All posts in San Francisco

EDUCATION

Sandra Ambrocio received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California Berkeley. Ms. Ambrocio received her Juris Doctor in 2009 from the John F. Kennedy University in Pleasant Hill, California.

BACKGROUND

Sandra has over twenty years of experience in the field of Workers’ Compensation. After completing her undergraduate degree, she worked as a claims adjuster on a dedicated national account with a Fortune 100 insurance company alongside the account’s risk management team. She also worked for a TPA on another dedicated national account with impressive results for the client.

While in law school, Sandra worked as a law clerk and hearing representative for a nationwide insurance company with a focus on claims in California. After passing the Bar exam, Sandra transitioned to preferred outside counsel defense firms managing California claims. Thereafter, she worked for a national insurance company as in-house field legal counsel.

Ms. Ambrocio served as a Deputy Regional President for the Hispanic National Bar Association, Region XVII, and is a lifetime member of the organization. She has volunteered at events with the Diablo Valley Industrial Claims Association, and the San Francisco La Raza Lawyers Association. Ms. Ambrocio has provided training presentations for clients from TPAs, insurance companies, and employers.  Sandra is fluent in Spanish and literate in French.

EDUCATION

MARICELA PICAZO obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley. She received her Juris Doctor from Santa Clara University, School of Law in 2003 and was admitted to the California State Bar later that year. During her time at Santa Clara University, Ms. Picazo was a member of the Student Admissions committee where she reviewed and analyzed applications for Law School candidates.

BACKGROUND

Ms. Picazo began her legal career as a Legal Intern for the San Francisco Office of the District Attorney where she conducted legal research and writing for motion hearings and trials in addition to assisting with overall case preparation. She later on became a Certified Legal Intern for District Attorney’s Office in the Juvenile Division specializing in legal research, drafting legal memoranda of points and authorities and trial briefs, and case preparation. As a Certified Legal Intern she also assisted with the in motion calendar, which included the presentation of oral arguments.

While waiting for bar results, Ms. Picazo worked as a Law Clerk at a firm in San Francisco where she gained experience in discovery review and claim analysis. She also assisted attorneys with case research, preparation for depositions, hearings and trial and the negotiation of lien settlements.

Ms. Picazo has exclusively practiced Workers’ Compensation Law since she passed the California Bar in 2003. For the first 11 years of her career, Ms. Picazo worked in-house for a large insurance company where she handled complex files for their national accounts. She is well versed in all phases of litigation, appearing at court proceedings and negotiating settlement agreements.

Ms. Picazo has worked for Samuelsen, Gonzalez, Valenzuela and Brown since 2015, where she has continued to aggressively handle files, always with an eye toward early resolution. Absent early resolution she creates plans of action to move the file quickly through the process of discovery, negotiations and trial if necessary.

Ms. Picazo is fluent in Spanish.

Samuelsen, Gonzalez, Valenzuela and Brown is pleased to have Ms. Picazo as an Attorney in our San Francisco Office.

EDUCATION

ELIA YURIDITSKY received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland, College Park, Robert H. Smith School of Business, with a Double Major in Finance and Accounting. He went on to attend the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor and graduated in the top 20% of his class.

BACKGROUND

Mr. Yuriditsky began his legal career as a contractor for a prominent Criminal Defense firm, where he researched and analyzed case law for summary judgment motions and wrote internal legal memoranda on tort, contract, and real estate issues. He went on to intern for a busy Civil Litigation firm, where he participated in arbitration hearings, wrote resulting award letters, and assisted in negotiating settlements with insurance companies. As an intern for the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, he prepared appellate briefs and motions for habeas and prepared presentations for expert testimony. Mr. Yuriditsky also has years of experience as Legal Consultant in Corporate, Contract, Trademark, Patent, and Commercial Litigation.

Since then, Mr. Yuriditsky has been practicing Workers’ Compensation Defense, putting his client’s interest at the utmost priority. He is accustomed to handling a large caseload, and is aggressive in his approach to early closure of his cases. Being familiar with all Northern California venues, Mr. Yuriditsky is a great asset to our clients and their needs.

Samuelsen, Gonzalez, Valenzuela and Brown is pleased to have Mr. Yuriditsky in our San Francisco Office.

EDUCATION

Richard Flood graduated from Louisiana State University with a Bacher of Science in
Management in 2006. He received his Juris Doctor from University of California,
Davis in 2012.

BACKGROUND

While in law school, Mr. Flood earned Dean’s List in his first year of law school and
finished in the top 10% of his 1L class. Mr. Flood worked as a judicial extern for the
Honorable Jeremy Fogel of the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California and
then for the Honorable Richard Clark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of
Administrative Law Judges. He also co-authored a law article with Professor Edward J.
Imwinkelried entitled “Inferring Race by Using Ancestry Informative Markers: (AIMs)
as a Forensic Technique in the Courtroom,” which was published in the Criminal Law
Bulletin in 2012.
After law school, Mr. Flood worked as an associate attorney in the Chicago office of a
national law firm, handling Longshore/Defense Base Act cases. He then worked as an
associate attorney for Samuelsen Gonzalez, Valenzuela and Brown, handling California
workers’ compensation defense, from 2013 to 2019.
Mr. Flood worked for various law firms in the San Francisco, Phoenix, and Boise
Metropolitan Areas and gained experience in employment, real estate, construction,
eviction, malpractice, contract dispute, business dispute, insurance coverage, personal
injury, wills and trusts, probate, immigration, Social Security disability, and workers’
compensation cases. He drafted pleadings, discovery, and motions, including motions
for summary judgment and post-trial motions. He participated in mediations. He even
first-chaired a six-day bench trial involving a real estate dispute.
Mr. Flood has returned to Samuelsen Gonzalez, Valenzuela and Brown, to bring his
diverse skill set to handle complex workers’ compensation cases. He is an aggressive
litigator, an effective negotiator, and a strong advocate.
Mr. Flood is fluent in Spanish. He has provided client consultations, reviewed foreign
documents, and drafted legal documents in Spanish. He also has advanced proficiency
in French and basic proficiency in Portuguese.
Mr. Flood is licensed to practice law in California and Idaho. He is admitted to the U.S.
District Court in the Northern District of California, District of Idaho, and Northern
District of Illinois