PARTNERS OF FIRM
Steven T. Scully (1948-1994).
Leo H. Schuering, Jr. (Senior Partner) born Sacramento, California, July 30, 1942; admitted to bar, 1967, California; U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California; 1976, U.S. Supreme Court; 1994, Colorado. Education: United States Air Force Academy and University of California at Davis (B.A., 1964); Hastings College of Law, University of California (J.D., 1967). Member: Sacramento County and Colorado Bar Associations; State Bar of California; Association of Defense Counsel (Member: Board of Governors, 1981-1984); The Association of Trial Lawyers of America; American Board of Trial Advocates; Defense Research Institute (National Chairman, Economics Committee, 1990-1993). Practice Areas: Medical Malpractice Defense; Medical Professional Advocacy; Elder Abuse; Insurance Bad Faith; Civil Litigation.
Robert H. Zimmerman (Senior Partner) born Camden, New Jersey, April 6, 1952; admitted to bar, 1978, California and U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California. Education: Juniata College (B.A., 1974); McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific (J.D., 1978). Traynor Honor Society. Member: Sacramento County Bar Association; State Bar of California; Association of Defense Counsel; American Board of Trial Advocates. Practice Areas: Medical Malpractice Defense; Medical Professional Advocacy; Elder Abuse.
Thomas J. Doyle (Senior Partner) born Charleston, South Carolina, January 19, 1955; admitted to bar, 1984, California and U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California; 1985, Nevada and U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Education: University Wisconsin-Madison (B.A., 1980); University of San Francisco (J.D., with honors, 1984). Comments Editor, University of San Francisco Law Review, 1983-1984. Author: "The Nonmedia Figure and Strict Liability in California," 18 University of San Francisco Law Review 253, 1984. Member: Sacramento County Bar Association; State Bar of Nevada; State Bar of California; Association of Defense Counsel; Defense Research Institute; American Board of Trial Advocates. Practice Areas: Medical Malpractice Defense; Medical Professional Advocacy; Elder Abuse; Civil Litigation.
Lawrence S. Giardina (Partner) born Whittier, California, May 11, 1957; admitted to bar, 1985, California and U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California; 1992, Nevada. Education: University of California at Davis (B.S., 1980); Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California (J.D., 1985). Member: Sacramento County and Placer County Bar Associations; State Bar of California; State Bar of Nevada; Association of Defense Counsel. Practice Areas: Medical Malpractice Defense; Medical Professional Advocacy; Elder Abuse.Email: Lawrence S. Giardina
Keith D. Chidlaw (Partner) born Sacramento, California, March 4, 1959; admitted to bar, 1987, Colorado; 1988, California, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California; 1989, U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit. Education: University of California at Davis (B.S., 1982); University of Colorado at Boulder (J.D., 1987). Member: Sacramento County, Colorado and American Bar Associations; State Bar of California; Association of Defense Counsel (Member, Board of Directors, 2004). Practice Areas: Insurance Bad Faith; Civil Litigation.
Dominique A. Pollara (Partner) born Minneapolis, Minnesota, January 7, 1959; admitted to bar, 1985, U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York; 1989, California; 1990, Massachusetts (ret.) U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts; 1993, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit; 1995, Nevada and U.S. District Court, Eastern and Northern Districts of California and District of Nevada; 1999, Colorado. Education: University of Massachusetts (B.S., cum laude, 1981); Vermont Law School (J.D., cum laude, 1984). Certified Impartial Hearing Officer, New York State Department of Education, 1985-1992. Member: Sacramento County and American Bar Associations; State Bar of California; State Bar of Nevada; Association of Defense Counsel; American Board of Trial Advocates. Practice Areas: Medical Malpractice Defense; Medical Professional Advocacy; Elder Abuse.
Theodore D. Poppinga (Partner) born Woodland, California, August 7, 1959; admitted to bar, 1988, California and U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California. Education: University of Santa Barbara (B.A., with highest honors, 1983); McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific (J.D., 1986). Member: Sacramento County Bar Association; State Bar of California; Association of Defense Counsel; American Board of Trial Advocates. Practice Areas: Medical Malpractice Defense; Medical Professional Advocacy; Elder Abuse.
