personal injury, and eminent domain cases. 

In addition to his work as an attorney, Mr. Villaseñor is involved in a number of legal organizations.  From 2007 to 2009, Mr. Villaseñor served as District Representative (Southern California) at the ABA's Young Lawyers Division, and was named Star of the Quarter for his pro bono work coordinating the Disaster Legal Services program for victims of the 2007 wildfires in San Diego County.  From 2006 to 2008, Mr. Villãsenor served on the California Young Lawyers Association as District Representative for Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties, and on CYLA's Executive Committee.  In 2004, Mr. Villaseñor was selected to be one of the inaugural Scholars in the State Bar of California's Access and Fairness Leadership Academy, a pilot program to provide leadership training to promising young attorneys.  Mr. Villaseñor has also served on the Board of Directors of the Ventura County Bar Association and the Ventura County Trial Lawyers Association.  Mr. Villaseñor is currently Chair of the Hispanic National Bar Association's 2010 Moot Court program, and serves on the planning committee for the HNBA's 2010 Mid-Year Meeting. 

Mr. Villaseñor graduated magna cum laude from Harvard, where he was on the Dean's List and an editor at The Harvard Crimson.  He subsequently attended the UCLA School of Law, where he received the American Jurisprudence Award in Professional Responsibility and was on the Executive Board of the school's Moot Court program.  Prior to joining Sullivan Taketa LLP, Mr. Villaseñor worked for the office of the Oxnard City Attorney, DreamWorks SKG, the Ventura County Superior Court, and the Paris office of Coudert Brothers. 

Mr. Villaseñor is fluent in Spanish, French and Italian, and has lived and worked in several countries, including Mexico, France, and Switzerland.