French-Speaking Attorneys

Steve A. Baker

Virginia Beach, VA

Steve, a Senior Associate, is local to the Roanoke area, where he graduated from Roanoke College in May 2001, with honors, earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration, a minor in French, and a concentration in Marketing. He later attended George Mason University School of Law, graduating with a Juris Doctorate degree in 2005. From 2006 to 2010, Steve worked for law firms practicing insurance defense and plaintiff-side personal injury. He founded the Baker Law Firm in 2011 and was hired full-time by Roanoke College in 2016 as a Lecturer, as the Director of the Center for Leadership and Entrepreneurial Innovation, and as the Director of the Roanoke College Innovation Challenge. Steve has handled various cases throughout his career and specializes in personal injury. Negotiation and finding compromise solutions in challenging situations are among his strengths. Included in his list of accomplishments, he has been a part of jury trials of intentional and negligence torts, tried cases involving slip and fall, alcohol-related car crashes and truck accidents, served as local counsel in a class action involving multi-district litigation, argued a constitutional issue in the West Virginia Supreme Court and successfully appealed a jury verdict in a criminal matter that was overturned in the VA Court of Appeals. His ability to be both intellectual and practical have aided in his career accomplishments. Steve is active in several community organizations. He was a member of the Mill Mountain Zoo Board from 2016 and served as the President of the Board from 2021 to 2023. He is a member of Salem Rotary and served on the Salem Rotary Board of Directors. He regularly serves as a mentor in the Gauntlet Business Program and counsels numerous business owners and entrepreneurs. Steve volunteers regularly with Sleep In Heavenly Peace, a local charity that builds and delivers beds to children who do not have them. The charity’s motto is, “No child sleeps on the floor in our town.” Steve further serves his community by participating annually in The Giving Back Society’s Charity Fashion Show. Steve lives in Roanoke with his wife, Susan, daughter, Sophie, his best friend - his black Labrador retriever, “Rac”, and cat, Josephine (“Josie”). He also has a dumpy tree frog, Olive, who Steve routinely feeds and takes care of because his daughter never remembers.

Jack Shaw

Waco, TX

Jack Shaw focuses on intellectual property and commercial litigation, with experience in fact and expert discoveries, claim constructions, motion practices, and trials. He has litigated cases in district and state courts, as well as before the International Trade Commission (ITC). Jack is also registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and is fluent in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, and French. Jack brings electrical engineering training and technical experience to his clients, including software, mobile app technologies, digital media & entertainment, machine learning, consumer electronics, semiconductors, telecommunications, mobile payment, internet, network, medical, and mechanical engineering. Other intellectual property experience includes copyright/DMCA, trade dress, and trade secret matters. Jack’s commercial litigation experience includes unfair competition and breach of contract actions. Prior to his career as an attorney, Jack worked as an engineer at a large Silicon Valley, high-tech company and as a research assistant at a photonics laboratory. Jack is a board member of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Silicon Valley as well as a co-chair of its Pro Bono, Judiciary, Intellectual Property, and Data Privacy & Cybersecurity Committees. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers® Ones to Watch for Commercial Litigation and Litigation-Intellectual Property Law, and ranked in the top 2% among Patent Litigation attorneys in the Patexia 2025 Patent Litigation Report.

Jon Norris

Danbury, CT

Jon Norris is an Injury Law Attorney specializing in Motor Vehicle Accidents, Premises Liability, Medical Malpractice, Product Liability, Workplace Accidents, and Wrongful Death. He successfully argued a unanimous reversal before the Connecticut Supreme Court in LaPointe v. Winchester Board of Education. He is admitted to practice in Connecticut and the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.

Paul DerOhannesian II

Albany, NY

Paul DerOhannesian is a member at the firm. Born and raised in the capital region of New York, Paul has deep roots in the community, where he continues to live and work. He graduated from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service with his B.S.F.S. cum laude in 1975 and from Albany Law School with his J.D. in 1978. He became assistant district attorney with the Albany County District Attorney's Office and for 22 years headed the D.A.'s Special Assault Unit. He is admitted to practice in New York, the State of New York Appellate Division Third Judicial Department, the U.S. District Court for the Southern, Eastern, Western and Northern Districts of New York, the U.S. Court of Appeals Second Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He has received numerous awards including the AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review RatingSM by Martindale-Hubbell®, named to City & State’s Law Power 100 and Upstate Power 100 lists, NAACP's Thurgood Marshall Award in 2004, and the Lecturer of Merit Award by the National College of District Attorneys. He is also the author of 'Sexual Assault Trials, Fifth Edition' (LexisNexis, 2022).

