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 Mousaw 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. Diana Harriman's years of serving as senior courtroom clerk for Placer County Judge Alan Pineschi, and as a paralegal in a Los Angeles litigation firm make her a great asset to Peter Cuttitta's litigation practice. Toni Hamilton uses her extensive experience in the medical and legal fields and meticulously prepares medical evidence for litigation. Robin Lewis assists attorney Ken Craig at our South Lake Tahoe office in civil litigation, as well as real estate, construction, business, personal injury and wrongful death claims. Prior to joining Porter Simon, she worked as a legal assistant for litigation firms located in South Lake Tahoe and Auburn, CA.

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 four 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. Staci Ridenour and Melinda Smith are Kelley's paralegals responsible for his Probate, Conservatorship and Guardianship matters.

Transactional Staff

Porter Simon's transaction staff is dedicated to developing and maintaining long-term relationships with clients. Marty Waldo has served as attorney Stephen Lieberman's paralegal for 29 years and her experience provides tremendous expertise to the firm's business, real estate and tax practice.

Assisting the firm's managing partner and attorney Steve Gross, Crysta Dwyer joined Porter Simon in 2007 after receiving her Associates of Arts with Business Emphasis degree. Tammie Cocard has also been with the firm since 2007. She assists Brian Hanley and Jim Porter, the firm's senior shareholder.

Accounting, Personnel and Support Staff

In what started out as a temporary bookkeeping position, Patricia Kelley has been with the firm for over 20 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 2003, Jennifer Little came to Porter Simon as a part time courier and has worked her way up to bookkeeping and plant manager. Her primary duties include billing, accounts receivable, and assisting with accounts payable. Ashley Greenwood, the office receptionist, joined the firm in 2008.

Porter Simon + Shadek Staff

Emily Hendricks joined Porter Simon + Shadek after graduating from Binghamton University in New York. She assists John Shadek in all areas of civil litigation, real estate and business law. Lesley D. Berger comes to Porter Simon + Shadek with 25+ years experience in top tier Bay Area law firms. As a senior paralegal in San Francisco, Lesley worked primarily on commercial real estate financings, acquisitions and dispositions, with a secondary focus on corporate, LLC., and partnership formations and maintenance. Lesley provides assistance to the attorneys in our Incline Village office in all varieties of transactional, corporate and litigation matters. Monika Hatfield, a University of Economics, Poznan, Poland graduate, is Porter Simon + Shadek's bookkeeper. Monika is in charge of most of the financial dealings, including accounts payable and receivable.