Forty-three years of practice.

How we got here

Law Firm demo was founded in 1982 by Marian Vasquez, a former assistant district attorney who’d grown frustrated with the volume-driven plaintiff bar of the era. The first office was three rooms above a hardware store. The first matter was a wrongful-termination case for a textile worker; we recovered the equivalent of 3.5 years’ salary at trial.

Marian’s daughter Elena joined the firm in 2002 after four years as a deputy DA, made partner in 2007, and took over as Managing Partner in 2018. The third generation of family lawyers has not joined the firm and we’ve been deliberate about that — we don’t hand cases to relatives by default.

The firm has remained privately held and partner-run. Equity is held by the 14 active partners. We’ve declined three acquisition approaches over the years.

What we believe

• Trial-ready or don’t take it. If we can’t see ourselves trying the case to verdict, we don’t take it. Settlement leverage comes from credibility at trial, not just willingness to file.
• Plain language wins. Legalese is for filings where it’s required, not for client communication. Our engagement letters are 2 pages. Our client updates are written so a reader without a JD can follow them.
• Direct attorney access. Clients hire attorneys; clients should be able to reach attorneys directly. No call-routers, no inbox triage. Our partners answer their own phones until 7pm.
• Decline the work that isn’t ours. About 30% of consultations end in a referral. Trying to be everything to everyone produces mediocre work.
• Pro bono is part of the work. Six percent of attorney hours go to pro bono matters — not 10% with caveats, six percent measured. We track and publish.

What we won’t do

• Promise specific outcomes. Anyone who promises a number or a result without seeing facts and applicable law is not someone you should hire.
• Pressure clients to settle. The decision to settle or try is the client’s; our job is to give them the information to choose.
• Take work outside our practices. We refer rather than learn on a client’s case.
• Use AI to draft client-facing legal advice. We use AI for research and document review, never for substantive advice or filings without partner review.