James Fendt is an Associate Attorney in the Litigation practice group at Singleton Schreiber where he litigates a wide range of cases including Personal Injury, Fire, and Mass Torts. Mr. Fendt is admitted to practice in California courts and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. He is a member of the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego. Before joining Singleton Schreiber, James was an associate on the General Liability team at a prominent litigation defense law firm in San Diego. He also previously served as a law clerk at two renowned litigation firms and as an extern at a leading business law firm, all in San Diego. In 2022, James presented on a panel at the National Interdisciplinary Cannabis Symposium, discussing the intersection of Federal and State cannabis regulations. James graduated Magna Cum Laude with his J.D. from California Western School of Law after earning a B.S. in environmental planning from Cal Poly Humboldt. Prior to his law career, James worked as a production brewer at Saint Archer Brewing Company and The Booth Brewing Company. James’s combined experience with the sciences, regulatory law, personal injury law, and production facilities allows him to assist clients from diverse backgrounds navigate various complex legal issues. Born in Philadelphia and raised in New Jersey, James has lived in San Diego since 2015 and is an avid surfer, runner and home chef.

Thomas J. Filicia is a practicing lawyer in the state of California who handles Criminal defense cases.

Gerald Singleton began his legal career as a trial attorney at Federal Defenders of San Diego in 2000, where he represented federal criminal defendants in the Southern District of California and before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He left Federal Defenders in 2003 to start his own practice, which has grown from a sole proprietorship into the national firm of Singleton Schreiber, LLP, with over 90 attorneys and 400 employees and over a dozen offices throughout the United States. Mr. Singleton is one of the nation’s leading experts in fire litigation. Over the past two decades, he and his team have represented over 30,000 fire victims in more than 30 wildfires in California, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Colorado and Texas, and have recovered over $3 billion on their behalf. Mr. Singleton has served as liaison counsel and in other positions of leadership in complex civil cases in multiple states. He currently serves as court-appointed liaison counsel in the Eaton Fire case in Los Angeles and the Dixie Fire case in San Francisco. In 2020, Mr. Singleton was appointed by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to serve on the Oversight Committee of the $13.5 billion Fire Victim Trust. He is the chair of the American Association of Justice’s national wildfire litigation group and has lectured on fire litigation across the country. Over the past several years, Mr. Singleton has expanded the firm’s practice to include representing public entities and individuals in environmental and toxic tort litigation across the country. In 2023, he and his team brought the first medical-monitoring claim to address carcinogens and other dangerous toxins in wildfire smoke. In 2024, Singleton Schreiber partnered with the NAACP to bring litigation on behalf of thousands of women who developed cancer and/or uterine fibroids from exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals in over-the-counter hair relaxer products. The firm’s Environmental practice group is working with state and local agencies and non-profit advocacy groups to bring pollution claims on behalf of frontline communities exposed to toxins from the oil and gas industry. Mr. Singleton graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College, where he earned high honors and the departmental prize in Government for his senior honors thesis. He received his juris doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law in 2000, and is licensed to practice in the state courts of California, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, Texas, Missouri, Ohio, Minnesota and the District of Columbia, multiple federal district courts, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. An active member of the American Association for Justice, the Consumer Attorneys of California, and numerous other state bar associations, Mr. Singleton is also a contributor and fundraiser for Democratic candidates and progressive causes.

Attorneys Jeffrey E. Estes and Alton J. Smith have been litigating personal injury cases on behalf of California residents for almost 30 years. Over the years, Estes and Smith have developed a reputation for tough litigation and a strategy for winning substantial settlements and verdicts for their clients. The firm serves all residents across the Great State of California and strives to deliver exemplary, client-focused legal advice and representation.

Mark Fleming is a partner in Singleton Schreiber’s San Diego office and a member of our Mass Tort and Civil Rights practice groups. Known for complex trials, Mr. Fleming is one of the few attorneys in the country to have tried over 100 cases before federal juries. He is a frequent presenter at advanced trial skills seminars. In March 2022, Mr. Fleming and his co-counsel, Timothy Scott, represented the family of a young man killed by the San Diego Sheriffs Department. A federal jury returned an $85 million verdict for the family. It is the largest civil rights wrongful death verdict in history. The results achieved in this case, Estate of Phounsy v. County of San Diego, et al., earned recognition as one of the Top 10 Verdicts in California for 2022 on TopVerdicts.com In February 2020, after a seven-month RICO murder trial, a Las Vegas federal jury acquitted Mr. Fleming’s client, the International President of the Vagos Motorcycle Club, of all charges, including conspiracy to commit murder. In 2006, Mr. Fleming represented Barry Mills, the lead defendant in the largest RICO federal death penalty trial in U.S. history. After an eleven-month trial, the jury rejected the death penalty sought by the government in favor of a life sentence for Mr. Mills, who was accused of ordering 32 murders in United States v. Barry Mills, et. al. Mr. Fleming started his career as a trial attorney at Federal Defenders of San Diego in 1993. After honing his trial and appellate skills there for five years, he returned to his home state to serve as a trial attorney with New York County Defender Services in Manhattan. In 2000, Mr. Fleming was recruited back to Federal Defenders of San Diego, where he supervised a trial team of ten attorneys. In 2004, he started his own practice devoted to complex civil and criminal federal litigation. Each year since 2008, Mr. Fleming has been selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers of San Diego, a peer-recognition honor reserved for the top 5% of San Diego lawyers. And for the past seven years, Mr. Fleming has been recognized as a top litigator in Best Lawyers in Southern California Magazine. In his free time, Mr. Fleming enjoys snowboarding, playing guitar, and spending time with his family.

