Spanish-Speaking Attorneys

Mary E. Taradash

McHenry, IL

Mary Taradash grew up in the ethnic neighborhoods of Chicago, immersed in cultural diversity and speaking Spanish and Lithuanian as well as English. After completing college, Mary worked for the State of Illinois Office of Education as Ombudsman, investigating and mediating education-related issues throughout the state. She completed graduate studies in communications and organizational psychology that propelled her into research, planning and evaluation for the Illinois Law Enforcement and the Dangerous Drugs Commissions in Chicago. However, it was her drive to make a difference to her world, one person at a time that compelled Mary to enter law school. After more than 25 years of focus on family law throughout the metropolitan Chicago area, Mary now concentrates in social security disability where she has a direct and positive impact on people's lives. She views her current efforts as a natural extension of family practice, where the issues often included the impact of injuries, disability and financial distress. Mary and her husband and law partner, Randy call McHenry County home and established their practice 38 years ago to serve this community and northern Illinois. They have two grown children and are both still committed to quality in the practice of law, social justice and making a difference to the community, its people and the environment.

Scott A. McMillan

La Mesa, CA

Scott McMillan is a litigator with a long track record of courtroom victories. He founded a computer distribution business at 19, then attended law school at night. Licensed in California since 2001, he focuses on litigation for individuals and small businesses, particularly in insurance and real estate law. He has litigated fifteen civil jury trials and is familiar with appellate practice.

Gabe Perez

Galveston, TX

Attorney Gabe Perez is an associate attorney at Zendeh Del & Associates, PLLC. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and a Juris Doctorate from Oklahoma City University’s College of Law, also visiting the University of Oklahoma School of Law. He managed the bankruptcy department at his prior firm, handling Chapter 11 and 7 proceedings, and represented credit unions in various banking law transactions. Gabe is fully bilingual (English and Spanish) and practices immigration law, bankruptcy law, general civil and commercial litigation, and assists in criminal law. He was recognized as Best Attorney in Galveston County by the Galveston County Daily News Readers’ Choice Awards and as a Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2020.

Gerardo Moreno

Studio City, CA

Gerardo is a personal injury lawyer at Levin & Nalbandyan, LLP, with over 12 years of experience in personal injury. Gerardo has the distinct experience of being an investigator prior to becoming an attorney. This particular experience allows him to look at cases from a different perspective which then translates into more favorable results for his clients. Gerardo was born and raised in Southern California. He is a proud Bruin, having earned his degree in Political Science from UCLA, and his law degree from Southwestern Law School, here in Los Angeles. Aside from knowing how to thoroughly prepare and navigate a personal injury case, Gerardo prioritizes getting to know each client in order to best understand their unique needs. This has allowed Gerardo to advocate for and fight for his client’s best interests. He credits this approach for his success in recovering millions of dollars for his clients. Outside of work, Gerardo volunteers his time with free legal clinics; he is speaker on various legal panels; and he is a mentor for students from underserved communities who are interested in pursuing a law degree.

Robert A Courtney

Monterey, CA

Robert A. Courtney has returned to personal injury law after a global career in Public International Law, driven by the opportunity to achieve tangible results for individuals facing life-altering challenges. He leverages his advanced negotiation skills to advocate for those who have suffered calamities, consistently overdelivering for his clients. A founder and CEO of an international people-power organization, his work was recognized by former President Jimmy Carter. He believes in meticulous preparation and is passionate about hiking, surfing, playing alto saxophone, and volunteering for Special Olympics and the local zoo.

Ronald S. Aplin

Madison, WI

Ronald S. Aplin is a shareholder at Aplin & Ringsmuth, LLC. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in 1978 and the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1983. He is licensed to practice law in Iowa and Wisconsin. He is a member of several professional associations including the Wisconsin Association of Worker’s Compensation Attorneys, Dane County Bar Association, State Bar of Wisconsin, American Bar Association, Civil Trial Counsel of Wisconsin, and Defense Research Institute. He has been recognized as one of “Best Lawyers in Madison” by Madison Magazine and in the Worker’s Compensation Section of The Best Lawyers in America. He is a frequent lecturer on Wisconsin worker’s compensation issues, and his practice is devoted to the litigation of worker’s compensation claims.

