Advisory Law Commissions
The Board of Governors appoints an advisory commission in each of the 11 areas of specialization to advise the Board of Legal Specialization when it is considering applications. This group also assists in drafting and grading exams. Certified specialists interested in serving on an advisory commission apply in February to serve a three-year term beginning the following September. To apply to become an advisory commissioner, please fill out the Online Application or directly contact the Appointment Office at (415)538-2318.
11 Areas of Specialization
Admiralty and Maritime Law
B. Otis Felder, Chair
Beverly Hills
Cory A. Birnberg
San Francisco
William K. Enger
Los Angeles
Jeffrey M. Winter
San Diego |
Sterling J. Stires, Vice Chair
San Diego
Dennis A. Cammarano
Long Beach
Arthur A. Severance
Los Angeles
Marva Jo Wyatt
Long Beach
|
Appellate Law
Joseph M. Quinn, Chair
San Francisco
Kevin J. Biggers
Rancho Palos Verdes
Efrat Cogan
Los Angeles
C. Athena Roussos
Elk Grove
T. Peter Pierce
Los Angeles
|
Robert J. Stumpf, Jr., Vice Chair
San Francisco
Charles M. Bonneau Jr.
Sacramento
Cynthia J. Larsen
Sacramento
Frank S. Moore
San Francisco |
Bankruptcy Law
David E. Britton, Chair
La Mesa
Fredrick E. Clement
Redding
Louis J. Esbin
Stevenson Ranch
Gary M. Kaplan
San Francisco |
Sheila M. Pistone, Vice Chair
Irvine
Judith Ann Descalso
Escondido
M. Jonathan Hayes
Northridge
Cheryl L. Stengel
San Diego |
Criminal Law
Jeffrey B. Hayden, Chair
Redwood City
Raymond A. Buenaventura
Daly City
Dominic J. Falasco
Los Banos
James P. Lambe
Fresno
Wayne A. Silver
Sunnyvale |
Ira H. Barg, Vice Chair
San Francisco
Michael S. Berg
San Diego
Kurt D. Hermansen
San Diego
Elliot Monka
El Monte
Vu V. Trinh
San Francisco |
Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law
Linda C. Kramer, Chair
Los Angeles
James H. Efting
Sunnyvale
Daniel G. Brown
San Mateo
Mark A. Lester
Oxnard
Philip M. Savage
Riverside
|
Linda J. Retz, Vice Chair
Torrance
Richard H. Lambie
San Jose
Edward H. Levine
Los Angeles
Roberta J. Robinson
San Diego |
Family Law
Linda S. Gross, Chair
Santa Monica
John R. Cooper
San Diego
David S. Schulman
San Diego
Nanette S. Stringer
Palo Alto
Christi D. Rios
Irvine
|
Jeremy B. Kline, Vice Chair
Los Angeles
Kathryn Kirkland
San Francisco
Rolf D. Kruger
Menlo Park
Becky A. Rasmason
Windsor
|
Franchise and Distribution Law
Glenn Plattner, Chair
Santa Monica
Robert L. Ebe
San Francisco
Dawn Newton
Oakland
Rochelle B. Spandorf
Los Angeles
Phyllis Truby
Los Angeles
|
Susan A. Grueneberg, Vice Chair
Los Angeles
Jeffrey L. Fillerup
San Francisco
Timothy A. Pickwell
San Diego
Therese Thilgen
San Jose
|
Immigration and Nationality Law
James A. Bach, Chair
San Francisco
Judith A. Bloomberg
San Rafael
Madeline Kirkconnell
Stockton
Donald K. Sheppard
San Diego
Love M. Macione
Oakland |
Mary M. Waltermire, Vice Chair
Sacramento
Stacey L. Gartland
San Francisco
Henry A. Posada
Downey
Kip E. Steinberg
San Rafael
|
Legal Malpractice Law
Peter Fortune, Chair
San Francisco
Stephen Teal Clifford
Bakersfield
Peter M. Kunstler
Los Angeles
Timothy W. Pelton
Acton
|
Reginald Vitek, Vice Chair
San Diego
Kathleen Ewins
San Francisco
James A. Murphy
San Francisco
Deborah A. Wolfe
San Diego
|
Taxation Law
Sonia M. Agee, Chair
San Jose
James H. Garrett
San Diego
Sanford L. Millar
Los Angeles
Ronald A. Mollis
Newport Beach
Kurt C. Swainston
Glendale
|
Miles D. Friedman, Vice Chair
Laguna Niguel
Benjamin F. Miller
Sacramento
Mitchell L. Schwary, Jr.
Santa Ana
Barbara R. Simon
San Francisco
|
Workers' Compensation
L. Robert Vermes, Chair
Santa Ana
Kimberly Dyess
San Diego
Robert E. Willyard
Anaheim
Gia Sawko
Emeryville
Elizabeth R. Valenzuela
Sherman Oaks
|
Sandra M. Grajeda, Vice-Chair
Claremont
William A. Herreras
Grover Beach
Denise L. Sanchez
San Diego
Thomas A. Richard
Oakland
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