Patricia Tweedy (Partner) born San Francisco, July 20, 1949; admitted to bar, 1981, California and U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California; 1994, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit; 1996, U.S. Supreme Court. Education: California State University, Sacramento (B.A., 1976); McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific (J.D., 1981). Licensed Teacher, California, 1976. Member: Sacramento County and American (Member, Trial Techniques Leadership Committee) Bar Associations; State Bar of California; Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada (2nd Vice-President); American Board of Trial Advocates; Defense Research Institute. Practice Areas: Medical Malpractice; Alternative Dispute Resolution; Arbitration; Mediation; Civil Rights Section 1983; Discrimination; Emergency Medical Services Law; Hospital Liability Defense; Hospital Peer Review; Hospital Premises Liability; Hospital Privilege; Insurance Defense; Commercial Insurance Defense; Casualty Insurance Defense; First and Third Party Insurance Defense; Professional Liability; Professional Liability Defense; Tort Defense; Nursing Home, Assisted Living Facility Defense.Email: Patricia Tweedy
Brett Schoel (Partner) born Paradise, California, May 31, 1971; admitted to bar, 1999, Virginia, Maryland and U.S. District Court, Southern District of Maryland and Eastern District of Virginia; 2001, District of Columbia and U.S. District Court, District of Columbia and Western District of Virginia; 2002, California; 2003, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California; 2004, Nevada and U.S. District Court, District of Nevada. Education: University of Maryland (B.A., 1996); George Washington University Law School (J.D., 1999). Member: Sacramento County, Maryland State and American Bar Associations; State Bar of California; District of Columbia Bar; Virginia State Bar; Association of Defense Counsel. [Air Force, 1990-1996]. Practice Areas: Medical Malpractice Defense; Elder Abuse.
ASSOCIATES
Kristine E. Balogh (Associate) born Boulder, Colorado, September 12, 1969; admitted to bar, 1995, California and U.S. District Court, Eastern and Northern Districts of California. Education: University of California at Davis (B.A., 1992); Gonzaga University (J.D., cum laude, 1995). Recipient, American Jurisprudence Award in Education Law and Uniform Commercial Code 9. Member: Sacramento County Bar Association; State Bar of California; Association of Defense Counsel. Practice Areas: Medical Malpractice Defense; Civil Litigation.
Jason S. Barnas (Associate) born Carmichael, California, December 17, 1973; admitted to bar, 2005, California. Education: California State University (B.A., 2000); McGeorge School of Law, Part of University of the Pacific (J.D., 2005). Member: Sacramento County Bar Association; State Bar of California; State Bar of Nevada; Association of Defense Counsel. Practice Areas: Medical Malpractice.Email: Jason S. Barnas
J. Hawken Flanagan (Associate) born Missoula, Montana, December 29, 1977; admitted to bar, 2007, California and U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California. Education: University of Portland (B.A., 2001); Ohio State University (J.D., 2007). Member: Sacramento County Bar Association; State Bar of California; Association of Defense Counsel.
Glenn M. Holley (Associate) born Walnut Creek, California, July 6, 1957; admitted to bar, 1985, California and U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California. Education: California State University, Chico (B.A., 1979); Western State University (J.D., 1985). Recipient: American Jurisprudence Awards, Contracts, Wills. Member, Western State University Law Review, Criminal Justice Journal. Member: Sacramento County Bar Association; State Bar of California; Association of Defense Council of Northern California. Practice Areas: Medical Malpractice Defense; Insurance Defense; Toxic Torts; Premises Liability; Automobile Liability; Construction Defect Litigation; General Civil Litigation; Hospital Liability Defense; Hospital Law; Products Liability.Email: Glenn M. Holley
Christian Koster (Associate) born Prescott, Arizona, August 24, 1941; admitted to bar, 1996, California and U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California; 1997, Minnesota. Education: United States Air Force Academy; University of Southern California (B.A., 1965); Lincoln Law School (J.D., 1996). Member: Sacramento County and Minnesota State Bar Associations; State Bar of California; Association of Defense Counsel. Practice Areas: Medical Malpractice.
Aimee L. Lambert (Associate) born Pasadena, California, January 6, 1982; admitted to bar, 2007, California; U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California. Education: Arizona State University (B.A., 2003); California Western School of Law (J.D., 2007). Member: Sacramento County and San Diego County Bar Associations; State Bar of California; Association of Defense Counsel.
Kat Todd-Schwartz (Associate) born Alberta, Canada, June 24, 1973; admitted to bar, 2000, Alberta; 2002, California. Education: Bishop's University, Quebec, Canada (B.A., 1995); University of Alberta (LL.B., 1999). Formerly with Dummit, Briegleb, Boyce. Member: Edmonton and Canada Bar Associations. Reported Cases: Canadian Naval Reserves, 1992-1993 Languages: French. Practice Areas: Insurance Defense(100%).Email: Kat Todd-Schwartz
David J. Van Dam (Associate) born Modesto, California, July 25, 1937; admitted to bar, 1966, California and U.S. District Court, Eastern and Northern Districts of California. Education: University of California at Berkeley (A.B., 1962); Hastings College of the Law, University of California (J.D., 1966). Member: Sacramento County Bar Association; State Bar of California; Association of Defense Counsel; American Board of Trial Advocates; Association of Trial Lawyers of America; . Practice Areas: Medical Malpractice Defense; Civil Litigation.Email: David J. Van Dam