Rancho Mirage, CA

Walter T. Clark maintains a solid record as a trial attorney in the Inland Empire / California High Desert region, and he has earned high rankings within the legal profession. Mr. Clark is a member of the prestigious American Board of Trial Advocates, an invitation-only organization of attorneys who have extensive trial experience and who place high values on professional integrity and civility. In addition, he has achieved certification as a specialist in civil trials from the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He is also certified and recognized by the Consumer Attorneys of California. After receiving his J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1972, Mr. Clark began his legal career by handling criminal trials as a Riverside County Deputy District Attorney. Later, he joined the Palm Desert plaintiff firm of Hirschi, Clark & Hawkins, where he became a partner. In 1996, Mr. Clark formed his own firm, the Walter Clark Legal Group. He has tried to verdict more than 100 jury trials, and settled countless cases to clients’ satisfaction. Mr. Clark’s Commitment to the Community Mr. Clark is committed to providing zealous advocacy for his clients. But he sees his role as a plaintiff trial attorney as something larger. “I’m very focused on what I call leveling the playing field,” he says. “We constantly have to deal with legislation that is proposed by the insurance industry, by big pharma, and by the Chamber of Commerce which is totally unfair to consumers.” Mr. Clark actively pursues opportunities to ensure that courthouse doors are kept open for plaintiffs. To that end, he is active as a sustaining member of the American Association for Justice and as a member of the Consumer Attorneys of California’s Board of Governors. “I think that’s what distinguishes me and the firm,” he says. “We are passionately involved with helping people in any way that we can.” Mr. Clark is also active in helping his community through civic involvement. He has served as the director of the Community Blood Bank Foundation and the Wellness Foundation in Rancho Mirage since 2001; served as president of the Coachella Valley YMCA; and served for five years on the Indian Wells City Planning Commission, including one year as chairman.

Dan Bolton-a plaintiff’s lawyer for thirty years in San Francisco, including twenty years managing his own firm-has fought for decades to ensure justice and fairness for his clients. He began his civil litigation work in mass torts on behalf of women injured by the Dalkon Shield IUD and the miscarriage preventative, DES. Other mass tort work includes the diet drug combination Fen-Phen, hip implants, transvaginal mesh and hernia mesh. Mr. Bolton practices in the Rancho Mirage office and focuses on serious personal injury, wrongful death, and public interest litigation. He has forty-three years of experience in individual, class, multidistrict, coordinated, and mass tort actions, in state and federal courts throughout the country. Mr. Bolton played a pivotal role in the birth of failure to warn liability in California for pharmaceutical manufacturers. He was appellate counsel in Brown v. Superior Court (1988) 44 Cal.3d 1049, the California Supreme Court decision holding manufacturers strictly liable for the failure to warn of known or scientifically knowable dangers. Additional appellate cases before the California Supreme Court include Johnson & Johnson v. Superior Court (1985) 38 Cal. 3d 246 (clarifying service of process requirements for out of state defendant) and Estate of MacDonald (1990) 51 Cal.3d 265 (defining the “express declaration” necessary to effectuate a transmutation of real or personal property). He pioneered the breast implant litigation and obtained a $7.3M verdict in Hopkins v. Dow Corning Corporation, the largest breast implant verdict at the time and the largest product liability verdict in the United States federal district courts in 1991. One month after the verdict, FDA Commissioner David Kesler, M.D. called for a moratorium on the distribution and sale of silicone breast implants because of insufficient safety data. Mr. Bolton was co-appellate counsel in the Hopkins case before the United States Court of Appeal, Ninth Circuit, in which the judgment was affirmed, and the United States Supreme Court which denied certiorari (33 F.3d 1116 (9th Cir. 1994) cert. denied, 115 S.Ct 734 (1995)). He served on the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee in the federal multi-district litigation that negotiated a $4.2B settlement with the breast implant manufacturers and ultimately forced Dow Corning into bankruptcy. Profiled and interviewed by print media, including Newsweek, Fortune, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and California Lawyer. Recognized as the “Dean of silicone breast implant cases” by The American Lawyer, “From Pioneers to Profits,” July 1992. Mr. Bolton was the subject of an editorial in The Wall Street Journal critical of his success as a plaintiff’s attorney (“Science Abdicates,” January 9, 1992). Featured in books, including Joseph C. Goulden, “The Money Lawyers” (St. Martin’s Press 2006), Ralph Nader and Wesley J. Smith, “No Contest (Corporate Lawyers and the Perversion of Justice in America)” (Random House 1996), John A. Byrne, “Informed Consent” (McGraw-Hill 1996), Marcia Angell, M.D., “Science on Trial” (W.W. Norton & Co., Inc.), and made for television movie, “Two Voices” (fictionalized character) Lifetime Cable Movie 1997. Personal appearances on Nightline with Barbara Walters, Primetime Live with Chris Wallace, MacNeil-Lehrer News Hour, National Public Radio, The Phil Donahue Show and The Roggin Report.

Shelly L. Zeise

Shelly L. Zeise was born in San Bernardino and has spent most of her life in the Inland Empire as a Trial Attorney. She has raised her family in Redlands. Over the past five years, she has divided her time between California and Arizona. She has practiced for 35 years in California and 18 years in Arizona. She has achieved the highest “AV” ranking from Martindale Hubbel which measures integrity, competence and integrity within the legal profession, (which only approximately 2% of lawyers nationwide) have achieved. Ms. Zeise, like Mr. Clark, is also a member of the prestigious American Board of Trial Advocates, an invitation-only organization of attorneys who have extensive trial experience and who place high values on profession. She has tried 35 civil cases to verdict. She also is a certified specialist in Civil Trials and Civil Procedure from the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Ms. Zeise received her Juris Doctorate locally from the University of La Verne, School of Law in 1989. She has a unique perspective, as she spent 20 years as a defense attorney and then transitioned to the plaintiff bar by joining Welebir, Tierney and Weck. After several years, she started her own firm, the Law Offices of Shelly L. Zeise. Ms. Zeise enjoys servicing many clients who were injured in Arizona, however reside in California. She is able to do so effectively by maintaining a residence in Arizona and being a part of both the Arizona and the California desert community. Ms. Zeise has now joined WCLG as “Of Counsel” to assist in handling more unusual or difficult cases in California and handling their Arizona cases as well.

