Mesothelioma Attorney - San Francisco, California - Associates of Levin Simes Kaiser & Gornick LLP
If you’ve been diagnosed with mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure, you need the services of an outstanding mesothelioma attorney. The San Francisco, California law firm Levin Simes Kaiser & Gornick LLP is a leader in helping victims and their families fight the asbestos industry. Our founding partners have recruited a group of associates who share their dedication to getting mesothelioma victims the medical and financial help needed to fight this deadly form of cancer.
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Anna Maria Costa
Areas of Focus
Anna has represented mesothelioma victims and their families for the past four years. She has primarily represented union trade workers who were injured as a result of their occupational exposure to toxins. She has assisted in a number of trials and helped to obtain multi-million dollar verdicts for injured workers and their families.
Prior to this work, Anna represented criminal defendants in private practice and at the San Francisco Public Defenders Office. It has always been important to Anna to help ensure that the promise of "justice for all" rings true for everyone, regardless of financial means or status.
Education
Anna received a B.A. in psychology from the University of California at Berkeley. In 1999, she graduated with honors from Golden Gate Law School, where she received American Jurisprudence Awards in Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure.
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Sean P. Worsey
Areas of Focus
Sean has been representing individuals suffering from mesothelioma and other serious occupational diseases for several years. During that time, Sean has helped his clients obtain millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts. In addition to being a mesothelioma attorney at our San Francisco, California firm, Sean has extensive experience in criminal law, real estate litigation, personal injury, product liability, and business litigation. Sean has donated countless pro-bono hours providing legal assistance to grass-roots civic organizations, and defending the constitutional right to free speech and assembly.
Education
Sean received his B.A. cum laude from California State University, Long Beach, and received his J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law.
Admitted
Sean is licensed to practice law in the State of California, and is a member of the Consumer Attorneys of California.
"In our complex world, individuals are often made to feel helpless against the powerful corporations and economic interests that dominate our society. At Levin Simes Kaiser & Gornick LLP, we level the playing field."
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Lisa J. Espada
Area of Focus
Lisa has been representing individuals suffering from asbestos-related diseases since 2000. She has obtained millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for her clients. She presently specializes as a mesothelioma attorney at our San Francisco, California firm, fighting hard for the victims of this deadly disease and for their families.
Education
Lisa received her B.A. magna cum laude from San Francisco State University and her J.D. from Golden Gate University in San Francisco.
Bar and Professional Associations
Lisa is licensed to practice law in California, and is a member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA) and the Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC).
"Our clients are responsible individuals who have worked throughout their lives and raised families. They developed mesothelioma as a result of their hard work or their service to this country. These men and women deserve an advocate who will believe in their cause and fight for them, and that is what I strive to be."
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Steven B. Stein
Of Counsel
Areas of Focus
Steve Stein brings thirty years of both litigation and mediation experience to the Levin Simes Kaiser & Gornick LLP team. He was named 2002 Mediator of the Year by the San Francisco Trial Lawyers’ Association, and is widely respected for his knowledge, skill, and integrity.
Steve’s experience includes cases involving medical issues, personal injury, product liability, toxic torts, and insurance matters.
Education
A native of New York City, Steve graduated from City University of New York and received his law degree in 1966 from St. John’s University. After law school, he taught social studies at a junior high school on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
Experience
In 1969, Steve moved to Los Angeles, where he became a producer for the national public affairs series "The Advocates," which aired for five years on PBS.
In 1972, Steve joined a New York plaintiffs’ law firm, where he specialized in medical cases. He moved to San Francisco in 1979 and established a solo practice representing plaintiffs in personal injury matters. He joined Levin Simes Kaiser & Gornick LLP in 2003, in an "Of Counsel" capacity, with primary responsibility for legal, medical, and medical/legal issues for the firm’s pharmaceutical case dockets.
He is a member of the board of directors of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers and is an at-large board member of the Consumer Attorneys of California.
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Dennis Canty
Areas of Focus
Mr. Canty’s practice is focused on products liability, consumer class actions and unfair business practices. He is an experienced litigator in California state and federal courts, and over the years has also pursued complex business, personal injury, real estate and bankruptcy matters through mediation, arbitration, trial and appeal.
Education
University of San Francisco, J.D. 1999; B.A.1994.
Admitted
Mr. Canty is admitted to practice before all state and U.S. District Courts in California.
Memberships and Affiliations
Mr. Canty is a member of the California Bar Association and the San Francisco Bar Association. He is a member of the American Bar Association (Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section), the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA), the California State Bar Association (Litigation Section) and the San Francisco Bar Association.
