Frederick W. Penney

Born February 23, 1963, admitted to the California State Bar in 1992. Mr. Penney received his B.A. degree from Brigham Young University in 1988 in Philosophy. He attended J. Reuben Clark Law School where he received his J.D. degree in 1991.

Following his admission to the bar he briefly worked for a nationwide personal injury firm. Due to numerous requests from potential clients, he opened the law firm of Penney and Associates in 1992. Mr. Penney as a young lawyer was contracted by a national law firm to take a number of their difficult cases to trial. Within six months of passing his bar he was lead trial lawyer in a large Superior Court personal injury case.

Mr. Penney is the author of numerous personal injury articles. He became a member of the California Trial Lawyers Association in 1993. He has been admitted in 1992 and 1993 to the Federal Eastern District Court and the 9th District Court of Appeals. Mr. Penney has appeared in cases that have had issues litigated successfully before the California Supreme Court.

The Penney and Associates firm has now expanded to offices in Sacramento, Roseville, Loomis and Chico, with satellite offices in Fairfield, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara and Southern California. Mr. Penney and the California personal injury lawyers within the firm have handled numerous high profile personal injury cases and thousands of personal injury cases which has made his firm arguably one of the most sought after personal injury firms in the state.

 

Stewart P. Galbraith

Born March 25, 1964; admitted to the California bar in 1990. Mr. Galbraith received his B.A., with honors, from California State University at Sacramento in 1987. He graduated from California Western School of Law in 1990, Cum Laude, where he served as an editor and staff writer for the California Western Law Review.

Mr. Galbraith received the American Jurisprudence Award in Legal Writing and interned at the California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District. Following law school, Mr. Galbraith worked for eight years with a Sacramento insurance defense law firm, defending personal injury cases.

In 1998, he began his employment with Penney & Associates in Roseville, specializing in personal injury law. In July of 1999, he opened and began managing the Penney & Associates satellite office in Chico, California, limiting his practice to personal injury cases on behalf of the injured party. Penney and Associates is fortunate to have the expertise of Mr. Galbraith as well as be on the team of our California personal injury lawyers.

 

James E. Gingrich

Born October 4, 1960; admitted to the California bar in 1989. Mr. Gingrich received his B.A. in Economics from the University of California at Davis in 1984. He graduated from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 1989, qualifying for the Dean's List. His course of study emphasized civil and criminal litigation, including courses in Trial Advocacy, Moot Court, Bankruptcy, Advanced Civil Procedure, Advanced Criminal Law, and Family Law.

He also interned with the Sutter County District Attorney's Office. Following his admittance to the State Bar, Mr. Gingrich worked for eight years with Sacramento insurance defense law firms, defending personal injury cases, including complex products liability cases, as well as the defense of consumer warranty cases.

In 1997, he expanded his practice to include prosecution of personal injury cases on behalf of the injured party, and became a trial attorney with the Sacramento County Indigent Defense Panel. In October of 2001, he began his employment with Penney & Associates, specializing in personal injury law, and now limits his practice to personal injury cases on behalf of the injured party. Mr. Gingrich was happy to come on board as one of our California personal injury lawyers.

 

Larry K. Eslinger

Born February 15, 1947, admitted to the California State Bar in 1972. Mr. Eslinger received his B.A. degree from the University of California in 1969 in Biological Field Sciences. He attended the University of San Francisco School of Law where he received his J.D. degree in 1972. Following his admission to the Bar, Mr. Eslinger went to work as staff counsel for the California State Automobile Association Inter-Insurance Bureau, where he defended personal injury actions.

He retired from the Bureau after thirty years of service in 1999. Following a brief retirement, Mr. Eslinger joined Penney and Associates in September of 2000, as a California personal injury lawyer. His insight and knowledge of the insurance industry has proven to be invaluable in his present practice of representing injured individuals with their claims. He is an experienced litigator and trial attorney. He has also served as an Arbitrator for the Sacramento Superior Court for more than 20 years.