Scott Saunders

Attorney Scott E. Saunders represents plaintiffs in serious injury and wrongful death matters all over California. Scott has a track record of success in the Courtroom with multiple trials to verdict and large settlements for his clients. Prior to joining the firm, Scott was an attorney with the law firm of Kramer, deBoer & Keane in Indian Wells where his practice was primarily dedicated to the defense of physicians and other healthcare providers in medical malpractice actions. Scott’s background and experience is an invaluable resource for our clients because he understands how defense attorneys and insurance carriers litigate and prepare cases for trial. Scott was born and raised in Palm Springs, California. He attended Katherine Finchy Elementary School, Raymond Cree Middle School, and Palm Springs High School. After graduating as the class valedictorian and earning All-CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) honors for football during high school, Scott attended Occidental College in Los Angeles where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Urban and Environmental Policy with a minor in Economics. Scott was a member of the Occidental College football team and earned honors for both academics and athletics. After graduating from Occidental College, Scott attended Whittier Law School where he received a full tuition scholarship. Scott graduated in the top 2% of his law school class and went on to pass the California and Washington state bar exams, both on his first attempt.

Jennifer Valenzuela is a Personal Injury Litigation Attorney and proud native of the Coachella Valley. Fluent in both English and Spanish, Ms. Valenzuela is passionate about advocating for injured individuals and helping clients navigate the legal system with clarity and confidence. Ms. Valenzuela earned her Juris Doctor from Western Michigan University, where she was named to the Dean’s List and served as Vice President of the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund. While in law school, she participated in the Sixty Plus Estate Planning Clinic, gaining valuable hands-on experience in drafting Wills and Trusts for underserved seniors. Ms. Valenzuela also holds a Bachelor’s Degree from California State University, San Bernardino. Since entering the legal field in 2018, Ms. Valenzuela has focused on civil litigation, with an emphasis on personal injury matters. They are an active member of the Warren Slaughter-Richard Roemer American Inn of Court and the Desert Bar Association, where she continues to foster professional growth and community engagement within the legal field. Outside of work, Ms. Valenzuela enjoys exploring new places, getting lost in a good book, writing creatively, and spending quality time with her family and beloved dogs.

Gypsy Yeager

Gypsy Yeager comes to Walter Clark Legal Group with 20 years of legal experience. After graduating high school in Phoenix, Arizona, she joined the Marine Corps, where she first found her passion to start her career as an attorney. During her commitment to her country, she worked in the legal field specializing in court martials, family law, administrative separations, claims, and contractor debarments. While in the service, she obtained her associate’s degree from Arizona Western College. She obtained her bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in political science. She made the Dean’s Honor List and was a member of the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor’s Society and the Pi Sigma Alpha National Political Science Honor Society. While residing in Tucson, Arizona, she worked for Gabroy, Rollman and Bossē, a firm that specialized in the litigation and preparation of probate, trust, taxes, and estate planning. To gain valuable experience, Gypsy interned with Retired Brigadier General David Brahms in his general practice, the Orange County District Attorney Office and the Riverside County District Attorney Offices. Gypsy obtained her law degree from Whittier Law School. She was a member of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society, Whittier Federalist Society and Public Interest Law Foundation. She won Best Overall Sonnenberg Competition while participating on the Moot Court Honors Board. While she attended law school, she took international legal studies abroad and attended the Universidad de Cantabria in Spain and Bar-Ilan University in Israel. After being honorably discharged from the service, Gypsy joined the Riverside District Attorney’s Office and committed 16 years to the prosecution of protecting the community members of Riverside County. She has received recognition for her litigation skills receiving the “Trial Dog” Award and “Prosecutor of the Year.” She worked side by side with law enforcement on filing gang injunctions for the protection of the Coachella Valley community. She has an abundance of trial experience during her career in the prosecution of DUI’s, prison crimes, domestic violence, sexual assaults, child abuse and molestation, 290 registrants, homicides, and human trafficking. She has presented in front a grand jury and litigated most all criminal motions. She has prosecuted a serious domestic violence stalking case, which is now published caselaw in Mario v. Cruz (2020) 46 Cal.App.5th 715. Gypsy has given presentations to law enforcement, government officials, students and members of the community on numerous topics to educate on public safety and the law. She is adamant that the zealous litigation for justice for vulnerable victims the most rewarding and gratifying aspect of her ongoing legal career. Gypsy enjoys outdoor activities, animals, fitness and participating in community outreach.

After serving as a middle school teacher for two years, Jessica A. Albert switched careers to become a attorney. It’s a decision that she’s glad she made. “I really enjoy helping people,” she says. “And I enjoy going up against some of the large law firms and prevailing.” Ms. Albert graduated cum laude with her J.D. in 2006 from the University of La Verne College of Law, where she was president of the Student Bar Association. She also received the school’s Student of Distinction Award and its Pro Publico Award for community service. Ms. Albert began working in Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage, handling civil litigation cases that involved contract, bankruptcy, immigration, real estate, and family law issues. She started her own practice, the Albert Law Group, before joining Walter Clark Legal Group in Rancho Mirage in December 2012. She has now expanded her work into personal injury litigation. In her spare time, Ms. Albert enjoys hiking, bike riding, and spending time with her family.