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
John M. Betz
San Padro
Dennis A. Cammarano
Long Beach
Gerald L. Gorman
San Diego
Arthur A. Severance
Los Angeles |
Sterling J. Stires, Vice Chair
San Diego
Cory A. Birnberg
San Francisco
William K. Enger
Los Angeles
Neil S. Lerner
Los Angeles
|
Appellate Law
Robert J. Stumpf Jr., Chair
San Francisco
Charles M. Bonneau Jr.
Sacramento
Frank S. Moore
San Francisco
C. Athena Roussos
Elk Grove |
Cynthia J. Larsen, Vice Chair
Sacramento
Dennis A. Fischer
Sacramento
T. Peter Pierce
Los Angeles
Aurelio Torre
Santa Ana |
Bankruptcy Law
Sheila M. Pistone, Chair
Irvine
David A. Bradlow
San Francisco
Louis J. Esbin
Stevenson Ranch
Wayne A. Silver
Sunnyvale
Cheryl L. Stengel
San Diego |
Gary M. Kaplan, Vice Chair
San Francisco
Judith Ann Descalso
Escondido
M. Jonathan Hayes
Northridge
Jeffrey B. Smith
Long Beach
|
Criminal Law
Ira H. Barg, Chair
San Francisco
Daniel L. Barton
Palo Alto
Dominic J. Falasco
Los Banos
Kurt D. Hermansen
San Diego |
Michael S. Berg, Vice Chair
San Diego
Raymond A. Buenaventura
Daly City
Jeffrey T. Hammerschmidt
Fresno
James P. Lambe
Fresno |
Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law
Linda J. Retz, Chair
Torrance
Daniel G. Brown
San Mateo
James H. Efting
Sunnyvale
Edward H. Levine
Los Angeles
Jerome Spector
East Palo Alto
|
Philip M. Savage, Vice Chair
Riverside
Leslie R. Daff
Laguna Beach
Mark A. Lester
Oxnard
Roberta J. Robinson
San Diego |
Family Law
Jeremy B. Kline, Chair
Los Angeles
John R. Cooper
San Diego
Justin M. O'Connell
Salinas
David S. Schulman
San Diego
Nanette S. Stringer
Palo Alto
|
Rolf D. Kruger, Vice Chair
Menlo Park
Kathryn Kirkland
San Francisco
Becky A. Rasmason
Windsor
Brian G. Seastrom
Newport Beach
|
Franchise and Distribution Law
Susan A. Grueneberg, Chair
Los Angeles
Robert L. Ebe
San Francisco
Margaret E. Narodick
Long Beach
Timothy A. Pickwell
San Diego
Phyllis Truby
Los Angeles
|
Jeffrey L. Fillerup, Vice Chair
San Francisco
Anthony J. Marks
Santa Monica
Dawn Newton
Oakland
Therese Thilgen
San Jose
|
Immigration and Nationality Law
Mary M. Waltermire, Chair
Sacramento
James A. Bach
San Francisco
Stacey L. Gartland
San Francisco
Love M. Macione
Oakland
Kip E. Steinberg
San Rafael |
Donald K. Sheppard, Vice Chair
San Diego
Judith A. Bloomberg
San Rafael
Madeleine Kirkconnell
Stockton
Henry A. Posada
Downey
|
Legal Malpractice Law
Peter Fortune, Chair
San Francisco
Raymond J. Coughlan
San Diego
Kathleen M. Ewins
San Francisco
Peter M. Kunstler
Los Angeles |
Deborah A. Wolfe, Vice Chair
San Diego
Kevin V. Desantis
San Diego
Paul A. Frassetto
San Francisco
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Taxation Law
Miles D. Friedman, Chair
Laguna Niguel
James H. Garrett
San Diego
Benjamin F. Miller
Sacramento
Mitchell L. Schwary
Santa Ana
Kurt C. Swainston
Glendale
|
Ronald A. Mollis, Vice Chair
Newport Beach
Sanford I. Millar
Los Angeles
Thomas F. Ogden
Alhambra
Barbara R. Simon
San Francisco
|
Workers' Compensation
L. Robert Vermes, Chair
Santa Ana
Jeffrey C. Andersen
Rohnert Park
Sharon E. Kelly
Modesto
Elizabeth R. Valenzuela
Sherman Oaks
Jake Yoon
Inglewood
|
Thomas A. Richard, Vice-Chair
Oakland
William A. Herreras
Grover Beach
Denise L. Sanchez
San Diego
Robert E. Willyard
Anahiem
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