Practice Areas Overview

From their office in Santa Barbara, the experienced trial lawyers at McCarthy & Kroes represent individuals and businesses in a variety of civil litigation matters across California's central coast. Our primary practice areas involve serving as litigation counsel in:

• Business Disputes and Litigation - Providing counsel, guidance, and advice to small business owners, and representing a wide variety of local businesses in contract disputes with vendors, suppliers, and customers.
• Civil Trials and Appeals - Representing both plaintiffs and defendants in employment disputes and other matters.
• Personal Injury - We handle everything from car accidents to products liability cases, representing both injured plaintiffs and insurance company defendants.
• Real Property and Real Estate Litigation - From property line and easement disputes to problems with closings or buy-sell agreements, we are familiar with all types of disputes that arise when working in real estate.  Our experience includes representing real estate agents in issues involving transfer disclosure statements and claims of failure to disclose.
• Homeowners' and Other Non-Profit Associations - Providing counsel and advice to non-profits, homeowner's associations (HOAs) and their boards, including serving as general counsel and guiding them through Davis-Sterling issues.
• Elder Law - Remedying physical, emotional, and financial abuse and neglect wrought upon the elderly as well as upon dependant adults.

In addition, we frequently represent individuals, businesses, and governmental agencies in:

• Administrative Law - Representing clients before state agencies, boards, and commissions across a wide variety of legal fields, such as environmental health and employment.
• Construction Defect Litigation - including soil and slope instability, design defects, poor workmanship, roadway and infrastructure, building material failures.
• County Employees' Retirement Law of 1937 - CERL is a 340-page, comprehensive body of law dealing with all manner of benefits, tax, and eligibility issues for retirement in county employment statewide.
• Equine Law - Dealing with issues involving horses, activities, riders, owners, and the horse industry, our practice includes litigation and transactions in all horse-related issues and disputes.
• Geotechnical and Earth Movements - including earthquake damage, liability and insurance issues, and issues in construction and engineering
• Government Entity Defense - Our clients have included the cities of Santa Barbara and Carpinteria, the County of Santa Barbara, and the Santa Barbara County Employees Retirement System.
• Insurance Defense - Personal injury and other matters for CIGNA, Farmers, Hartford, State Farm and others.
• Legal Counsel to the Medical Community - Tax revenues are shrinking while population needs are growing, providing ever-changing needs for advice and counsel in matters of governance, regulation, compliance, payment, and reimbursement issues
• Medical Malpractice - Negligence by doctors or hospitals may be litigated like other personal injury claims, although differences in the duty of care, statute of limitations, damages recoverable, and the use of expert testimony make this a specialized area requiring particular skill and experience.
• Defense of Mold and Mycotoxin Claims - The extent to which a property owner is responsible for environmental health issues depends upon a complex investigation into the nature, source and cause, the proper responsible party, and practical and effective solutions.
• Products Liability - Design defects, manufacturing defects, and failure to warn can all subject a manufacturer, distributor or retailer to liability for damage, without requiring proof of fault as in other general negligence cases
• Employment Law - Representing the employer in defense of claims based on discrimination, retaliation, harassment, wrongful discharge, ADA, FEHA, and EEOC.

For over twenty years cities, counties, international corporations, homeowners associations, individuals and small businesses have turned to the skilled, experienced litigators at McCarthy & Kroes.  To discuss how we can help you with your legal needs, contact us today.