PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION & ACTIVITIES
- 2019-present. Member of American Academy of Appellate Lawyers
- 2015-2019 Top 10 Lawyers in San Diego (ranked number one, two, or three each year), San Diego Super Lawyers
- 2011-2014 Top 50 Lawyers in San Diego, San Diego Super Lawyers
- 2018 Southern California Lawyer of the Year in Appellate Practice, Best Lawyers
- 2017 Consumer Attorney of the Year, awarded by Consumer Attorneys of California
- 2012-2015 Top 4 Litigation Firms in California (only solo firm on the list each year), Super Lawyers Business Edition
- 2014 San Diego Appellate Practice “Lawyer of the Year,” Best Lawyers in America
- 2013-present Best Law Firms in Appellate Practice, Tier 1 Metro Rating, U.S. News & World Report
- 2012 California Lawyer Attorney of the Year (CLAY award) for Appellate Law, California Lawyer
- 2012 & 2013 Top Rated Lawyers in Appellate Law, National Law Journal
- 500 Leading Lawyers in America, Lawdragon 2011
- 2012 Outstanding Advocate Award, Consumer Attorneys of San Diego
- 2012 Top Appellate Practices in California, The Recorder
- 2011 Attorney of the Year, The Recorder
- Top 100 California Lawyers of 2011, Los Angeles Daily Journal
- Member, California Academy of Appellate Lawyers (2009-present)
- Master & Founding Sponsor, San Diego Appellate Inn of Court (2016-present)
- San Diego’s Best Lawyers in Appellate Law, San Diego Magazine (2009-present)
- Best Lawyers in America, Appellate Law (2009-present)
- Paul Bell Memorial Award for Appellate Advocacy (1998)
- Board Member, Appellate Defenders, Inc. (2010-present); Board President (2015-2019)
- Board Member, Federal Defenders of San Diego, Inc. (2010-2016); Board President (2015-2016)
- Judge Pro Tem, San Diego County Superior Court (2007-2010)
- Volunteer Award, San Diego County Juvenile Justice Commission (2011)
- Award of Merit, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (2007)
- Wiley W. Manuel Award for Pro Bono Legal Services, State Bar of California (2007 & 2011)
- Board Member, Social Advocates for Youth – San Diego, Inc. (2006-2015); Board President (2011-2015); First Vice-President (2008-2011); Secretary (2007-2008)
- Volunteer Judge, San Diego Teen Court (2006-2012)
- Member, International Child Abduction Attorney Network for the United States Central Authority for the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (2006-present)
- Member, Committee on Appellate Courts, State Bar of California (2004-2007)
- Directors Award for Excellence, San Diego Criminal Defense Bar Association (1999)
- AV® PreeminentTM Peer Review Rated, LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell