Attorney Profiles
Brian Breiter, Esq.
Mr. Breiter was nominated for Trial Lawyer of the Year for 2020 & 2019 by CAALA (Consumer Attorney Association of Los Angeles) for his numerous 7 figure verdicts over the past few years. He is a Lifetime Fellow of ABOTA (American Board of Trial Advocates) and has been named to the National Trial Lawyers Top 100.
Mark Rubashkin, Esq.
Mr. Rubashkin is a skilled litigator with many years of experience in personal injury law. Originally working with house counsel at one of the largest insurance companies in the nation, Mr. Rubashkin dedicated his career to representing plaintiffs exclusively. Mr. Rubashkin speaks Russian fluently.
Jeff Twomey, Esq.
Jeff is a graduate of the Loyola Marymount School of Law. On the day he was sworn into the California bar, he tried and won his first case. Mr. Twomey is passionate about representing injured plaintiffs in all forms of cases to help them recover from their injuries. Jeff is a proud member of ABOTA and is one of the youngest members of the organization. He has obtained many multi-million dollar verdicts in both CA and FL. He is committed to making sure they are treated fairly, both by the insurance companies and the defendants responsible for their harm.
Timothy McCormick, Esq.
Tim McCormick has a broad range of civil litigation experience. For the first 17 years of his career, he represented individual and corporate defendants in a variety of areas including personal injury and wrongful death, product liability, major construction defect, and First Amendment Freedom of Speech litigation. He spent the last 11 years prior to joining our firm at a well-respected Downtown Los Angeles defense firm. Tim now puts the invaluable insight and knowledge he gained as an inside man in the defense bar to good use representing injured plaintiffs.
David A. Chonin, Esq.
David Chonin has 23 years of experience helping individuals and their families who have been seriously injured or killed as a result of someone else’s negligence. After being admitted to the Florida Bar, he went to work for his father's law firm Chonin & Sher, P.A. There, he was immediately exposed to many different types of cases, gaining invaluable litigation experience. David has been recognized as a Super Lawyer and was board-certified by the Florida Bar in Labor & Employment Law from 2006 to 2011. After that, he focused his law practice in the area of personal injury and wrongful death cases.
Peter K. Diamond, Esq.
For 30 years, Peter has tried cases on behalf of insureds being sued in personal injury actions. During that time, he's completed more than 60 jury trials with most of them being wins, and is a proud member of ABOTA (American Board of Trial Advocates). Given changes in the insurance industry, he decided to switch sides and join the Law Offices of Brian Breiter and now uses his considerable trial experience and inside knowledge of the insurance industry to fight that same insurance industry on behalf of injured clients.
James McNamara
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Jonathan Pennell
Jonathan is a fierce advocate for his clients, always seeking the best possible outcome. He understands that there are only two outcomes for personal injury cases: (1) what an insurance company is willing to offer based on the evidence presented, or (2) what a jury deems fair and reasonable after hearing all the facts. Through years of taking on insurance companies, Jonathan has learned that sometimes the best path to justice is through trial, where he fights to ensure his clients receive the compensation they deserve.
When not advocating for his clients, Jonathan Pennell enjoys spending time with his wife, Lori, and their Vizsla, Annabelle. With his son off to college in New Orleans and his daughter pursuing graduate school in Los Angeles, Jonathan spends his weekends surfing, cycling, hiking, playing soccer, or skiing. Although his 18-year career as an actor is now in the rearview mirror, he fondly reflects on the days he spent stepping into different roles and experiencing new lives, a passion that still resonates with him today.
Shayan Vafaee
Shayan Rahbar Vafaee represents clients in civil litigation matters involving catastrophic injury and wrongful death. In college, Shayan was selected by UCLA’s Chancellor Gene Block as a recipient of the Chancellor’s Service Award for his contributions and service to the Los Angeles community.
As a lifelong Los Angeles native, committed to his roots, Shayan attended Southwestern Law School and graduated from the S.C.A.L.E. 2-year Accelerated J.D. program, with concentrations in Civil Litigation and Advocacy, as well as Criminal Law and Advocacy. During law school, Shayan clerked for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office as a Certified Law Clerk, which allowed him the opportunity to sit second-chair in trials and appear on the record for court proceedings.
After law school, Shayan was selected to participate in the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) Fellowship program. This fellowship was the gateway to Shayan’s practice of law, providing him with a perspective of all sides of a civil lawsuit, including the judicial bench.
Of Counsel:
Chance Pardon, Esq. (Of Counsel)
Named as a FINALIST in the CAALA Rising Star for 2020, Chance Pardon is dedicated to helping injured plaintiffs and has made helping those in need a core part of who he is. Mr. Pardon started as a law clerk at the Law Offices of Brian J. Breiter, LLP and has already helped recover millions for our clients.