Guillermo E. Gomez Jr.

Tampa, FL

Guillermo E. Gomez Jr. is a criminal defense and personal injury attorney with over 20 years of experience. A graduate of Georgetown University Law School, he previously served as a prosecutor, giving him insight into the opposition's strategies. He has handled thousands of cases, including first-degree murder and death penalty cases, and has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, Florida State Courts, and Florida District Court of Appeals. He is licensed in Florida and is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Hillsborough County Bar Association. Mr. Gomez is committed to aggressive investigation and litigation to achieve the best results for his clients, whether in criminal defense or personal injury cases, aiming to exploit weaknesses in the prosecution's or insurance company's case.

Steve Schmidt

Santa Fe, NM

Steve Schmidt has lived in Santa Fe since 1973. After practicing criminal defense in the Public Defender’s Office for several years, he joined forces with Bert Prince, trying many jury cases with him. Steve has spent his legal career building his expertise in personal injury. Currently, Steve also volunteers as general counsel for a very large charitable nonprofit corporation.

Elena Farley

Salem, OR

Elena Farley joined the practice in 2013 after graduating in the top 10 of her law school class. She represents clients in transactions and litigation involving real estate, business, estate planning, and employment law. With expertise in real estate and landlord tenant law, Elena drafts leases, easements, purchase and sale agreements, land sale contracts involving seller financing, promissory notes, deeds of trust, and other transactional documents. She is seasoned in mediation, arbitration, and trials relating to boundary disputes, ejectment claims, fraud and breach of contract allegations stemming from property sales, and other real estate issues. Elena further educates homeowners and property management companies on rapidly changing landlord tenant laws, drafts rental policies and agreements, and represents landlords in disputes including eviction trials, property damage suits, and actions brought by the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Elena assists business owners in forming the corporate entity which best meets their individual needs. She counsels her clients on how to maintain all necessary corporate formalities, such as keeping accurate corporate minutes, and drafts substantive business contracts such as construction contracts. Elena also drafts and reviews business asset or stock sale transactional documents. She has extensive motion practice and civil litigation experience in breach of contract and other business disputes. Elena also advises clients on estate planning issues such as how to provide for minor children. She drafts wills and trusts to meet her clients’ estate planning goals. Additionally, Elena defends employers against wage and hour, discrimination, and other employee claims. She provides classes on best employer practices and drafts employee handbooks, rules and regulations. Elena became interested in employment law, in part, while clerking at Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto, LLP. The Washington, D.C. firm specializes in whistleblower law. She became familiar with whistleblower provisions in the 50 states and assisted in bringing a qui tam action on behalf of the federal government. She is conversational in Spanish.

Jarely Castro

Hillsboro, OR

Jarely was born in Chihuahua, Mexico. Her family moved to rural Wyoming when she was three years old. She moved to Portland, Oregon, after she was awarded a debate scholarship from Lewis and Clark College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs. During her undergraduate career, she competed in parliamentary debate and qualified for a variety of national competitions, where she ranked nationally. Her speech and debate experience taught her the art of persuasion and strong communication skills. She earned her Juris Doctor from Willamette University College of Law. While in law school, she was part of the Moot Court Board and competed in moot court competitions, where she fostered trial advocacy skills. During law school she also gained practical work experience as a law clerk, where she focused on personal injury law. As a first-generation graduate, lawyer, and native Spanish speaker, she uses her Spanish fluency to make legal services more accessible to the Spanish-speaking community by bridging linguistic and cultural gaps. In her free time, she enjoys baking, spending time at the Oregon coast, and going to the gym.

