The East Bay's courts are a hotbed for high-impact litigation and
nationally known lawyers. This is particularly true in Alameda County
where nearly 5,600 attorneys force 80-plus judges to juggle complex
questions of law and truth with their never-ending need to move a
crowded court docket. The county is a magnet for plaintiffs who see
its liberal-leaning jurors as the ticket to big money verdicts and
a chance for social change. And, its criminal courts are a longstanding
model for counties across the state, sending thousands of cases through
the system each year while maintaining a solid reputation for truth
and justice.
East Bay cases are as high profile as they come. A jury slammed retail
giant Wal-Mart with $115 million in punitive damages for denying 200,000
California workers meal breaks, and if the verdict withstands an expected
appeal, it could affect 40 similar suits pending across the United
States. The "Riders" case saw prosecutors fail twice in
20 months to convict Oakland police officers in the city's biggest-ever
police corruption and civil rights abuse case. And an upcoming stemcell
trial in Hayward features plaintiffs aiming to stop the world's largest
public payout ($3 billion over 10 years) for the controversial experiments
that scientists say may cure countless diseases.
The novelty of this high-profile litigation is what grabs headlines.
But the cases often affect everyday people's lives and are taken to
court by lawyers attracted less by the spotlight and more by the intellectual
challenge and opportunity to make a difference. We're highlighting
three advocates whose passion, knowledge and dedication make them
standouts in a crowded field of talented East Bay attorneys. Their
profiles anchor the Woodward/White, Inc. list of the Best Lawyers
in America, which has been excerpted to focus on lawyers from the
Oakland metro area. In all, 72 lawyers make the cut.
Norton Tooby
Immigration and Criminal Defense - Oakland
Since 1986, Norton Tooby has specialized in defending the rights
of noncitizens ensnared in criminal courts. In 1996, he experienced
a heightened demand for his expertise when Congress passed laws extending
the list of crimes that could result in deportation and deprived immigration
judges of discretion in sentencing defendants.
"My job is to advise immigrants who have criminal charges when
it's safe to plead guilty so that they're not deported,: says Tooby,
60. "And if they have plead to guilty to the wrong thing, then
I go back and try to reopen the criminal case and try to renegotiate
a non-deportable result."
The U.S. government's response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks
have once again placed a premium on Tooby's unique set of skills and
knowledge-particularly in California, which continues to be a magnet
for immigrants from all over the world. He says that since Sept. 11,
the Department of Homeland Security has "spent millions to allow
its computer systems to talk to the criminal databases."
Tooby says the government information upgrade means that immigrants
who have minor criminal infractions going back 20 years, but have
since led legally blameless lives, face deportation when they try
to return after traveling abroad or file a green card application
for a spouse. Even more harsh, says Tooby, is that immigration laws
can be applied retroactively, meaning immigrants can be deported for
crimes they committed long before the laws were changed to make the
crimes deportable offenses.
A 1971 Stanford law school graduate and a one-time trial and appellate
lawyer, Tooby now advises criminal defense attorneys on immigration
laws out of his modest office on Telegraph Avenue in Norton Oakland.
He also self-publishes practice guides and a Web site to aid attorneys
confronted with the tricky intersection of crime and immigration.
"Norton is the granddaddy; he's the fount," said longtime
San Francisco criminal defense attorney Alex Reisman. "If you
consult him you can feel comfortable that you've done everything you
possibly can for your client".
