We are proud to announce that our firm has been selected for the new 2017 Best Law Firms listings released by U.S. News & World Report in collaboration with Best Lawyers, a professional law publication.

Our firm Kazan, McClain, Satterley & Greenwood, A Professional Law Corporation, not only has been chosen for this prestigious list but we have been ranked as a top tier firm for our metropolitan area of Oakland, California for mass tort litigation and class action suits on behalf of plaintiffs. Hard work, dedication to detail, and a determination to help asbestos victims in need all contribute to our success at Kazan Law.

What the New U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers Ranking Means

According to the information we received about our selection as a top tier firm, “Firms included in the 2017 Best Law Firms list are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers.  Achieving a tiered ranking signals a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise.”

The 2017 rankings involved the highest number of participating firms and highest number of client ballots on record. Over 10,000 attorneys provided more than 800,000 law firm assessments, and over 10,000 clients provided more than 90,000 evaluations.

“U.S. News is the global authority in rankings,” said Tim Smart, executive editor of U.S. News & World Report. “Evaluating law firms is a natural extension of what we do best.”  Many people are familiar with U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of many important American institutions, including colleges and universities. In addition to education, U.S. News now provides consumer advice, rankings and analysis in areas including health, personal finance, travel, cars as well as its traditional coverage of national and international news.

Selection for The Best Lawyers in America Required for Best Law Firms Ranking

To be eligible for a ranking in the Best Law Firms in America, a firm must have at least one lawyer currently listed in The Best Lawyers in America, which recognizes the top 4 percent of practicing attorneys in the U.S.

Kazan Law attorneys consistently appear on The Best Lawyers in America list. This year, favorable evaluations from other lawyers resulted in three of our partners being selected for the highly regarded list. This year’s inclusion marks the tenth time that founder Steven Kazan and partner David McClain have appeared on the prestigious list and the fifth time for partner Denise Abrams.

It is a point of pride with us that lawyers cannot pay for their names to appear on the Best Lawyers list. It is truly an honor that only can be earned through an outstanding level of achievement that is recognized by our professional colleagues in the legal field.

Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected attorney ranking service in the world. For more than 30 years, Best Lawyers has assisted those in need of legal services to identify the attorneys best qualified to represent them in distant jurisdictions or unfamiliar specialties. Best Lawyers lists are published in leading local, regional and national publications across the globe. The Best Lawyers in America list recognizes the very best lawyers in each practice area and metropolitan region in the country.

Kazan Law Continues to Achieve Justice For Asbestos Victims

Kazan Law was founded over 40 years ago by partner Steven Kazan with the goal of fighting for justice on behalf of everyday working people. We helped pioneer the field of asbestos litigation to bring to account businesses that knowingly exposed innocent people who trusted them to lethal asbestos. That we have been and continue to be successful in this important area is rewarding. We are very grateful for the recognition from our colleagues and our clients.  However our joy is tempered by the tragedies we have encountered of lives lost to mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.

We continue to work hard every day to achieve justice for our clients not only through the courts but through efforts to improve workplace safety on a state and national level. But as exposure to asbestos continues into the future, we also fund through our firm’s foundation many medical research programs to try to find improved ways of diagnosing and treating the diseases caused by asbestos exposure.

How the Best Law Firms List Is Shared In addition to individual firms like ours that have been chosen for this prestigious list sharing the news with clients and colleagues, there will be other avenues for disseminating this information.  The national and metropolitan First Tier list, which includes Kazan Law, will be featured in the Best Law Firms General Counsel Publication. This will be distributed in December to more than 30,000 in-house counsel, and in digital format to more than 60,000 private practice lawyers worldwide.

The 2017 Best Law Firms rankings will also be available in its entirety online at bestlawfirms.usnews.com. More than 37 million people visit USNews.com each month for research and guidance in making informed choices, according to company information.

The Careful Methodology Used in Creating the Best Law Firms List

The U.S.News – Best Lawyers Best Law Firms rankings used a careful evaluation process that involved collecting client and lawyer evaluations and peer reviews from leading attorneys in their field. Clients were asked to provide feedback on firms, including expertise, integrity, responsiveness, cost-effectiveness, civility, and whether they would refer another client to the firm.

“Lawyers also voted on whether they consider a firm a worthy competitor. We asked this group to vote on law firms that have a preeminent national presence within specified legal practice area(s) they know well,” the summary reports about the new listings.