Dan Rainsbury

Folsom, CA

Dan Rainsbury is the founder and lead attorney at Rainsbury Law Group, PC. During his 25+ years of experience as a practicing lawyer, Dan has worked for prominent Insurance defense firms, Social Security disability practices and in large personal injury law firms. Through that experience, Dan has gained broad knowledge of both the plaintiff and defense perspective of a claim, so he knows strategically how to best win your case. Dan has focused his career on helping those injured in accidents recover, both physically and financially, from their losses. Dan prides himself on catering to the local community in his private practice, with a caring, compassionate and personal approach. Dan uses his vast experience to assess case value and he knows how to fight to get the best possible outcome.

Michael Edmunds

Grand Blanc, MI

Mike is a trial lawyer. He specializes in employment and civil rights litigation, but he also handles commercial litigation and personal injury cases. He has a reputation for being honest and aggressive. If the case is one that is likely to go to trial, Mike is the lawyer that you want by your side in the courtroom.

Andréa Vieira is a seasoned trial lawyer with more than 25 years of legal experience, specializing in personal injury and civil rights cases. She is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish, and conversational in French. She is admitted to practice in Nevada, the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of the United States. She has received multiple awards for her pro bono work and community involvement.

Tammy Strohl-Samuel

Naples, FL

Tammy Strohl-Samuel is an attorney in Naples, FL, with over twenty-five years of personal injury experience. She graduated from McGill University with a B.A. in 1989 and received her J.D. from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1992. Admitted to the Florida Bar in 1994, she opened the Law Office of Tammy Strohl P.A. in 1996. She has served as Chair of the Grievance Committee - Twentieth Circuit Grievance Committee ‘B’. She is dedicated to providing personalized attention to clients and speaks English, French, Creole, and offers Spanish-language services.

Amber R. Collins

Portland, ME

Amber R. Collins specializes in divorce, family law, and civil litigation, including personal injury, traffic offenses, and domestic violence. She also handles protection from abuse and harassment cases. She is proficient in conversational French and has volunteered for the Volunteer Lawyers Project and the Katahdin Counsel Program.

Patrick M. Groom

Greeley, CO

Patrick joined Witwer, Oldenburg, Barry & Groom in 1996. Since then he has represented a wide variety of clients, from individuals to institutions, in a wide variety of civil matters, from litigation to complex transactions. Patrick is the Public Administrator of Weld County and speaks both Spanish and French.

Armen Kiramijyan

Glendale, CA

Armen Kiramijyan serves as lead counsel at KAASS Law, licensed in California, New York, Texas, Utah, and Washington, D.C. He holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Economics from USC and a JD from California Western School of Law. He has over a decade of experience and is admitted to practice before various courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.

Alexander Guttieres

Miami, FL

Alexander Guttieres is Of Counsel at Perkins Law Offices, with over thirty years of experience as a litigator and transactional attorney. He is licensed to practice in Florida and Italy, handling a broad range of civil and criminal matters in the United States and throughout the European Union. His extensive professional experience in common law and civil law systems, international background, and proficiency in multiple languages make him uniquely qualified for complex litigation, commercial transactions, and family disputes across varied jurisdictions.

Adrian Paul Smith

Baton Rouge, LA

Adrian Paul Smith is a Babcock Injury Lawyers trial attorney with a unique approach shaped by his Louisiana heritage and diverse legal experience. Born in Bourg, Louisiana, he grew up in a French-speaking household. He completed his undergraduate and law degrees at Louisiana State University, attending the Paul M. Hebert Law Center. His fluency in French led him to study abroad and clerk in France. Admitted to practice in all Louisiana state and federal courts in 2018, his career includes solo practice, insurance defense, and personal injury litigation. He now focuses on non-standard insurance defense, commercial litigation, and catastrophic personal injury cases. His experience defending insurance companies provides a unique perspective.

