Civil Rights

Legal problems often affect multiple areas of a person's life. At the Law Offices of John A. Guthrie, we offer a comprehensive approach to help secure our clients' interests. The attorneys at our firm pursue legal solutions that address the complete picture instead of offering a narrow perspective. For example, we address how a divorce could impact estate planning or how a criminal charge affects visitation and custody rights. Experience And A Stellar Reputation At the Law Offices of John A. Guthrie, our lawyers have been building our practice and a solid reputation with clients since 1990. Because of our reliability, many of our clients are referred to us from former clients, as well as from other attorneys and professionals who do not practice in our areas of the law. To schedule a free initial consultation and discuss how we can help you, contact any one of our attorneys at the Law Offices of John A. Guthrie today. Pursuing Long-Term Solutions In Family Law When you have questions in family law, we have answers. Often, a divorce involves a number of financial and legal issues potentially impacting you and your children for years to come. We are a skilled legal team prepared to explain how marital property and business assets are divided, how child support and spousal maintenance are determined, and what factors the court uses in determining child custody. The depth of our law firm also includes handling contested and uncontested divorces, high-asset divorces in litigation and mediation, and domestic violence issues. Our firm's Pleasanton family law lawyers have the skills and determination to help secure the best interests of you and your children. Securing Financial Futures And Protecting Clients' Civil Rights No matter the size of your estate, you should have a will and a living will. These documents, when drafted by a competent attorney, can save your loved ones time, energy, and unnecessary stress should you become incompetent or disabled, or suddenly pass away without your affairs in order.

When you are dealing with high stakes litigation, you know what is at risk, and so do I. At the Law Offices of Sebastian Ohanian, LLC, I represent good people throughout the Miami area who have been accused of serious crimes or have complex legal issues. I provide aggressive litigation tactics and the highest quality guidance in complicated legal situations.

Frances-Marie Prizzia dedicates her law practice to upholding the constitutional rights of her clients and zealously defending them. Her passion has always been in criminal defense and public service, as evidenced by her prior work and volunteer history. For the past 15 years, Frances has dedicated herself to the practice of law. Years before opening this firm, Frances worked as an Orange County Public Defender as well as in the Los Angeles County Alternate Defender's Office. While working for Orange County as a trial attorney, she obtained many dismissals, in addition to taking more cases to jury trial and winning more than any other attorney within her unit during that time. Frances is also fluent in speaking Tagalog. Prior to becoming an attorney and while in law school, Frances worked at the Public Defender's office in Santa Cruz. As a law student, she successfully argued and won a motion to suppress evidence due to the unlawful violations of the Fourth Amendment by the investigating police officers. She also researched and wrote motions asking the court to order the disclosure of information regarding confidential informants and confidential police personnel files ("Pitchess motions.") Her compassion and commitment to making a difference and defending those who needed help is what convinced her to apply for law school. She was accepted into, and chose to enroll in, Santa Clara University School of Law, where she had also received her undergraduate degree several years earlier. But some of the reasons Frances chose to return to Santa Clara University was because of its emphasis on criminal defense and public service. In addition to extensive trial advocacy training, the school is also home to the Death Penalty College, Northern California Innocence Project, and Center for Social Justice and Public Service. While in law school, she worked at the Katharine and George Alexander Community Law Center, where she wrote two successful political asylum briefs and won a U-visa (victim of violence) application for her client, which allowed the client to obtain her permanent residency ("green card") and a work permit in the United States. Lawyer.com Member Questionnaire Please describe a case(s) in the last year or two where you made a big difference. I had a case where Filipino nurses were charged by the Attorney General’s office for criminally negligent death of a patient in a nursing home. These poor nurses did nothing but their best to take care of the patient. The doctors ruled the patient’s death as an accident and inevitable due to a heart attack since the patient was in very poor health, had recently endured surgery that he was not fully cleared for but needed to do to save his life, had a prior heart condition, and expired naturally. The AG simply was on a witch hunt because the patient’s family had a civil case and a lot of pull in this matter. The court, during the preliminary hearing, agreed with me, and refused to have these nurses held to answer. The nurses were discharged, and the court also granted a factual innocence motion I brought up in court. How did you build a successful practice? I built this practice on hard work, dedication, compassion towards my client and a lot of hustle. What should clients look for in a lawyer? Passion and heart as well as competency. Client’s should decide on a lawyer based on who they feel most comfortable with and at sync with. They should choose who they feel actually cares and will fight for their case as well as the attorney’s credentials. How important is local knowledge to the success of your cases? It is very important because different counties have different ways of running their cases and different policies that could mean a dismissal for your client or a guilty plea. What information can you provide in a free phone consultation? I provide as much information as the client would like. I do not try to make guesses. I attempt to gather as much information as I can from the client, then look the cases up in the system and attempt to give the best options I can provided with the information I have been given. What information do you need in a free phone consultation? I would need the charges that the clients are looking at, past record history, the facts of the case, what county or court the case is currently in as well as the status of the case. I also ask for what the client wants as the outcome. What differentiates you from other lawyers in your community? I have a lot of heart and compassion. I truly put myself in my client’s shoes to understand their fears and concerns so that I can obtain the best results for them. What are your other interests in addition to law? I like going to musical theatre, dancing, singing, hiking, and yoga. Are you involved in your community? Yes very much so. I am involved in my church as a Catechist for Sts. Simon and Jude Catholic Church. I am part of FLOC which is Filipino Lawyers of Orange County. And I have been a room mom for my children’s school for years.