For the fourth year, a Law Firm Leaders Survey was implemented to provide personal insight on the legal landscape surrounding the nationally ranked practice areas. In addition to information from these surveys, the rankings incorporate 7.3 million evaluations of 54,463 individual leading lawyers collected by Best Lawyers in its most recent annual survey.

All of the quantitative and qualitative data were combined into an overall “Best Law Firms” score for each firm. This data was then compared to other firms within the same metropolitan area and at the national level. Because firms were often separated by small or insignificant differences in overall score, we use a tiering system rather than ranking law firms sequentially. The first tier in each metropolitan area includes those firms that scored within a certain percentage of the highest-scoring firms.

Sharing could be considered an overused word today. We talk about the “sharing economy” when we really mean individuals selling services to other individuals. We use the word “sharing” to describe communicating our thoughts, feelings and news to others through social media.

But at Kazan Law, we firmly believe in the traditional meaning of the word sharing – to give a portion of what you have to others.  That is why we are proud to be a major contributor to the Chronicle Season of Sharing Fund through the Kazan McClain Partners’ Foundation this year and every year.

Our firm’s foundation has made our annual $20,000 donation to this very worthwhile wonderful cause. We are proud to see that we are the only law firm donating at this level.

Sharing Locally Through the Chronicle Season of Sharing Fund

Sharing locally is important to us as we consider all the frightening things going on in the world around us.  There may not be anything most of us can do to impact global events but we can make a difference for someone who needs help right in our own community.

Since 1986, the Chronicle Season of Sharing Fund has raised more than $98 million to help thousands of Bay Area families. The Fund provides one-time grants to help families in crisis so they can pay for housing and emergency needs. Through a network of more than 120 community service agencies, the Fund works to identify families in need and provide short-term, critical assistance grants.

The people whom the  Chronicle Season of Sharing Fund provides temporary assistance to live in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma counties.  We are grateful for the opportunity the Season of Sharing Fund gives us to help our neighbors.

Here are three additional reasons why we choose the Season of Sharing Fund for our annual holiday sharing:

• The Fund’s overhead costs are covered by the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund and the San Francisco Chronicle. So 100 percent of the money raised goes directly to those who need it.
• The Fund helps families in many ways, including paying the rent so people are not evicted, covering a security deposit to help a family transition out of a homeless shelter, or purchasing a wheelchair or other essential medical equipment that people couldn’t otherwise afford.
• The Fund supports food banks and distributes nearly $1 million each year to assist individuals and families at risk for going hungry.

Mesothelioma Law Practice Cultivates Compassion

For over 40 years, Kazan Law has won justice for victims of asbestos exposure and their families.  Through no fault of their own, our clients are stricken with diseases such as mesothelioma that will cause them great suffering and premature death. Yet in spite of everything, they have been some of the kindest warmest people we have ever known.

Although we are the legal experts who have helped them, they have helped us too. Our mesothelioma law practice constantly cultivates compassion for others in all of us who work here. We have learned that if you have your health, you are fortunate.  If you have your health and are doing well, you are even more fortunate.  And if you have your health and are doing well by helping others as we are able to do at Kazan Law then you are truly among the most fortunate and owe it to the world to share – to give to others and do so with generosity.

Sharing Is Important All Year Long

Sharing rightfully takes center stage during the holiday season.  Everyone focuses for a short time on giving gifts and cheerful seasonal greetings to the people in their lives – family, friends and colleagues. Happily, many people also realize that at this time of year, sharing the joys of the season extends to those in need.

In a recent study, the Center on Philanthropy found that most charitable organizations in the United States receive over half of their contributions during the last few months of the year.

At Kazan Law, our focus in our practice of helping those in need has inspired us to making sharing something we actively do all year long.  We created the Kazan McClain Partner’s Foundation to identify and facilitate sharing on an ongoing basis on behalf of all us at Kazan Law.

Over the last 20 years our foundation has given over $20 million in grants to a diverse list of community and civic organizations.  This includes organizations that help immigrants, prisoners, and students from low-income backgrounds. We also share the legal expertise of our staff by providing pro bono services to state legislative measures to protect the health and safety of workers and to refugees fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries.

With our keen awareness of the tragedy of mesothelioma, we have made the quest for better treatment a focus of our sharing as well. Our foundation has provided over $6 million for mesothelioma research. This is one way we can help give back to the community of mesothelioma patients and families whose rights we fight for as asbestos litigation attorneys.

All of us at Kazan Law wish you a happy, safe and healthy holiday.

Kazan, McClain, Satterley & Greenwood, a Professional Law Corporation, are nationally recognized pioneers in asbestos litigation. We are currently seeking a Marketing Specialist to serve as the primary internal point of contact for all marketing related to firm activities and personnel.

