Vanessa is an experienced trial attorney who has been representing clients at hearings, and in trials for more than 20 years.  Vanessa has tried cases in state court, federal court, as well as before state agencies, including the Special Education Division of the Office of Administrative Hearings.   Vanessa has represented parties on both sides of lawsuits, both the party bringing the lawsuit (the plaintiff) and the party being sued (the defendant).  In fact, Vanessa began representing clients in hearings before she even obtained her license to practice law, as a certified law clerk assisting in cases before the then Department of Real Estate.

 

Over the years, Vanessa has honed her skills as a zealous advocate for her clients. She is skilled and experienced in all aspects of bringing lawsuits and claims, including the preparation of complaints, the filing of motions, taking depositions, and representing clients at trial.  Vanessa is also experienced handling appeals.

 

But perhaps most important, Vanessa is an understanding and ethical person, who can help guide you through your legal issues. 

 

Vanessa's entire career has been in the area of trial practice and litigation.   Vanessa began her career at a real estate boutique firm in Southern California representing real estate brokers and salespersons before the California Bureau of Real Estate.  Ms. Jarvis then moved to Northern California where she joined Ericksen Arbuthnot in its litigation department.  As an insurance defense attorney she represented policy holders in all types of cases including personal injury, employment law, construction defect, professional liability, and toxic tort litigation.  During the last few years at Ericksen's Oakland office, Vanessa specialized in asbestos defense, and managed the firms asbestos litigation department under William Hoback, Esq.  Vanessa represented many large and well-known corporations such as B.F. Goodrich, Fairchild-Hiller, Moen, and Halliburton.  Vanessa was among a select few attorneys representing Halliburton in Southern California in asbestos litigation.  

Vanessa then returned to her Southern California and joined a prominent Santa Ana law firm where she represented Farmers Insurance in insurance bad faith actions.  Vanessa also worked briefly for the Samuelson Gonzalez Valenzuela & Brown firm doing workers compensation defense and civil subrogration claims.  It was a this point in approximately 2007 that Vanessa opened Jarvis Law Offices, and decided to devote her practice to exclusively individuals and consumers in primarily plaintiff filed actions primarily in employment law.   
 

Vanessa has experience in both defense and plaintiff side litigation, and has experience at every level of litigation.  As a woman she also understands what is it like to be treated as less then in a male dominated workplace.  As a Mexican growing up in conservative white Orange County, she knows what it is like to be called derogatory names based on ones ethnicity, like "beaner".  In her first job as an attorney, she learned her male counterpart who had taken longer to pass the bar, and went to same law school was getting paid significantly more money and fought for and obtained equal pay.

 

She has been called "honey" and "sweetie" by retired judge mediators.  She has been mistaken for the court reporter when showing up for depositions.  She has been witness to many inequities towards women in the workplace that have lit a passion for representing the women, minorities and marginalized groups such as LGBT.   It is Vanessa's hope that she can put her legal and personal experience to good use by helping families and individuals in special education, employment and general litigation matters.

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