Zachary Pangares is an Associate Attorney at Singleton Schreiber, where he focuses on Fire Litigation and complex civil matters. A skilled trial lawyer, Zachary brings a strategic, client-centered approach to litigation, drawing from a diverse professional background and a commitment to justice. He has successfully represented clients in both federal and state courts, including high-profile and precedent-setting cases. Before entering the legal field, Zachary served as a healthcare administrator for one of the nation's largest healthcare systems, where he concentrated on strategy, system transformation, and behavioral health. He leverages this experience to deliver pragmatic legal strategies and effective client advocacy, particularly in cases involving personal injury, medical malpractice, and civil rights. Zachary began his legal career as a judicial extern for the Honorable Benjamin H. Settle in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, where he gained valuable judicial insight in a fast-paced federal courtroom. He then joined a boutique litigation firm focused on the representation of survivors of sexual abuse and other violent crimes, helping secure substantial awards for his clients. Notable cases include the largest settlement in Oregon history involving a public school district for the sexual abuse of a student, as well as an eight-figure settlement with the U.S. government for the abuse of Native American children by an IHS pediatrician—achieved under a novel breach of treaty theory. Zachary earned his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Seattle University School of Law, where he served as the Managing Editor of the Seattle University Law Review. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from Oregon State University. Zachary is admitted to practice in Oregon, the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

Keith J. Stone always wanted a career where one of the benefits was to help others. Attorney Keith J. Stone consistently had an interest in medicine, and science. Keith has among his family members, cancer specialists, blood specialists, emergency room physicians, ENT (ears, nose, throat) surgeon, family counselor, and colon and rectal surgeon. In other words, Keith growing up, was exposed to arena of medical perspectives and rather than being a doctor himself, he decided to dedicate his life to helping others involved in personal injury cases. A personal injury case is where you are physically hurt or a loved one is hurt due to someone else's negligence.

John Lemon is a seasoned trial and appellate lawyer with over 25 years’ experience handling complex, high-stakes cases in state and federal trial courts and in the federal appellate courts. With over 50 cases tried to verdict and at least as many arguments before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Mr. Lemon has won favorable verdicts and appellate decisions in the most serious and complex criminal cases, including theft of trade secrets, racketeering, and murder. Since joining Singleton Schreiber in 2021, he has led the firm’s liability teams in several major fire cases and other mass torts. In July 2025 – acting as lead counsel in a civil trial for the first time – he won an $11.1M verdict in a personal-injury case arising from a road-rage assault. Mr. Lemon is certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and the State Bar of California as a trial specialist. He was a San Diego Daily Transcript “Top Attorney” for 2009 and was the Best Lawyers 2021 Lawyer of the Year in San Diego for criminal defense. He is AV rated (the highest peer rating for legal ability and ethical standards) by Martindale Hubbell and has been recognized in San Diego Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America every year since 2008 and 2014, respectively. He holds a B.A. in Letters with Distinction from the University of Oklahoma and a J.D. from Stanford.

Before joining Singleton Schreiber as a Partner, Mark Slaughter was one of the founding members of Slaughter & Slaughter, a premier personal injury firm. He is a zealous legal advocate who aggressively represents his clients in catastrophic personal injury cases. Mr. Slaughter has used his tremendous advocacy and negotiating skills to obtain numerous six- and seven-figure settlements for a multitude of clients who have been injured in motor vehicle, trucking, motorcycle, bicycle, and pedestrian accidents. Mr. Slaughter earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology at the University of Missouri and his Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego.

Matthew Clendenin is a senior trial attorney and the Director of the Pre-Litigation Team in our Personal Injury and Wrongful Death practice group. His litigation skills have earned significant results for his clients and the recognition of his peers. Mr. Clendenin began his career as a paralegal for several large law firms. He then attended the Santa Clara University School of Law, where he received many awards and accolades, including “Best Oral Advocate” in the Moot Court Competition. During law school, he was trained in oral argument by barristers at the Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn of Court in London, England, and studied at Magdalen College, Oxford. Mr. Clendenin is deeply involved in the San Diego Trial Lawyer Community, currently serving at the President-Elect for Consumer Attorneys of San Diego. Mr. Clendenin is also the former President of the Irish American Bar Association and former President of the Del Mar Professionals Association. Mr. Clendenin has repeatedly been recognized as a top-tier trial attorney. In 2025, Consumer Attorneys of San Diego awarded Mr. Clendenin the “Outstanding Trial Lawyer” award for his $13.7 million dollar verdict in Muhlbach v. Kemper Ins. The verdict was the 45th largest verdict of 2025 in California. In 2022, Mr. Clendenin received the “Street Fighter” trial lawyer award which specifically honors lawyers who take difficult cases to trial. He and his wife Marta Clendenin have been married for nearly 20 years, and have two daughters, Noemi and Lucie. Outside of work, Mr. Clendenin’s passions include darts, cycling, board games, good whisky, and good company.