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KARINA YANOVSKY

EDUCATION

KARINA YANOVSKY graduated from San Francisco University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. She then received her Juris Doctor from John F. Kennedy School of Law in Pleasant Hill, California and was admitted to the California State Bar shortly after. Ms. Yanovsky is admitted to the United States District Court, Northern District and is a Board Member for the Diablo Valley Industrial Claims Association.

BACKGROUND

Ms. Yanovsky began her career practicing family law with an emphasis on child custody, support disputes and domestic violence claims. As an associate attorney she handled a wide variety of tasks including preparation of legal documents, interviewing litigants and attending short-cause, reissuance & proceedings. In 2007, Ms. Yanovsky began practicing Workers’ Compensation Law, representing injured workers in many different phases of litigation. On top of serving as the principal negotiator for her firm, Ms. Yanovsky was the sole attorney responsible for handling Expedited Hearing’s Priority Conferences and formal/informal settlements. Prior to joining Samuelsen, Gonzalez, Valenzuela and Brown, Ms. Yanovsky was a partner for a busy Workers’ Compensation Defense firm in Oakland. In addition to handling all aspects of Workers’ Compensation defense, she served as Lead Counsel for several high end accounts and also assisted in acquiring new business for the firm. Over the years, Ms. Yanovsky has gained substantial experience in all phases of litigation and has successfully handled a heavy caseload at a high volume litigation practice. Her aggressive approach and excellent oral advocacy skills have gained her favorable results in the courtroom, including multiple Take Nothing Awards.

Ms. Yanovsky is an attorney in the San Francisco Office of Samuelsen, Gonzalez, Valenzuela & Brown.

STEVEN A. SCHWARTZ

EDUCATION

STEVEN A. SCHWARTZ graduated from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. He went on to pursue a law degree from the McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, California, and was admitted to the California State Bar in 1993. Mr. Schwartz has also passed the certification examination as a Legal Specialist in Workers’ Compensation.

BACKGROUND

After graduating from law school, Mr. Schwartz assisted the Deputy District Attorney at the Office of the District Attorney of Sacramento County. His first experience in workers’ compensation was as an Applicant’s Attorney, before shifting his practice to defense in 1998. While working for several statewide law firms, he has held positions of an Associate Attorney to Managing Attorney and Partner. He also has experience handling matters of subrogation.

As an instructor for the Insurance Education Association (IEA), Mr. Schwartz provided training to legal and insurance professionals on topics including permanent disability assessment under AMA guidelines. His familiarity with rating guidelines have greatly assisted in calculating accurate impairment and ratings determinations, as well as assessing errors in AME/PQME reporting as to the application of the AMA impairment standards and reductions in permanent disability exposure.

Mr. Schwartz has appeared on matters at all Northern California WCAB Offices.

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