Sydney E. Best

Bozeman, MT

Sydney graduated with High Honors from the University of Montana’s law school in 2019. She served as Articles Editor on the Montana Law Review and worked as a clinical student for Judge Jeremiah Lynch and intern for Judge Amy Eddy. After law school, Sydney clerked for two years for then-Chief United States District Court Judge Dana L. Christensen. Since joining the firm, she has worked on a wide variety of cases including products liability, insurance coverage disputes, dram shop liability, partnership disputes, and personal injury claims.

Ana Islas

Fort Worth, TX

Ana Islas is a graduate of Texas A&M University and Texas A&M School of Law. Ana started her law journey as an Intern at a personal injury firm, where she quickly realized her passion to help people. Growing up, Ana watched high-profile televised trials and realized that one day she too would become a Lawyer. She found her calling when she saw the distress people were in after an accident and wanted to help give them the answers they deserved. Having parents who are immigrants from Mexico, Ana always knew that I wanted to help the people in the Hispanic community who may not be as familiar with the American legal system and the rights and remedies that they have available to them. Ana uses her compassion and knowledge to help the community and clients every day.

James P. Lundy

New York, NY

Since graduating from St. John’s University School of Law in 1992, James Lundy has always practiced in the area of personal law. Over the course of his career, he has successfully handled a wide variety of cases including general negligence, construction accidents, medical malpractice, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, asbestos, lead paint, and other toxic torts and product liability. He met the firm’s founder Richard M. Kenny in 1992 while employed as young associates at Sullivan and Liapakis. They formed a close bond based on shared values and a commitment to protecting the rights of the seriously injured. Throughout the years while working at different firms, the two continued to work on matters as co-counsel. Prior to joining the firm in September 2010, James Lundy was counsel at Wilentz, Goldman, and Spitze handling asbestos, lead paint, toxic tort, pharmaceutical, and medical device cases. While there, as co-trial counsel, he obtained a $4.5 million verdict on behalf of several lead-poisoned children and obtained millions of dollars in compensation for victims of asbestos exposure and harmful pharmaceutical products. Since joining the Law Office of Richard M. Kenny, his successes are many. In just 18 months he has obtained compensation of $3.15 million in combined architectural malpractice, construction project, products liability and negligence case; $1.5 million in a motor vehicle accident case; one million dollars in a personal injury action arising out of a fire in an apartment complex; $760,000 in another fire case; and $985,000 in a medical malpractice case.

Sam Darby

Roanoke, VA

Sam Darby has over 45 years of legal experience, focusing primarily on municipal and business law, including tax-exempt revenue bond financing and infrastructure financing. He is a nationally recognized bond counsel with a Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Rating. He represents clients in complex business and finance matters, serving as legal counsel for various local and regional business and government entities. Fluent in French and conversant in Spanish and Italian, he has experience with multinational business ventures. He has been recognized as 'Legal Elite' by Virginia Business Magazine and a 'Virginia Super Lawyer'.

R. Emmett Madden

Jenkintown, PA

R. Emmett Madden is an experienced litigator focusing on personal injury and criminal defense in Southeastern Pennsylvania. With over 20 years of experience, he has successfully secured maximum verdicts and settlements for personal injury clients and tried hundreds of criminal cases. He is certified for the United States Eastern District of Pennsylvania Criminal Justice Act (CJA) panel. Fluent in English and Spanish, he is also actively involved in community service.

Jessica Tiburcio

New York, NY

Jessica Tiburcio is a passionate personal injury attorney licensed in New York. She advocates for clients injured due to negligence and is actively involved in community work. She holds a Juris Doctor from University at Buffalo School of Law, a Master of Public Health from UB, and Bachelor's degrees in Philosophy and Economics from John Jay College. She speaks Spanish.

Aaron Dickey

San Antonio, TX

Managing partner at Dickey Law Firm, LLC in Saint Louis, Missouri. 22 years of experience litigating on behalf of mesothelioma victims and their families. Focuses on litigation for victims of asbestos exposure, personal injury, medications, and medical devices. Ensures families and individuals get an opportunity at justice and recover damages to compensate them for their illnesses.