Miranda Condra

Irvine, CA

Ms. Condra has been practicing law since 2013 and has always represented those in more vulnerable positions of power; be it against insurance companies, employers or the government. With a passion for litigation and defending her clients’ rights, Ms. Condra interned for the Office of the San Diego Public Defender while still in law school. Afterwards, she assisted in representing low-income and indigent persons accused of committing federal crimes. In workers’ compensation, Ms. Condra tenaciously fights for the rights of injured workers. Due to her passion for injured workers, she has been a long standing member of the California Applicant’s Attorney Association (“CAAA”). She served as the Vice President of the CAAA San Diego Chapter for several years, and is now serving as the President of the CAAA San Diego Chapter.

Scott O. Mercer

Salt Lake City, UT

Scott O. Mercer is a trial lawyer and senior shareholder at Kesler & Rust, having joined the firm in 1981. He graduated from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law in 1982. Scott specializes in commercial litigation, handling matters for shopping centers, real estate management, and construction companies, including landlord-tenant disputes. He recently secured a $3.4 million verdict in a products liability case. He is admitted to practice in all Utah state and federal courts, the Tenth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He is recognized with an 'AV Preeminent' peer review rating from Martindale Hubbell and speaks French.

Rudy Pacheco

Santa Ana, CA

Rudy Pacheco is a trial attorney dedicated to representing victims of personal injury, including those injured by reckless drivers, defective products, vicious animals, and medical malpractice. He is known for securing high-value settlements and holding culprits accountable, even in complex cases involving children and vulnerable adults. A native Spanish speaker, also conversant in French and Italian, Rudy effectively communicates with diverse clients. He has trial experience in Orange, San Diego, and San Francisco Counties, notably trying a civil case during the COVID-19 shutdown. Rudy graduated Magna Cum Laude from Whittier Law School and was admitted to the California State Bar in 2014. Prior to his legal career, he was an interpreter and taught Spanish at California State University Long Beach.

Sara Azari

New York, NY

Sara Azari is Of Counsel to Tacopina, Seigel & DeOreo, a bi-coastal trial attorney with over 20 years of experience in complex criminal, civil, and administrative matters. She specializes in white-collar defense, including cryptocurrency fraud and IEEPA violations, and is a frequent media commentator and legal analyst. She has been consistently named a California Super Lawyer since 2008.

Jessica Monsell is an Attorney at Keibler Law Group. Her practice focuses on wrongful death, catastrophic injury, product liability, consumer protection, and environmental litigation on behalf of plaintiffs. Prior to pursuing a law degree at Georgetown, Jessica served for more than 12 years as a trial paralegal at one of the nation’s largest plaintiffs’ firms in hard-fought litigation arising from air disasters. During that time, she handled cases in federal and state court and, given the global nature of air travel, transnational litigation. She brings with her years of experience in preparing complex cases for trial, and she especially enjoys working with clients to develop a winning litigation strategy. Jessica is a cum laude graduate of Georgetown Law, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Georgetown Law Technology Review. While in law school, she was honored to serve as an intern at the Federal Trade Commission, at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and to the Honorable Patty Shwartz at the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. In law school, she earned CALI Awards for the highest grade in Civil Procedure I, Civil Procedure II, and Torts II. Jessica earned an undergraduate degree from Hamilton College and a master’s degree from Middlebury College, both in French. She has lived overseas in France and in Japan. Before transitioning to law, Jessica worked as a researcher in the Wall Street office of the French Treasury, studying trends in the U.S. financial markets. She speaks French fluently. Before joining Keibler Law Group, Jessica represented plaintiffs and defendants in complex business litigation at a prominent South Carolina law firm. She is based in our Greenville office.

Claire Crowson

Wasilla, AK

Anchorage personal injury attorney Claire Crowson is deeply committed to using her legal education and experience to help level the playing field between insurance companies and injured Alaskans. Claire is a Swiss American citizen who is fluent in French, German, Italian and English. She graduated from St. Lawrence University and leveraged her language skills for the US Army prior to going back to school to get a master’s degree in business. Although Claire was happy using her languages and business experience for large, multinational companies, her desire to help ensure that everyone receives fair and equal treatment led her to pursue a law degree and to focus on serving injured Alaskans. Claire has been part of Crowson Law Group for over 20 years and has helped with all facets of the business. In her free time, Claire enjoys spending time with her family, running on the Anchorage trails, and playing with her English Bulldog, Jack.

