Staff

Litigation Staff

Experience and commitment go a long way in describing our litigation staff. With a combined 80 years of providing outstanding client and attorney support, our litigation staff understands the unique challenges facing each client.

Kathy Dwyer assists Jim Simon in civil litigation, including real estate, construction, business, personal injury and wrongful death claims. Prior to joining Porter Simon, she worked in the Criminal Courts of Orange County. Longtime Truckee resident, Melinda Smith joined Porter Simon in 2005. She is a great asset to Peter Cuttitta's litigation practice as she has previous legal experience in Porter Simon's probate department. Toni Poloni uses her extensive experience in the medical and legal fields and meticulously prepares medical evidence for litigation.

Probate, Estate Planning and Trust Administration Staff ("PET")

Understanding that different families have different planning needs our "PET" staff assists with bringing order to your affairs. The team's attorney, Kelley Carroll is supported by a staff of three legal assistants. Kelly Landa and Janet Silver, long-term employees of Porter Simon with over 20 years of legal experience each, are the Estate Planning and Trust Administration paralegals. Teresa Newman is Kelley's assistant responsible for his Probate, Conservatorship and Guardianship matters.

Transactional Staff

Porter Simon's transactional staff is dedicated to developing and maintaining long-term relationships with clients.

Rebecca Reich joined the firm in 2010 and is a legal assistant to both Stephen Lieberman and Steve Gross, the firm's managing partner. She has an AA degree in Legal Administration and over 15 years of legal experience as a paralegal/legal assistant. Tammie Cocard joined the firm in 2007 and is a legal assistant to both Brian Hanley and Jim Porter, the firm's senior shareholder. She has over 5 years of legal experience as a legal assistant.

Accounting, Personnel and Support Staff

In what started out as a temporary bookkeeping position, Patricia Fryer Kelley has been with the firm for almost 30 years after graduating from UC Santa Barbara. Her job duties include computerizing and supervising all of the office accounting functions, preparing financial management reports and budgets, and acting as the human resource manager. An employee since 2007, Crysta Dwyer came to Porter Simon after receiving her Associates of Arts with Business Emphasis degree. She is the firm's bookkeeper and plant manager. Her primary duties include accounts receivables and assisting Patricia Kelley in numerous administrative tasks. Ashley Greenwood and Joni Carrollo share the position of the office receptionist.