Kamran represents clients in complex insurance, employment, construction, general liability, and business litigation. Those clients include some of the world’s largest insurance carriers, governmental entities, Fortune 500 companies, several of California’s largest publicly- held and privately-held businesses, builders, real estate developers, and contractors. In connection with the litigation practice, he also advises and represents a wide spectrum of London market insurers, reinsurers, and intermediaries in all lines of insurance business, including professional liability, construction, property, maritime, general liability, environmental, energy, and directors & officers (D&O) policies. Kamran’s coverage practice includes knowledge and experience relating to the different types of insurance policies, their interpretation, and application.

Andrew Lampros has an active trial and litigation practice representing plaintiffs. Andrew has litigated and tried matters in a variety of settings, including Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA), products liability, wrongful death, tractor-trailer accidents, automobile accidents, consumer fraud, civil rights, negligent security, nursing home and assisted living negligence, insurance bad faith, business torts, and commercial litigation.

Debra Wabnik is a partner at Stagg Wabnik Law Group. She represents clients in federal and state courts in New York and New Jersey, as well as federal courts in Connecticut. She also represents clients in administrative forums such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the New York State Division of Human Rights, and the New York State Education Department. Debra has handled numerous appellate matters before the Appellate Division, First and Second Departments. Her practice areas include general litigation, labor and employment and banking and credit card litigation. She achieved an "AV" Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating, has been named a New York Metro Super Lawyer since 2013, and was voted the 2014 Top Legal Eagle in Employment Law for Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Debra is a graduate of Hofstra University of Law, where she was a member of the Labor Law Journal and Editor of the Entertainment Law Digest. She received her undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton, where she graduated with honors.

Douglas S. Schwartz, formerly of the Union County Prosecutor's Office, joined the firm in 1992 and became a partner in 1999, when the name of the firm was changed to Sisselman & Schwartz, LLP. Douglas Schwartz is a practicing lawyer in the state of New Jersey specializing in Accident & Injury. Mr. Schwartz received his J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law in 1991.

