Direct line(555) 318 0151
Maren Kessler
Founder and partner
Truck and catastrophic injury. Has spent eleven years across the table from the same few carriers.
You meet the lawyer
who
will work
your file.
Many firms put a well-known face on the billboard and hand your case to someone you never meet. There are three of us here. You will know whose desk your file sits on, and you will have that person's direct number.
Describe the accident
Rated 4.8 over 186 reviews
The people on your file
Hover a portrait for a direct line.Tap a portrait for a direct line.
Direct line(555) 318 0152
Owen Dunn
Partner
Workplace and property cases. Spent his early career defending insurers before he switched sides.
Direct line(555) 318 0153
Priya Castellanos
Associate
Pedestrian, bicycle and rideshare claims. Pulls the vehicle data herself.
On paper
Fictional attorneys. Credentials invented for this demo.
Maren opened the firm in 2015 after six years at a larger Sacramento practice where, in her words, she met clients twice: at intake and at the settlement table. She built this office so that never happens here.
She carries the truck and catastrophic injury files, which means freight carriers, engine data and the long treatment timelines that come with spinal and head injuries. She still takes first calls herself most weeks.
- Admitted
- State Bar of California, 2009
- Courts
- Sacramento, Placer and Yolo superior courts; Eastern District of California
- Education
- J.D., Pacific coast law school; B.A., a University of California campus
- Before the firm
- Associate, a Sacramento injury practice, 2009 to 2015
- Associations
- Regional consumer attorneys group; county bar
- Outside work
- Volunteer clinic on traffic tickets for teenage drivers
Owen spent the first part of his career defending insurers and property owners. He knows how a claims file is scored from the inside, and he uses that to decide which records to ask for first.
He runs the workplace and dangerous property files: falls, failed equipment, outside contractors and owners who knew about a hazard and left it. Clients describe him as the calm one on the phone.
- Admitted
- State Bar of California, 2011
- Courts
- Sacramento and El Dorado superior courts
- Education
- J.D., Northern California law school; B.S., engineering
- Before the firm
- Insurance defense associate, 2011 to 2017
- Associations
- County bar; regional workplace safety forum
- Outside work
- Coaches a youth rowing crew on the American River
Priya joined in 2021 to lead pedestrian, bicycle and rideshare matters. She pulls vehicle data, signal timing and app records herself, because the first version of those events is usually the driver's.
She rides to the office most days, which is not a credential, but it does mean she knows which Midtown corners drivers misjudge. She handles the firm's Spanish-speaking intake.
- Admitted
- State Bar of California, 2018
- Courts
- Sacramento and Yolo superior courts
- Education
- J.D., California law school; B.A., urban studies
- Before the firm
- Public interest fellowship, then a small injury firm
- Languages
- English and Spanish
- Outside work
- Volunteers with a regional bike safety coalition
A note from Maren
No first phone call has ever shown me in advance which matter would become the hard one. So every first call gets our full attention, and we tell you honestly what we make of it.
Maren Kessler, founding partner
How we work a file
A typical order. Every case keeps its own pace.
From the first call to the final transfer, you always know which stage you are in.
- Week 1
The first call
Fifteen minutes in your own words. If we are not the right firm, we say so and name one that is.
- Weeks 1 to 2
We take over
Letters go to every insurer. From then on, their calls come to our desk, not your phone.
- Months 1 to 9
You heal, we build
Records, bills, photos and witness accounts gathered while your treatment runs its course.
- When care settles
The demand
A full package goes to the insurer once the future cost of the injury can be measured.
- The end
Resolution
Liens negotiated, the split shown line by line, and one transfer to you.
Who we take on
And who we send elsewhere.
We say yes to four kinds of case, and we are honest on the first call about the rest.
We take
- Car, truck, rideshare and motorcycle crashes
- Falls and equipment failures at work, beyond workers comp
- People struck while walking or riding
- Falls and injuries on unsafe property
We refer
- Medical malpractice claims
- Defective product and drug cases
- Workers comp benefits alone, with no outside party
- Cases outside Northern California
Midtown, two blocks from the office. Most of our clients live within an hour of here.
Since 2015
One office, the same three people.
- 2015
The office opens
Maren starts the firm on J Street with one paralegal and a promise that clients meet their lawyer.
- 2017
Owen joins
Eight years defending insurers, now on the other side of the table.
- 2019
Monthly updates become the rule
Every client gets a written update each month, even when nothing has moved.
- 2021
Priya joins
Pedestrian, bicycle and rideshare matters get their own attorney, and intake in Spanish.
- 2026
340 matters on
Still three attorneys. Still one office. Still a direct line for every client.
An office you can actually visit.
- 2140 J Street, Suite 400. Two blocks from the courthouse.
- Weekdays 8 AM to 6 PM. After-hours calls returned the next morning.
- Home and hospital visits when you cannot travel.
- Validated parking in the building garage on J Street.
What it comes to
Counted since the firm opened in 2015.
11 yrs
Serving Sacramento since 2015
340+
Injury matters handled
3
Attorneys, each carrying their own files
27
Clinics and firms that refer to us
1
Office, two blocks from the courthouse
4.8
Rating from clients
Client voices
Illustrative client stories, names withheld.
That is our version of the story. Here is how the people we represented tell it.
Each quote comes from a person we represented. Names stay private, and no review here was bought.
They handled every call from the insurer. That alone gave me my weeks back while my back healed.
I thought I had waited too long to call anyone. They sorted out the timeline in one conversation.
Nobody rushed me. Every month I got a short update, even when the update was that nothing had moved.
The adjuster kept calling me first. Once I signed, those calls simply stopped coming to my phone.
Name kept private
Truck crash, Sacramento, 2025
About the firm
General information, not advice on your case.
What people ask before they hire us.
If your question is not here, call and ask it. The first call costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
Will a partner work on my case?
Yes. There are three attorneys and each one carries their own files. The person you meet on the first call is the person whose desk your file sits on.
Do you take every injury case?
No. We take vehicle crashes, workplace injuries, pedestrian and bicycle cases and dangerous property. Medical malpractice and product cases go to firms that focus on them, and we tell you who on the first call.
How often will I hear from you?
At least once a month, in writing, even when the update is that nothing has moved. You can call your attorney's direct line any time.
Can I meet somewhere other than the office?
Yes. If you are recovering at home or in a facility, we come to you. Phone and video calls work too.
How do you get paid?
A share of what we collect, agreed in writing before any work starts. If there is no recovery, you owe no fee and you do not repay the costs we advanced.
Rated 4.8 over 186 reviews"They handled every call from the insurer. That alone gave me my weeks back."
Free case check
Ask for any of us by name. If it is not a fit, we will say so on the call.
If there is no recovery, you owe no fee and you do not repay the costs we advanced.