David M. Barish

Chicago, IL

David M. Barish joined Katz Friedman in 2001. He handles cases in various northern Illinois locations and has tried cases against major automotive and supplier plants. He is fluent in Spanish and has represented many Polish-speaking clients. With a four-decade career, he has practiced workers’ compensation law across Illinois and argued many cases before the Appellate Court of Illinois. He holds an AV, preeminent rating from Martindale Hubbell, a perfect 10 rating from Avvo, and is recognized as one of Illinois’ Leading Lawyers. He is a gifted teacher and public speaker on workers’ compensation topics and has lectured at the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission’s arbitrator training. He has represented Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income claimants for over 30 years. Prior to Katz Friedman, he was a principal at another firm representing employers and employees. He graduated from Northwestern University in 1980 and earned his J.D. from DePaul College of Law in 1983. He was sworn into the Illinois Bar in November 1983. He is an active member of the Workers’ Compensation Lawyer’s Association and a former chair of the Illinois State Bar Association Workers’ Compensation Section Council. He is also a cycling advocate and storyteller.

Alan L. Cantor

Lynn, MA

Attorney Alan L. Cantor has concentrated his practice in representing catastrophically injured victims and their families in cases involving fire and explosions, defective products, workplace safety, and medical malpractice. Currently, Attorney Cantor devotes much of his time to sophisticated litigation against product manufacturers, companies involved in supervising workplaces, major utilities, and medical professionals. He also has a substantial background in cases involving childhood sexual abuse. He has litigated cases in more than 30 states and has been counsel in more than 100 cases involving seven figure recoveries, including four cases involving eight figure recoveries.

David P. Angueira

Lynn, MA

Attorney David P. Angueira brings years of experience, specializing in the fields of medical malpractice, products liability, and workplace discrimination and harassment. Attorney Angueira began his law career as a Law Clerk for the U.S. Attorney’s office and a Prosecutor with the Essex County D.A.’s office, followed by a Judicial Clerkship with the Massachusetts’s Court of Appeals. Lawyers in various specialties often call upon Attorney Angueira to assist them with cases throughout the country because of his national reputation as a relentless advocate for his clients dealing with complicated legal matters. Attorney Angueira has years of experience product liability, child safety, personal injury, wrongful death, consumer rights, toxic torts, medical malpractice, negligent security, employment discrimination, wrongful termination, labor and employment litigation, whistleblower (Qui Tam) cases and aviation crash cases.

Karina Barska

Brooklyn, NY

Karina Barska, ESQ | Personal Injury Lawyer Brooklyn NY. Areas of Practice: Personal Injury and Negligence Law (Auto Accidents, Slip and Fall Accidents, Construction Accidents, Medical Errors and Malpractice), Commercial Litigation, Transactional Work, No Fault Insurance Litigation, Immigration Law, Mediation and Dispute Resolution.

Brian Mitchell has been advocating for the rights of injured workers since 1996. He started his own practice in 1999 and became a certified specialist in workers’ compensation. He served as the San Diego chapter president of the California Applicant Attorney’s Association (CAAA) in 2004 and 2005, and later as the Los Angeles chapter president in 2019. He formed Mitchell Law Corporation in 2016 and has opened offices in San Diego, Los Angeles, and Riverside. Mr. Mitchell has handled numerous catastrophic injury cases, successfully trying cases and securing lifetime permanent disability awards for clients. He also serves on the Latino Caucus Committee, advocating for legislative change on behalf of immigrant workers in California.

Chadrick S. Henderson

Houston, TX

Chadrick S. Henderson is an attorney at Chad Henderson Law with over 27 years of experience. He practices criminal defense, immigration, personal injury, and estate planning law. He is fluent in English and Spanish and has handled over 2600 criminal cases throughout Texas. He was admitted to practice in Texas in 1996.