Michael Kraut (Of Counsel)
Attorney Michael Kraut is a distinguished criminal defense attorney who graduated from Cornell University and completed his legal education at Case Western Reserve School of Law and Harvard Law School. He founded Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers to serve those under investigation or charged with criminal offenses in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Over the past five years, Michael Kraut has consistently been recognized as one of the top DUI lawyers in Los Angeles by both clients and prosecutors.
With over 14 years of experience as a Deputy District Attorney in Los Angeles, Mr. Kraut brings a wealth of knowledge from his time as a prosecutor to his current practice. He began his career working with the United States Attorney’s Office and the City Attorney’s Office before transitioning to criminal defense. Known for his aggressive representation from the moment of arrest through every stage of prosecution, Mr. Kraut has built a reputation as one of Southern California’s premier criminal defense attorneys.
Mr. Kraut's expertise has earned him recognition on CNN, Fox News, and in national print media for his exceptional work as a trial attorney, further cementing his status as a leader in the field of criminal and DUI defense.
Jeffrey Sklan (Of Counsel)
Attorney Jeffrey Sklan has earned a reputation for his unique ability to think creatively while maintaining a meticulous attention to detail. With decades of experience, Jeffrey excels in resolving complex legal issues efficiently, focusing not only on the relationships between the parties involved but also on managing costs effectively. While he strives to achieve favorable outcomes through negotiation and settlement, Jeffrey is equally comfortable in the courtroom. When a boardroom solution isn't possible, he aggressively advocates for his clients, fighting tirelessly to secure the results they deserve. His commitment to excellence and deep understanding of both the legal and personal aspects of a case make him a valuable asset to the Law Offices of Brian Breiter.
Asher Hoffman (Of Counsel)
Asher Hoffman is of counsel for the Law Offices of Brian Breiter. He is brought on to assist with jury trials. After graduating law school, Asher was selected by the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) as a fellow for its prestigious annual program. During this fellowship, he gained invaluable experience working with both plaintiff and defense firms, as well as with the Honorable Judge Rafael Ongenko at the Los Angeles Superior Court.
Asher is highly passionate about jury trials and the 7th Amendment, and he is on the path to becoming one of the youngest members of ABOTA. He became an attorney to advocate for those who need a strong voice in the legal system.
In his free time, Asher takes improv classes and has assisted Brian Breiter with his "Improv for Trial" workshop, where they help other attorneys enhance their courtroom presence and persuasive skills.
Asher received his Bachelor’s degree from UCLA, where he studied psychology. He believes that psychology and law go hand-in-hand, as an attorney must help clients navigate some of the most significant moments of their lives. While earning his Juris Doctor degree at Southwestern Law School, Asher joined the International Law Journal and participated in the Moot Court Program, exploring both international and domestic legal issues.
Asher is licensed to practice law in the State of California.
Steve Hoffman (Of Counsel)
Mr. Steve Hoffman earned his degrees in Economics, Philosophy, and Accounting before graduating from the esteemed UCLA School of Law in 1988. Since that time, he has passionately and fearlessly litigated a wide array of business and civil cases, with a particular focus on personal injury and wrongful death matters. Mr. Hoffman is deeply committed to ensuring that injury victims receive the full compensation they deserve.
“In today’s economy, defendants and insurance companies are not easily parting with funds. It is our responsibility to hold wrongdoers accountable and ensure they rectify what can be repaired and fully compensate for losses that cannot be undone. True justice requires complete restitution,” he emphasizes.
Throughout his career, Mr. Hoffman has tried numerous cases and has achieved several multimillion-dollar verdicts in collaboration with Mr. Breiter. Outside of the courtroom, he enjoys a variety of activities, including swimming, basketball, ping pong, chess, and spending quality time with his wife and children.
Guillermo Machado (Of Counsel)
Mr. Guillermo Machado loves to fight for the underdog. Being an underdog all his life, he has firsthand experience on what it takes to face giants and win. After many years representing over a thousand debtors in bankruptcy courts, Mr. Machado found his calling as a personal injury attorney where he discovered that his work and dedication to the sufferings of others would impact clients for generations to come. Mr. Machado has recovered tens of millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for his injured clients. Money that has changed the lives of many happy and deserving individuals and their families. Mr. Machado devotes much of his time ensuring the his clients are not only properly cared for in the medical treatment of their injuries but also respected by defense attorneys of large companies in court. To him, making sure the client is fully compensated for their harms and losses is all that matters, and that often means taking the case all the way to the end and letting a jury decide what is right. Mr. Machado is an experienced litigator with a keen sense of compassion and an impressive talent to take action for those who put their trust in him. In his spare time, Mr. Machado writes screenplays and novels.
Our Team:
Personal Injury
Practice Areas
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