Trial Attorneys of USD Speaker Panel

Trial Attorneys of USD Speaker Panel

Date and Time

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

This event occurred in the past

  • Wednesday, October 2, 2024 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Location

Warren Hall, Grace Courtroom

5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110

Cost

0

Details

Join the Trial Attorneys of USD and the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego for a Speaker Panel of four experienced trial attorneys in the San Diego area. Interested students can listen and learn from four trial attorneys in different areas of law as they answer questions from a moderator and describe their experiences. Also, meet the board of the Trial Attorneys of USD and other likeminded students. Free pizza will be served so please RSVP!

The panel with feature these four attorneys:

Neil Besse (Public Defender):
Neil Besse has been a Deputy Public Defender for 24 years. He is a graduate of Old Dominion University (B.A. ’91) and the University of Georgia (J.D. ’96). Neil has worked in various assignments within the Public Defender, including juvenile delinquency, sexually violent predators, and mental health/competency. He is currently assigned to the major cases unit, handling special circumstance homicides. Neil has tried nearly 100 cases in his career, and is delighted to work with law student interns and to brainstorm cases with his colleagues

Shawnalyse Ochoa (District Attorney):
Shawnalyse Ochoa has been a SDDA for over 22 years. Prior to joining the DA’s office she worked as a prosecutor for San Diego City Attorney and as a civil litigator in LA for two different civil firms.

Dominic Martini (Personal Injury Attorney):
Domenic Martini is a member of our Personal Injury and Wrongful Death practice group. An experienced trial lawyer who has earned multi-million dollar results for his clients, he has handled cases involving personal injury, medical malpractice, eminent domain, and complex business matters.

Domenic’s practice includes representing San Diego flood victims, other catastrophic incidents, and against institutions for their negligence. Most recently, Domenic served as co-lead counsel in a medical malpractice lawsuit against a Southern California hospital, which ultimately reached a $4.5 million settlement for his client.

Before joining Singleton Schreiber, Mr. Martini spent the first two years of his career as a trial lawyer at Thorsnes Bartolotta McGuire in San Diego. He holds a degree in political science from the University of Memphis in his home state of Tennessee. He moved west to attend the University of San Diego School of Law, where he competed in Vienna, Austria, as part of the Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot (VICAM) team. He also published an article titled “International Regulatory Entrepreneurship: Uber’s Battle with Regulators in France” in the San Diego International Law Journal.

Mr. Martini is admitted to practice in California. He is a member of the Enright Inn of Court and serves on the Board of the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego.

An avid Memphis sports fan, Mr. Martini also enjoys hiking, biking, and rock climbing. His goal is to visit every U.S. National Park.

Andrew Hillier (Employment Law):
For the past eight years, Andrew Hillier has dedicated his professional life to protecting the rights of employees.  On the front lines of litigation, Andrew has seen first-hand how employers may try to take advantage of their workers – prioritizing profits over the people who create them.  But he has also seen that the efforts of a single, brave individual can put a stop to an employer’s illegal practices. Andrew founded Hillier DiGiacco LLP to assist as many of those people as he can.

While Andrew recognizes that the prospect of a lawsuit can be intimidating, he understands how to guide clients through the process.  His style is collaborative.  He knows that each case is different and that each client’s needs are unique.  That’s why he prioritizes communication: Andrew believes that it is through teamwork and hard work that the best results are achieved.

Andrew’s zealous advocacy and dedication to his clients have been recognized by Expertise and the San Diego Daily Transcript.  He was recently named a Super Lawyers’ “Rising Star” for his work in employment law.  In addition to his legal practice, Andrew is a lecturer at the University of San Diego School of Law where he teaches a class on trial advocacy.  When he isn’t working to protect the rights of workers or training law students, Andrew enjoys spending time traveling, watching football, and playing with his dog, Harley.