Latin-Speaking Attorneys

Andrew L. Benjamin

Seattle, WA

For more than 25 years, I have enjoyed representing people in their Estates and Personal Injury cases. Many begin the process hurting, but for most of our clients, the law provides a remedy that gives them the strength and means to go forward in life. Empowered clients make informed decisions, and that is our goal in every case.

Ed Atkinson

Norfolk, VA

Ed Atkinson is the founding attorney of Atkinson Law. He has extensive experience in personal injury law, including car accidents, dog bites, medical malpractice, and wrongful death. He previously worked for insurance companies, providing him with unique insight into their operations. Ed is licensed in Virginia since 2008 and is a member of the Virginia State Bar and Virginia Trial Lawyers Association. He was named a Super Lawyer Rising Star in 2016.

Courtney Seda McDonnell

King of Prussia, PA

As co-founder, President, and managing partner of McDonnell & Associates, Courtney Seda McDonnell focuses on building a client-centric firm, leveraging technology, and fostering professional growth. She manages business and financial aspects, handles vendor selection, and serves as relationship partner for a major retailer. She also manages her own caseload of premises security and premises liability matters. Courtney is committed to diversity, actively recruiting women and minority lawyers, and promoting work-life balance. She is involved in community outreach and pro bono work. She graduated from The Dickinson School of Law in 1995.

Emily Vechan

Houston, TX

Emily Vechan is a Lead Trial Attorney at Sneed & Mitchell LLP. She has been committed to helping people obtain justice since 2005. Emily is recognized for obtaining one of the 'Top 10 Personal Injury Verdicts in Texas in 2021' and successfully pioneered a novel theory of liability against Amazon.com in federal court in 2022. In April 2024, she recovered over a million dollars for a nurse in a bench trial. Her cases have resulted in over one hundred million dollars in gross recovery. She handles cases involving 18-wheelers, workplace injuries, defective products, car collisions, wrongful death, maritime incidents, and premises liability. Emily is also a linguaphile, having studied French, Latin, Arabic, Greek, and Spanish.

Steve Trinen

Seattle, WA

With over two decades of practice, Steve Trinen is an experienced lawyer, comfortable in the courtroom, who has successfully handled numerous cases through to a jury verdict. He is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, where he appeared twice on murder cases. Steve has argued before the Washington Supreme Court more than ten times and also argued before the Alaska Supreme Court. Before joining Puget Law Group, Steve worked for the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office, handling a wide range of serious criminal cases. For several years he was the county’s lead meth lab prosecutor and is very familiar with the law of search and seizure, having trained law enforcement and the DEA. In addition, he represented the county in civil tort lawsuits, including multiple actions involving claims over a million dollars. These included breach of contract, inverse condemnation, and civil rights violations. Steve also defended a judge who was sued and achieved a complete dismissal of the lawsuit. Between the Prosecutor’s office and Puget law group, Steve was a personal injury attorney in private practice zealously representing the interests of injury victims. He handled several cases involving wrongful death and over a million dollars in damages. As a Judicial Clerk to the Honorable C. Kenneth Grosse of the Washington State Court of Appeals, Steve served for two years after graduating from law school. As a law student, he represented Seattle University in the Jessup International Law competition. His team was the regional champion and the third-placed U.S. team at the international rounds. Steve enjoys tutoring students in reading and English and leading youth activities in his free time. He also studies foreign languages, including French, Spanish, ancient Greek, and Latin, although his work duties have limited his ability to maintain fluency.

Samantha L. Maziejka

Albany, NY

Samantha L. Maziejka is an Associate Attorney at Monaco Cooper Lamme & Carr, PLLC, advising clients on corporate and commercial legal matters including business formation, corporate governance, commercial contracts, M&A, real estate transactions, and employment law. She represents clients in state courts throughout New York.