 

Robert W. Brannen

Born December 11, 1972, admitted to the California Bar in 1999. Mr. Brannen received his B.A. from the University of California, San Diego in 1995. He graduated from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 1998. Mr. Brannen's course of study in law school emphasized trial advocacy, civil litigation, and alternative dispute resolution.

While there, he was a teaching assistant/instructor for the school's course in international appellate advocacy specializing in oral argument and brief writing. Following law school, Mr. Brannen worked for insurance defense and personal injury litigation firms in Menlo Park, CA and Sacramento, CA., and has a long track record as a California personal injury lawyer.

For three years, Mr. Brannen worked as staff counsel for Farmers Insurance in Sacramento, CA. Mr. Brannen is a pro tem judge for El Dorado County Superior Court. In 2003, he joined Penney and Associates and currently runs the Downtown Sacramento office. His practice is focused on the prosecution of personal injury cases on behalf of injured individuals.

 

John P. Garcia

Graduate of McGeorge School of Law, John Handles transactional and litigation files from intake through trial. Litigation files range from contract and business disputes to mechanic's lien and construction defect cases. He has represented clients in most Northern California jurisdictions, including Federal District Court, and in counties as far south as Tulare and Kings. He has co-authored appeals heard by the Nevada Supreme Court concerning reversal of 20 years of legislative and case law; and has acted as Judge Pro Tem and Arbitrator in Placer and Sacramento Counties and is a Mediator for Sacramento County.

John has conducted business as a litigation and transactional attorney for private clients with emphasis on real estate an business. Performed work as contract attorney for several attorneys and performed litigation services in California for a Nevada insurance defense firm. Frequent appearances before most Northern California Courts, including Appellate Courts.

He has conducted plaintiff and defense work for insurance defense firms. Conducted extensive discovery, drafter complex motions and oppositions, made court appearances, took depositions and was responsible for cases through completion. John has handled his own case load rangin from small plaintiff cases to defense litigation. Including, real estate litigation from pleading to trial. He has made numerous appearances in criminal, family law and probate courts.

 

Frank L. Rowley

A 1978 Lincoln Law School graduate, Frank is a civil attorney with over 25 years experience in construction law, real estate property, business and partnerships. He has experience as a Judge Pro Tem for the Placer and Nevada County Superior Court handeling civil trials, traffic court, settlement conferences and arbitrations. He was a seminar leader throughout California teaching contracts, mechanics' liens, and small claims procedures. Past provider for the California State Bar for mandatory continuing legal education credits.

Frank is author of the book "California Mechanics' Lien Law and Collection Procedures", co-author of the book "Guide of the Small Claims Courts of California", author of the "California and Nevada Lien and Construction Forms Program" computer forms on CD. He was a video instructor for California Lien Law Collection Matters for Television Education, Davis, CA.

 

Craig G. Christensen (Of Counsel)

A 1974 graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Law, Craig Christensen was admitted to the California bar in 1977.  He received a B.A. degree with honors in History and Chinese Language from Brigham Young University. Currently his practice is limited to business transaction law—which includes corporate law, taxation, contract and securities law—and estate planning. He began his career as corporate counsel in the legal department of Aladdin Industries, Inc. a multi-national corporation.  Thereafter, he entered private practice and was previously certified as a tax specialist by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization.

In addition to private practice, Mr. Christensen was a Professor of Law at San Joaquin College of Law for seven years, teaching courses in Business Organizations (corporations and partnerships), Securities Law, and Taxation.  In his private practice, he has represented several companies in going public and successfully handled a proxy battle to take over an oil and gas company. In recent years, Mr. Christensen has been lead counsel in the acquisition of two high-tech manufacturing companies in China from a Singapore public company, assisted a Canadian company in the financing of a major tourist property in French Polynesia, completed first-round financing for a New York-based media company and represented a prominent East Coast attorney in proceedings before the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C. He has represented numerous public and private companies in successful private placement transactions.

