Santa Cruz, CA

Markus Willoughby

Markus Willoughby is an award-winning trial lawyer focusing on medical malpractice, personal injury, and other injury-related lawsuits. He is recognized for his tenacity and law-changing successes, including the Keys v. Alta Bates Summit Medical Center case. He is a Board Member and 2020 President of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, and has been repeatedly selected as a Northern California Super Lawyer.

Neil Berman

Neil Berman practices primarily personal injury law, including products liability, automobile accidents, toxic torts, wrongful death, and premises liability matters. He is admitted to practice in California and before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Neil also practices Social Security Disability law, Workers’ Compensation and employment law. Neil was selected to the Northern California Rising Stars List by Super Lawyers each year between 2013 and 2020. Neil earned his Juris Doctor degree from Santa Clara University School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Washington. During law school, he was a clerk at the Santa Clara University School of Law Northern California Innocence Project, which seeks to exonerate innocent prisoners and pursue legal reforms that address the causes and consequences of wrongful convictions. Outside of his practice, Neil is dedicated to helping members of the community who need legal assistance. He is a member of the Board of Governors of the Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC), an organization dedicated to protecting the constitutional right to trial by jury for all consumers and championing the cause of those who deserve redress for injury to person or property and resisting efforts to curtail the rights of such injured persons.

Eva Silva

Eva Silva is the Managing Attorney at Schaar & Silva LLP. She earned her undergraduate degree from California State University Hayward (now CSUEB) and her JD from Santa Clara University School of Law. She began her career in personal injury law in 2005 and co-founded Schaar & Silva Trial Lawyers in 2017. Eva is known for her attention to detail, coordinating legal research, writing briefs, and managing firm operations. She is a member of several legal associations and has been recognized as a Super Lawyers Rising Star. She enjoys spending time with her two daughters in the Bay Area.

Dirk Stemerman

Dirk Stemerman focuses his practice on representing injured workers in workers’ compensation and Social Security Disability (SSDI) benefits cases. He is certified as a Specialist in workers’ compensation law by The State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. He is a much-in-demand speaker and presenter at numerous legal conventions. Dirk is also involved in the local legal community, serving as a volunteer with the Watsonville Law Center, which provides free legal services to low-income individuals with predominate focus on the agricultural community and workers’ rights and as a Sustaining Member of the Workplace Injury Law & Advocacy Group, a non-profit organization that advocates on behalf of injured workers.

Paymon A. Khatibi

Paymon A. Khatibi is a passionate advocate who thrives in “David and Goliath” cases, taking great pride in standing up to large corporations or government entities on behalf of those who have been wronged. He has helped recover millions of dollars in cases involving personal injury, product defects, wrongful death, government liability, sexual abuse, civil rights, employment and business litigation. He founded Wave Law Firm, APC to focus on personal injury matters. Paymon frequently writes and speaks on various legal topics and has participated in numerous civil trials involving catastrophic injuries, including obtaining a seven-figure personal injury verdict in a jury trial in 2019. He has also secured seven-figure settlements in wrongful death and products liability cases.

Dan C. Schaar

Dan C. Schaar is a Senior Trial Attorney at Schaar & Silva LLP. He obtained his JD from Santa Clara University School of Law and began practicing law in 2008. He has a strong focus on trial presentation, having procured numerous six, seven, and eight-figure results, including significant personal injury jury verdicts and one of the largest verdicts for an injured bicyclist in California history. He also teaches young attorneys through Trial By Human. In his free time, he enjoys surfing, snowboarding, skateboarding, mountain biking, and spending time with his family.

Ryan O’Connell

Ryan O’Connell handles a wide variety of personal injury cases including products liability, automobile accidents, toxic torts, wrongful death, elder abuse, and premises liability matters. In addition to personal injury law, Ryan also practices workers’ compensation. He has successfully handled numerous workers’ compensation cases for clients who work in law enforcement, corrections, fire, hospitality, agriculture, and much more. He is admitted to practice in California and before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Ryan earned his Juris Doctorate from Monterey College of Law and his Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from California State University Sacramento. Outside of his practice, Ryan has served on the Board of Directors for the Monterey County Bar Association. He has also volunteered as a Neutral Hearing Officer for the Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office, hearing a wide variety of agricultural and pesticide disputes. He was the 2015-16 NLD Chair for the Consumer Attorneys of California, an organization dedicated to protecting the constitutional right to trial by jury for all consumers, championing the cause of those who deserve redress for injury to person or property, and resisting efforts to curtail the rights of such injured persons.