John Ross Wertz

Partner

Mr. Wertz is a highly accomplished personal injury plaintiffs’ attorney with over 50 successful trials during his 36-year legal career. He has obtained many multi-million dollar verdicts, awards and settlements for his clients totaling over $50 million. Mr. Wertz is a California 'Super Lawyer' and is widely regarded as one of the very top personal injury trial attorneys throughout San Diego. Mr. Wertz's long standing reputation is an invaluable asset to his clients as an influential advocate among judges and attorneys throughout San Diego County. Mr. Wertz has been the “go to” attorney chosen by four previous San Diego mayors, several city council members, and County of San Diego elected officials for defense in high profile, public trials. Mr. Wertz has been featured in every major newspaper and magazine in San Diego, and continues to receive yearly accolades from his peers for his high profile representation.

Joseph C. Lavelle

Partner

Mr. Lavelle has significant, successful jury trial experience and is responsible for more than $20 million in jury verdicts and settlements, including a $1.75 million insurance bad faith case, a $1.75 million injury case in Old Town, a $1.3 million design defect premises case, a $1.4 million semi-tractor trailer injury, a $1.25 million taxi cab injury, a $1.6 million elderly auto accident victim and many other six and seven figure verdicts and settlements. Mr. Lavelle is a Martindale-Hubbell AV Rated Attorney (the highest level of professional experience & integrity) who prides himself on a personal hands on approach. Mr. Lavelle has been selected as a ‘Super Lawyer’ (top 5% of San Diego lawyers) and works hand in hand with clients, getting to know and understand how his clients’ injuries impact their lives and their families’ lives. Mr. Lavelle’s extra effort has helped him be so successful in winning multi-million dollar verdicts, awards, and settlements for his clients.

John H. Stephens

Partner

Mr. Stephens handles select personal injury and property damage cases as part of his broader litigation practice. Recently, he represented a family that received a $1.56 million settlement from a university fertility clinic that became internationally infamous for switching patients’ embryos, obtained $1.3 million for a mother and infant in a crosswalk hit-and-run case, and was counsel for property owners in San Diego’s last two major landslides in La Costa and La Jolla. Mr. Stephens’ involvement with parent-and-child cases was recognized by Columbia University where he received its annual award for the documentary Thursday’s Children, which profiled the medical and legal implications of treatment for severely disabled infants. He has been selected a California ‘Super Lawyer’ and was listed by Super Lawyers as one of the nation’s top business litigators.

John P. Fiske

Associate

Mr. Fiske fought to recover $1.75 million on behalf of an injured Good Samaritan in a premises liability case, $750,000 on behalf of a college student who fell four stories through an unguarded airshaft, nearly $300,000 on behalf of plaintiffs who were attacked on a business premises, and several other victims in premises liability, automobile accident, and other serious injury and complex tort cases. Mr. Fiske specializes in complex tort cases and recently received a judgment for another Good Samaritan client for over $300,000 due to an intentional attack. Mr. Fiske was named to 50 People to Watch in 2007 by San Diego Magazine when he hosted and produced a CBS radio show, also featured in the PBS documentary entitled “Generation Next: Speak Up, Be Heard.”