He is a member of the Sacramento, Placer and Los Angeles County Bar Associations and is admitted to practice before the United States Tax Court and the United State Supreme Court. Mr. Christensen joined Penney and Associates in 2008. He will assist the firm in expanding its services to the business and estate planning needs of our clients.

 

Kevin L. Elder

Born October 13, 1961, admitted to the California State Bar in 1990.  Mr. Elder received his B.A. degree from California State University at Fullerton in 1985.  He attended law school at Lincoln University of Sacramento and obtained his Juris Doctorate degree in 1989.  He is admitted to the United States District Court, both Eastern and Northern Districts of California.

Mr. Elder is a member of the Sacramento County Bar Association; State Bar of California; Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California; Defense Research Institute; and Association of Trial Lawyers of America. 

For the last 15 years, Mr. Elder was a member of Mason/Thomas law firm with offices in both Davis and Roseville, California.  Mr. Elder became a partner of Mason/Thomas in 1999, until he left the firm for Penney and Associates in November of 2008.  While working with Mason/Thomas, Mr. Elder was a civil litigation attorney who successfully tried at least 15 cases to jury verdict on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants.  In addition, Mr. Elder successfully arbitrated between 10 to 15 matters to conclusion.  This is in addition to 30-50 judicial arbitrations. 

Mr. Elder is an attorney who enjoys civil litigation, handling all types of cases including product liability, automobile, construction, premises matters, wrongful termination/employment discrimination and harassment, legal malpractice, medical malpractice and other types of cases.  Mr. Elder’s passion is jury trials.

Mr. Elder has represented the following clients in litigation:  Sacramento County, El Dorado County, Nevada County, Yolo County, Yolo County Transportation District, Vallejo Transportation District, Gregory B. Bragg and Associates, Inc., John Glenn Adjusters and Administrators, Inc., Paratransit, California State Automobile Association, Allstate Insurance Company, State Farm Insurance Company, and miscellaneous business entities relating to energy, construction, retail sales, real estate and other general business practices. 

Mr. Elder has knowledge and experience in defending counties, businesses and insurance companies and their insureds in civil litigation, as well as experience and knowledge in prosecuting cases on behalf of injured parties.  With his litigation and trial experience, Mr. Elder is a valuable asset to the Penney and Associate law firm where he has found his new home. 

 

Michael H. Steffen

Admitted to the California State Bar in 1966, Mr. Steffen received his B.A. from the University of San Francisco in 1962, and his J.D. degree from the U.S.F. School of Law in 1966.  Following his admission to the Bar in the same year, Mr. Steffen worked as a staff attorney for the California State Automobile Association for over thirty years, specializing in the representation of the CSAA and its insureds in civil litigation.  Mr. Steffen’s tenure with the CSAA included ten years at its San Francisco headquarters, where he also took on corporate and business assignments, including insurance coverage litigation, employment, Workers Compensation, and real estate matters.

In the 1990’s, Mr. Steffen managed the Sacramento office of Preston, Steffen, Katzen & Gallagher, the CSAA’s in-house law firm, overseeing its growth from two to ten attorneys, while also continuing his career as a litigator.

Since retiring from CSAA, Mr. Steffen has been associated with several Sacramento law firms, continuing to represent clients in their real estate, personal injury, Workers Compensation, and employment law matters.  He has been with Penney & Associates since 2007.

Mr. Steffen is of counsel, and admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, and is a licensed California Real Estate Broker.  He serves as an arbitrator with the Sacramento County Superior Court, and has been a member of the American Arbitration Association.

 

Arnold Hernandez

Attorney Arnold Hernandez represents plaintiffs primarily in personal injury claims. He has handled cases resulting from auto accidents, bus accidents, truck accidents, dog bites, motorcycle accidents, defective products, and a variety of other civil matters.

