Accepts Credit Cards

(Main Office)

Our firm's history dates back to 1936 when Les Cleary and William Zeff formed Cleary and Zeff. Both respected leaders in the legal community, Les Cleary was a co-founder of The American College of Trial Lawyers and William Zeff was appointed as a Stanislaus County Superior Court Judge in 1965. Throughout our history and various name changes, for such reasons as the appointment of Edward Dean Price to the Federal Bench, as well as the appointment of former partners Hurl W. Johnson, Thomas D. Zeff and Nan Cohan Jacobs to the Stanislaus County Superior, our firm has continuously been listed in the Martindale-Hubbell Directory of Preeminent Lawyers. Currently, there are four lawyers in the firm. They are Robert W. Crabtree, Walter J. Schmidt, Michael R. Dennis, and Eric D. Capron.

Statement of Practice

Business and Corporate Matters, Civil Litigation/Insurance Defense, Commercial Law and Creditor Bankruptcy, Estate Planning/Wills and Trusts, Estate Administration/Litigation, Mediation/Arbitration, Real Estate Law, Secured Transactions.

Clients

TRIAL ATTORNEYS FOR: City of Modesto
State Farm Fire & Casualty
Gordon Trucking, Inc.
Farmers Insurance Group
California Insurance Group
State Farm General Insurance Group.

LOCAL COUNSEL FOR: Heritage Ford
Spycher Brothers
Roger Ernst & Associates, Inc.
McCoy Passenger Tire Company
CAPAX Management & Insurance Services, Inc.
Valley BMW
Valley LEXUS
Modesto Commerce Bank
Giddings, Corby, Hynes, Inc.
American Ag Credit
Oak Valley Community Bank
Westland Technologies
Potter Specialty Foods
Hilltop Ranch, Inc.
Coliseum Lexus of Oakland
The Burchell Nursery, Inc.
NAEDA Financial, LTD, L.P.
Diversified Financial Services, LLC
First National Equipment Financing, Inc.
AV Thomas Produce, Inc.
Vieira Agricultural Enterprises
Twin Commodities, Inc.
MG Commodities, Inc.
Valley Ag Lands, Inc.
Stone Tree, Inc.
MAC Enterprises, Inc.
Fisher Nut Company
Global Diversified Industries, Inc.

Reference:

Modesto Commerce Bank.

Rate Information

Fixed Hourly Rates
Accepts Major Credit Cards

Address

1100 14th Street, Second Floor, Suite E P.O. Box 3307
Modesto, CA 95353, (Stanislaus Co.)

Phone

Phone: 888-790-0080
Fax: 209-526-0632

Website

http://www.crabtreeschmidt.com

Office Hours

Monday: 08:30 AM - 05:00 PM
Tuesday: 08:30 AM - 05:00 PM
Wednesday: 08:30 AM - 05:00 PM
Thursday: 08:30 AM - 05:00 PM
Friday: 08:30 AM - 05:00 PM

MEMBERS OF FIRM

Robert W. Crabtree (Member) born Modesto, California, 1940; admitted to bar, 1967, California. Education: University of California at Berkeley (B.S., 1962); Hastings College of the Law, University of California (LL.B., 1966). Order of the Coif. President, 1966 and Member, Thurston Society. Member, Hastings Law Journal. Chairman, Stanislaus County Air Pollution Control Hearing Board, 1976-1977. Member: Stanislaus County (President, 1977) and American Bar Associations; State Bar of California; Stanislaus County Estate Planning Council. (Certified Specialist, Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law, California Board of Legal Specialization). Practice Areas: Estate Planning; Probate; Trusts; Business Law; Real Estate; Civil Litigation.

Walter J. Schmidt (Member) born Modesto, California, 1946; admitted to bar, 1971, California. Education: University of California, Davis (A.B., 1967); Hastings College of the Law, University of California (J.D., 1970). Member, 1976-1978, 1982-1985, Chairman, 1984-1985 California State Bar, Continuing Education of the Bar Joint Advisory Committee; Member 1985-1989 and Chairman, 1988-1989, California State Bar, Governing Committee on Continuing Education of the Bar; Member, California State Bar's Task Force on Lawyer Education, 1989; Member, California State Bar Standing Committee on MCLE, 1990-1993; Member, Lawyer Representative to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference, 1990-1993. Member: Stanislaus County and American Bar Associations; State Bar of California. Practice Areas: Business Law; Civil Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Banking Law; Creditor Law; Agricultural Law; Creditor Bankruptcy.

ASSOCIATES

Eric D. Capron (Associate) born Oakland, California, 1977; admitted to bar, 2008, California. Education: Brigham Young University (B.A. Philosophy, 2003; B.S., Zoology, 2003); University of California, Hastings College of the Law (J.D., 2007). Raised in the Central Valley of California. Played water polo and swam for Merced High. Eric has now returned to his home in the Valley after a ten year absence for schooling. Member, Wray Ladine Inn of Court. Member: Stanislaus County Bar Association; State Bar of California. Languages: Spanish. Practice Areas: Business Law; Contracts; Corporate Law; Civil Litigation.

Michael R. Dennis (Associate) born Laguna Beach, California, July 23, 1973; admitted to bar, 2001, California. Education: Claremont McKenna College (B.A., 1995); McGeorge School of Law (J.D., 2001) Dean's List. Wray Ladine American Inn of Court. Member, Traynor Honor Society. Recipient, American Jurisprudence Award for Criminal Law. Member, Mock Trial Scrimmage Team. President, McGeorge Rugby Football Club. Member: Stanislaus County and American Bar Association. Practice Areas: Litigation.Email: Michael R. Dennis