Debbie Gallenberg

Mendota Heights, MN

Debbie Gallenberg is a compassionate and vision-oriented family and juvenile law attorney who has been licensed to practice in Minnesota since 2006. Consistently recognized as a Super Lawyer for attaining a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement, Debbie is a trustworthy, client-focused advocate who is intimately familiar with her clients and the law. She strives to efficiently resolve clients’ cases through excellent negotiating and thorough preparation, yet when an agreement cannot be reached, she is prepared to litigate cases. Debbie prioritizes educating clients about the legal process they are facing to empower them to make practical and thoughtful decisions which safeguard their short-term and long-term best interests and the best interests of any children involved. Debbie skillfully represents clients at court conferences, evaluations, arbitrations, mediations, motion hearings, pretrial conferences, evidentiary hearings, and appeals in matters throughout Minnesota. Over 20 years ago, Debbie’s passion for working with families and children compelled her to volunteer in the Child Advocacy Clinic and Family Law Clinic at the University of Minnesota Law School through which she appeared in both juvenile and family court representing and advocating for clients as a student attorney. Following law school and prior to entering private practice, Debbie’s unique experience clerking for two district court judges in family court led her to develop a sophisticated knowledge of family law, court operations and the judiciary, which has served as the foundation for Debbie’s practice. In addition to practicing law, Debbie is an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, where she teaches legal research and writing to first year students. Prior to attending law school, Debbie taught French and Spanish at Cinnaminson Middle School in New Jersey. Currently, Debbie lives in Plymouth with her husband, two children, cat and bunny. Debbie and her family are active in their community and at church. They especially enjoy traveling, hiking, music, hockey, gardening and spending time at their cabin at Boy Lake in Remer.

Prior to joining Liakas Law, Karina spent several years working at prominent personal injury firms, where she amassed a breadth of knowledge in motor vehicle and premises accident cases. She also served as a judicial extern for the Honorable John M. Leventhal at the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department. At the firm, Karina primarily handles motor vehicle accidents, premises and municipal liability cases. Her collective work experience and her ability to speak fluently in both Spanish and French has allowed her to develop a more personal, empathetic approach when interacting with her clients. She is admitted to practice in New York, and in the Eastern District of New York federal court.

Carolyn M. Demougeot

Rockville, MD

Ms. Demougeot is a Partner at Armstrong, Donohue, Ceppos, Vaughan & Rhoades. Ms. Demougeot concentrates her practice in the defense of health care providers. Her prior experience includes working as a criminal defense attorney handling traffic cases, misdemeanors, and serious felonies. In addition, she has experience as a personal injury litigator, handling automobile accidents, slip & fall cases, and premises liability cases. Following law school, Ms. Demougeot served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Beverly J. Woodard in the Prince George’s County Circuit Court.

Steffany Elhaddad

Houston, TX

Steffany Elhaddad is an International Client Liaison licensed to practice law in Mexico. She assists US-licensed attorneys in commercial, corporate, and international personal injury matters, bringing a background in international commerce and experience as an in-house lead attorney for LG Electronics.

Ryan’s legal career has always been about helping others. During law school he had the opportunity to work with a prominent personal injury law firm located in Kansas City. Many of those who sought help had been injured, losing both time and money through no fault of their own. He came to realize representing those injured by others was an opportunity to make a real difference in someone’s life. After graduating from law school in 2013 from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Ryan took a position as an associate attorney at a bankruptcy and immigration firm in Olathe, Kansas. Always eager to expand his knowledge of the law and help the community, he enjoyed the work. Nonetheless, when an opportunity to form his own firm arose, House Packard McElderry LLC, he hasn’t looked back. Because Ryan is fluent in Spanish and French, at House Packard McElderry LLC, Ryan has been able to expand his immigration practice to serve a large and diverse population. Ryan is quickly building a reputation for his skills in the courtroom as well as his compassion for his clients. Ryan has three wonderful children who keep him busy when he’s not at work. He and his wife love to travel and make an effort each year to show their children the world. The family has gone to Rocky Mountain National Park, Mexico, Disney World and even Iceland. He loves the outdoors whether it is hiking in the mountains or tailgating at Arrowhead.