He has resolved numerous cases through various alternative dispute resolution programs including arbitration and mediation. He has tried cases in bench trials and jury trials and has successfully negotiated difficult cases to very favorable results. Attorney Arnold Hernandez is licensed to practice law before the Superior Court, the Court of Appeal, and the State Supreme Court as well as the Federal Eastern District Court, the Federal Central District Court, the Federal Southern District Court, and the Ninth Circuit Federal Court of Appeal. Attorney Arnold Hernandez graduated with honors from California State University San Bernardino in 1989 with a B.A. degree in business; in 1992 he obtained an MBA from California State University; and in 2000 he graduated from the University of California, Davis with a J.D. (doctorate) degree.

He was also inducted to Beta Gamma Sigma the international society of academic excellence in business while working on his undergraduate degree at the University of Southern California. He has been or is a member various bar associations including Los Angeles County Bar Association, the California State Bar, the Riverside County Bar Association, and the Consumer Attorneys Association of San Diego, the Orange County Bar Association, the San Diego Bar Association, the North County San Diego Bar Association, the Sacramento Bar Association, the American Trial Lawyers Association, the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association, and the Consumer Attorneys Association of California. Attorney Arnold Hernandez has been practicing law since 2000. Prior to becoming an attorney, he held the position of marketing manager for two years and then general manager for a national sales company of steel fabrication and metal castings for another two years.

He is also a California licensed real estate broker. He has interned with the State Department of Fair Employment and Housing and the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office. Attorney Arnold Hernandez has provided over 500 hours of pro-bono service to individuals in a variety of cases.

 

Jonathan C. Schnal

Jonathan has more than 17 years experience worland development, land use, environmental and natural resources issues.  Prior to joining Penney & Associates, he worked throughout the West with both private sector and public entities on land development matters advising on regulatory concerns, conducting administrative proceedings and advocating for parties on legislative affairs before both the California and Wyoming state legislatures.  Additionally, Jonathan served as the Director of Planning and Development and Chief Building Official for both Plumas County, CA, and Carbon County, WY.

A California native, Jonathan received his J.D., cum laude, with a certificate in Natural Resources and Environmental Law from the Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College.  He earned his B.A. and M.A. from Humboldt State University.  During law school Jonathan clerked for a Sacramento law firm focusing on water law and water rights.  Following law school he practiced law in Seattle.  Jonathan is admitted to the state bars of California and Washington state, and is nationally certified in land use planning and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).

 

Seth Hanson (Of Counsel)

Mr. Hanson grew up in central California and spent many long hours as a young man working with his father and brothers on a family-owned-and-operated almond orchard. After leaving home, he spent two years providing volunteer service in South America.

Mr. Hanson graduated from Brigham Young University in 1998, cum laude, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies. He received his Juris Doctorate, magna cum laude, in 2001 from the J. Rueben Clark School of Law, Brigham Young University. During law school, Mr. Hanson served as a senior editor for the BYU Law Review. In 2000, Mr. Hanson published Bernstein v. United States Department of Justice: A Cryptic Interpretation of Speech in the BYU Law Review.

Before opening his own law practice, Mr. Hanson worked for and was trained at premier law firms, including the largest and oldest firm based in Orange County, a well-respected Sacramento firm, and the Sacramento office of a reputable New York firm. Mr. Hanson brings to his practice the level of service, dedication, and proficiency one would expect to find in a large firm, but without paying large-firm rates.

In 2007, Mr. Hanson and his family took a one-year Sabbatical and moved to Pohnpei, a remote tropical island in the Pacific. While in Pohnpei, Mr. Hanson served as Staff Attorney for the Supreme Court of the Federated State of Micronesia and worked closely with and advised Chief Justice Andon L. Amaraich. Mr. Hanson returned to his Roseville law practice in spring 2008. Mr. Hanson has continued serving his local and national clients since then.

Mr. Hanson believes in community service. He has been actively involved in the Boy Scouts of America, receiving his Eagle Scout Award as a young man, and having more recently served in adult leadership capacities. Mr. Hanson has rendered pro bono legal services for the indigent and elderly with Legal Services of Northern California. Mr. Hanson is actively involved in his church and teaches a daily Bible study course to local high school students.

Mr. Hanson is married to Rebecca Merrill Hanson and is the proud father of four children. He enjoys playing with his family and spending time in the outdoors.