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JAMES CLAFFEY

EDUCATION

James Claffey received his Bachelors of Science degree from the University of California Berkeley with a Major in History. Mr. Claffey went on to attend New York Law School where he earned his Juris Doctor.

BACKGROUND

While in Law School Mr. Claffey worked at the New York Law Journal as an assistant to the editor preparing extracts of important cases for publication. After graduation Mr. Claffey returned to California and began practicing Workers Compensation Defense. Mr. Claffey prioritizes the opportunity for early resolution of cases however should the need arise Mr. Claffey has extensive appellate experience both before the Workers Compensation Appeals Board and the California Court of Appeals. Though Mr. Claffey has represented clients throughout California he has a particularly high level of familiarity with the WCAB venues in Northern California.

Samuelson Gonzalez Valenzuela & Brown are pleased to welcome Mr. Claffey to our San Francisco office.

MICHAEL RUVINSKY

EDUCATION

Michael Ruvinsky graduated from San Francisco University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. He received his Juris Doctor from Golden Gate School of Law in San Francisco, California and was admitted to the California State Bar shortly after.

BACKGROUND

Michael Ruvinsky started his career in business transactional law drafting contracts, business formation and legal research.  Realizing that his passion was in defense litigation, he transitioned his focus to personal injury defense litigation. He aggressively represented the carriers in various forms of litigation resulting in various success.  Mr. Ruvinsky joined the San Francisco Office of Samuelsen, Gonzalez, Valenzuela & Brown in June 2022.

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.

MARICELA PICAZO

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.

ELIA YURIDITSKY

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.

San Francisco/Oakland

1 Sansome Street
Suite 3500
San Francisco, CA 94104

TEL:  650.477.2590
FAX:  650.931.4476

HARVEY S. BROWN

EDUCATION

HARVEY S. BROWN received his Bachelor’s Degree from California State University of Northridge in 1969, and obtained his law degree from San Fernando Valley College of Law in 1979. Mr. Brown has been working as a Workers’ Compensation attorney after passing the exam with the State Bar of California in 1993.

BACKGROUND

Mr. Brown was admitted to practice in 1979, and worked as an attorney at the State Compensation Insurance Fund from approximately 1979 to 1991. Until 1986, Mr. Brown was an associate attorney, handling complex legal matters including defense, 132(a) and S&W’s. During that time, Mr. Brown also trained in and handled the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation claims for the State Compensation Insurance Fund.

In 1986, Mr. Brown was appointed Managing Partner of the Cerritos office of State Compensation Insurance Fund. In that capacity, he managed 15 attorneys as well as a support staff of 20. During that period, Mr. Brown dealt with various claims departments, providing direction, control and training. From 1986 to 1991, Mr. Brown also provided legal training, conducted seminars, and created teaching materials for the seminars for 300 attorneys with State Compensation Insurance Fund. During that time Mr. Brown also advised school districts and self-insured employers such as the State of California which would often involve meetings with state agencies and state personnel.

In 1991, Mr. Brown became an associate with Samuelsen, Gonzalez, Valenzuela & Brown and in 1994; he became a partner with the firm. Since 1998, Mr. Brown has been a member of the Board of Directors of the firm and currently serves as the managing partner of the Newport Beach, Encino, San Diego and Sacramento offices.

Prior to opening the Orange County office, Mr. Brown was in charge of training all new attorneys with the firm. This included integrating them into the Workers’ Compensation environment, giving them complete training as well as monitoring their daily activities. As a managing partner, Mr. Brown handles all complex litigation including 132(a) ‘s and S&W’s.
Mr. Brown has been the Secretary, Vice President and President of the Long Beach Workers’ Compensation section of the Long Beach Bar Association. In that regard, he has also conducted seminars in the past several years on Workers’ Compensation issues for the Long Beach Bar Association, together with Mr. Allan Bass, the former presiding judge from Santa Ana.

Mr. Brown has also prepared a newsletter for the past several years, providing clients with the latest updates, and giving them legal and advisory opinions on the latest Workers’ Compensation laws. Mr. Brown also performs Workers’ Compensation seminars for his clients, and provides legal advice by telephone and/or e-mail on cases that he may not be representing clients on.

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