Kendall County divorce lawyer Matthew Williams is an experienced family law attorney trained on the ins-and-outs of divorce litigation. In addition, Mr. Williams has also been trained in the collaborative law approach to divorce resolution. My law firm represents clients in Kane County, DeKalb County, DuPage County, and Kendall County. For nearly a decade, I have focused entirely on divorce, paternity (parentage), establishment and modification of support, parental rights, enforcement of divorce decrees, and other family law-related matters. I have litigated numerous divorce and parentage matters and know how to litigate yours. More importantly than that, I focus on keeping your case out of the courthouse as much as possible. That helps keep costs down and can actually expedite many cases. To schedule an appointment with an experienced Aurora divorce attorney, visit our website or call 630-409-8184.

For over 2 decades, Mitchell Lloyd Feldman, Esq., has been a civil litigator, who has worked on the defense and the plaintiff side of cases. Over the last decade, Mr. Feldman has focused his practice representing employees and individuals. His cumulative experience and litigation skills are demonstrated by his AV preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell. It is this highest possible rating. Mr. Feldman’s bench and jury trial experience includes cases involving the following: wage and hour claims, personal injuries and automobile accidents, workers’ compensation, employment contracts and whistleblower actions, and one criminal case. Mr. Feldman has handled cases throughout the state and Federal Courts in Florida, Georgia and cases in Connecticut, Illinois, and New York.

Tony began his practice in Mississippi as an associate with the Austin Law firm after practicing for one year in Tennessee. With the Austin Law firm he primarily handled matters of civil litigation and domestic relations. In 2001 he co-founded the firm Chamberlin-Nowak, P.C., a general practice firm that also served as counsel to the DeSoto County Board of Supervisors. In 2006 Tony merged his firm with Smith, Phillips, Mitchell and Scott to create Smith, Phillips, Mitchell, Scott and Nowak. Since 2005 Tony has focused his practice on government law. In addition to serving as the Board Attorney for the DeSoto County Board of Supervisors, the DeSoto County Recreational District and the DeSoto County Sheriff's Department. He also formerly represented the DeSoto County Convention and Visitors Bureau (d/b/a Landers Center). Tony also proudly serves as the Municipal Court Judge for the City of Hernando. He has been in that position since 2001. Lawyer.com Member Questionnaire What should clients look for in a lawyer? There are several things clients should look for when hiring a lawyer. First, clients should hire a lawyer who has the knowledge and ability necessary to handle your case successfully. It is important to find a lawyer who has a proven track record of handling cases like the client’s and who has the staff and resources necessary to handle your case at the highest level. It is also important that clients hire a lawyer who they are comfortable with and will be available to answer any questions they may have about their case and who will keep them updated on the case as it progresses. How important is local knowledge to the success of your cases? Local knowledge is extremely important and provides great assistance in the advancement of your case. Many times, different court jurisdictions implement different procedures and local rules as to how matters are handled. Different judges have different ways of conducting their courtroom. Having an attorney to represent you that understands these procedures and requirements and who has strong ties in the community provides strength to your case. Local knowledge is about relationships and engaging with people. As an attorney I have always been committed to helping others and in so doing understand that local knowledge plays a vital role in my representation. What information can you provide in a free phone consultation? Free phone consultations are a great way for prospective clients to get a feel for their legal rights and also get a feel for the attorney. The more information the client and attorney have at their disposal, the better the advice that can be provided. It is important for persons to have the chance to “interview” the lawyer, and a phone consultation is a great first opportunity. Further, an initial assessment as to rights and remedies given the particular facts of a case can be provided. Prospective clients can use the opportunity to ask the lawyer if they have handled that particular type of case before?; how many other similar cases have they handled?; Case results?; Does the lawyer represent himself or herself with a demeanor you think would benefit you?; Do they have the time and resources to fully dedicate themselves to the matter? The more a person puts into a free phone consultation the better prepared both the client and attorney will be to decide how to will move forward. What differentiates you from other lawyers in your community? My firm has had a presence in the community for 30 years. Many of the attorneys are “local” and grew up in the area. There is great diversity in practice areas allowing representation of clients across a broad spectrum of matters. We like to emphasize the personal touch with the representation. While our firm has had success on a nationwide basis, we believe we still offer the hometown feel and commitment to all clients.