50 Old Courthouse Square, Suite 601 Santa Rosa, CA 95404
50 Old Courthouse Square, Suite 601 Santa Rosa, CA 95404
After a lawsuit is brought to trial and a decision is rendered by a judge or jury, chances are one of the parties will not be satisfied with the outcome. The California Court System is set up in three levels—the Supreme Court, which is the trial court, the Courts of Appeal, and finally the Superior Court. The Courts of Appeal and Superior Court are courts of review and their only function is to look at trial rulings to determine if the law was followed and if there was any reversible error on the trial judge’s part.
Family law covers a broad range of legal issues from Premarital Agreements and Divorce, to Custody Issues and Property Settlements. Family legal matters can also include joyous occasions like adoptions and same-sex marriages; financial matters such as child support and spousal support; or dangerous situations involving child abuse, domestic abuse and stalking.
Bringing a lawsuit, or defending a suit brought against you, can be a scary, anxiety-inducing experience. Whether you are involved in a legal matter as an individual or as a business, you have legal rights. To protect your rights, you need an attorney who has brought and defended many cases, and who has established a solid reputation in the Sonoma County and surrounding area in Northern California.
Owning real estate is considered a cornerstone of the proverbial American Dream. Buying a first home, investing in a rental property, or acquiring a business location can involve complicated legal real estate issues. You might be facing a contested title or land encroachment dispute with a former owner or neighbor. Or you and your neighbors may need to challenge approval of a nearby development proposal on environmental grounds.
Noreen has worked with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the Public Resources Code both as an attorney and as a public servant. She has written parts of CEQA, implemented CEQA as a public official, and enforced CEQA as an attorney. She recently won a significant victory on behalf of a grassroots neighborhood organization under CEQA on a writ petition in the Sonoma County Superior Court. She also recently wrote an amicus brief on behalf of an environmental advocacy group, which resulted in clarifying the proper standard of review on appeal.
Even with the best financial planning, sometimes heirs and beneficiaries dispute the terms of a Will, Trust, or other estate planning documents. Usually, these disputes involve family members or close friends who are all suffering from the loss of their loved one at the same time.