Working in our Administration department, the Marketing Specialist will report to the Managing Partner and assist the firm’s management in its overall marketing program.

 Marketing Specialist Job Requirements

• Ability to communicate effectively orally, in writing and in person; interviewing skills a must.
• Must be able to demonstrate initiative due to time-sensitive nature of work.
• High level of project management skills.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with Partners, attorneys, and other firm staff.
• Must be able to demonstrate a high degree of professional judgment around sensitive and confidential issues.
• Ability to organize, document and prioritize a large amount of details.
• Ability to multi-task.
• Knowledge of office and record keeping methods, practices and procedures.
• Ability to adhere to prescribed routines and practices.
• Ability to create reports with accuracy.
• Must be able to demonstrate flexibility in regard to willingness to perform the many duties of the Marketing Department.

Marketing Specialist Job Duties and Responsibilities

• Assist in the development of marketing best practices and processes.
• Continue to improve processes and procedures to create efficient systems and deliver high quality work product, ensuring the department operates efficiently and effectively.
• Develop and maintain accurate, current database(s) of clients, experts, industry and referral sources.
• Develop and improve the reporting of statistical information related to effectiveness of marketing efforts.
• Acts as liaison with external vendors and other advertising and web providers.
• Develop and maintain relationships with past and present clients.
• Provide in-house video and still photography as needed.
• Develop and maintain client newsletter.
• Initiate and produce video and text content regarding case work and legal developments.
• Create content for use on all social media platforms with focus on SEO.
• Act as liaison between Intake department and external marketing.
• Develop speaking/networking opportunities

How to Apply for the Marketing Specialist Position

Interested candidates should send a resume to the attention of the Human Resources Manager at HRM@kazanlaw.com.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Kazan, McClain, Satterley & Greenwood provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Kazan, McClain, Satterley & Greenwood complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Kazan, McClain, Satterley & Greenwood, a Professional Law Corporation, has represented thousands of people suffering from the effects of asbestos related illnesses, particularly mesothelioma, since 1974. We are nationally recognized pioneers in asbestos litigation and currently interviewing Associate Attorneys to join our Oakland, California based team.

New Associate Attorneys will work in our Case Management department along with other members of an assigned team under the supervision of a senior Attorney or Partner.

Mesothelioma Attorneys: Job Requirements of a New Associate

All Associates must be active members in good standing of the California State Bar. Other requirements include:

• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing (including email), with colleagues, court personnel, co-workers, clients and defense lawyers and law firms.
• Knowledge of legal research methods, legal principles and their application.
• Ability to analyze facts, and apply legal principles and precedents to legal problems.
• Ability to effectively handle discovery matters.
• Ability to present statements of fact, law and argument clearly and logically.
• Ability to prepare correspondence involving the explanation of legal matters.
• Ability to analyze situations accurately and plan an effective course of action.
• Possession of basic trial skills.
• Ability to work collegially with partners, associates and staff.

Mesothelioma Attorney’s Job Duties and Responsibilities

Depending on the job level and applicant’s experience, the Associate Attorney may perform all or any of the duties described below.

Associate Attorney Level I

• Conducts litigation activities, advises clients as to legal rights and practices other phases of law.
• Gathers evidence in civil cases to formulate, initiate and prosecute legal action.
• Conducts research; interviews clients and witnesses; drafts legal documents; prepares lay and expert witnesses; and handles, where necessary, all other details in preparation for trial or hearings.
• Prepares legal briefs interpreting laws, rulings, and regulations, develops strategy, arguments, and testimony in preparation for presentation of case.
• Develops ability to manage a case and handle discovery.
• Represents clients in court.
• Participates as a member of the legal team, to ensure quality performance of the team.
• Employs interpersonal skills to build good working relationships with staff and other attorneys.

Associate Attorney Level II

In addition to the above, an Associate Attorney Level II will be expected to:

• Take and defend depositions
• Manage a caseload, independently, with minimal or no supervision.
• Fill in for Supervising Attorneys, if necessary, and manage the work of other Associate Attorneys.
• Possess advanced trial skills, law & motion, and/or appellate advocacy expertise.
• Move cases from pre-trial to trial readiness.
• Participate in trials as second chair.

How to Apply for a New Associate Position

Interested candidates should send a resume to the attention of the Human Resources Manager at HRM@kazanlaw.com.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Kazan, McClain, Satterley & Greenwood provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Kazan, McClain, Satterley & Greenwood complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.