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Jessica Biernier
Jessica is an associate whose practice areas focus on liability cases including asbestos and pharmaceutical cases. In 2002 Ms. Biernier graduated with honors from California State University, Chico with a B.A. in Political Science. In 2005 she received her Juris Doctorate from Golden Gate University School of Law where she was a Merit Scholar. In 2005 Ms. Biernier was admitted to practice in California. She is also admitted to practice before the United States District Court Northern District.
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Shannon Patel
Areas of Focus
Shannon represents individuals suffering from mesothelioma and the families of mesothelioma victims.
Education
Shannon received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego, with a minor in American Legal History. In 2005, she graduated with honors from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. While in law school, Shannon served as a law clerk for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and was President of the Hastings Health Law organization.
Admitted
Shannon is licensed to practice law in the State of California, and is a member of the San Francisco Bar Association.
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Laura M. Brandenberg
Areas of Focus
Laura’s practice focuses on product liability, in the realm of pharmaceutical litigation. Her current cases involve clients who have developed diabetes-related injuries as a result of taking Risperdal, Seroquel and Zyprexa, and clients who have developed Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis as a result of receiving gadolinium based contrast agent injections with MRI or MRA procedures.
Previously, Laura practiced in the area of business litigation at Kennerson & Grant, LLP in San Diego. While in San Diego, Laura clerked for the Honorable Roger T. Benitez in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of California.
Education
J.D. , University of San Diego, 2005
B.B.A. in Accountancy, University of Notre Dame, 2002
Admitted
Laura is admitted to practice before all California State Courts, as well as the Northern, Central, and Southern Districts of California.
Professional Associations
Laura is a member of the San Francisco Bar Association and the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association.
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Rachel Abrams
Areas of Focus
Rachel Abrams is involved in the firm's product liability and mass tort cases, typically involving consumer fraud and false advertising of dangerous or defective products. She has been involved in a wide range of product cases, including numerous mass torts and complex class actions. She has worked extensively on pharmaceutical mass tort litigation including, Breast Implant, DES, Fen-Phen, Sulzer-Hip Implants, Medtronic-AneuRx, Guidant-Ancure, Zyprexa, Medtronic-Defibrillators, Guidant-Defibrillators and numerous other cases involving pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Ms. Abrams actively worked on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee (“PSC”) of the Zyprexa Multi-District Litigation Coordination (“MDL”), which was conducted in the Eastern District of New York. Ms. Abrams was the Co-Chair of the Science and Expert Committee for the Zyprexa litigation, working extensively with experts in various fields. Furthermore, Ms. Abrams participated in the settlement negotiations on behalf of over 8,000 individual cases that led to an agreement by Eli Lilly and Company to pay $700,000,000 to resolve those individual cases. Ms. Abrams served as a Special Attorney General prosecuting claims by the Attorney General of New Mexico for damages incurred by the State of New Mexico for the inappropriate marketing, promotion and sale of Zyprexa.
Rachel Abrams was appointed by U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe to the national Avandia litigation (MDL- 1871) Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee (“PSC”). The PSC consists of only 12 members nationally. A position on the plaintiffs' steering committee is important because the members of this committee will be dealing with issues affecting the outcome of all of the cases, such as gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses, selecting experts and developing strategy on a national basis.
Ms. Abrams has spoken at several seminars and conferences and often lectures in the areas of pharmaceutical/medical device litigation and in particular MDL procedures and litigation.
Education
University of San Francisco School of Law, JD 2000
University of California, Santa Cruz, BA 1996
Admitted
Admitted to practice in all California state courts; before the California Supreme Court; and the U.S. District Court, Northern, Eastern and Central Districts of California; and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Pro hac vice admissions in the states of Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Philadelphia, Washington, and West Virginia.
Professional Associations
Member of the Bar Association of San Francisco, American Bar Association, The Barristers Club of San Francisco Association, San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Queen’s Bench, and Trial Lawyers for Public Justice.
Personal Statement
I am committed to redressing corporate and manufacturer misconduct, to achieving justice for deceived or misled consumers, to promoting the safety of products, including pharmaceuticals and medical devices, and to protecting our community and environment. I take great pride in the pursuit of justice to provide consumers with remedies for products that do not perform as warranted or advertised and that cause injury or death.
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To enlist the aid of an experienced professional in your fight against the asbestos industry, contact our team of California mesothelioma attorneys today.
Contact an outstanding mesothelioma attorney in San Francisco, California by filling out the form below.
Levin Simes Kaiser & Gornick LLP
44 Montgomery Street
36th Floor
San Francisco CA 94104
Phone: 1-877-LSKG-LAW
(1-877-575-4529)
Fax: 415-981-1270
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