Please select the name of one of our attorneys to see biographical information:

George E. Wise

Susan E. Anderson Wise is a cum laude graduate of Lawrence University and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School. Ms. Wise is a Past President of the Long Beach Bar Association and the Women Lawyers of Long Beach, and three-term President of the Long Beach Legal Aid Foundation. Ms. Wise is involved in a wide range of Bar activities and has received wide renown for her expertise in insurance coverage and wrongful termination issues. 

Email: swise@wiselawyers.com

Michael J. Pearce is a graduate of Oxford University and Duke University Law School. He also has a Master's degree from Cambridge University. In his 20 years with the firm, Mr. Pearce has conducted numerous trials and appeals involving a broad range of civil matters. His practice presently concentrates upon business and insurance litigation, construction defect and land movement litigation. Mr. Pearce sits on the Board of Governors of the Long Beach Bar Association and the Board of Directors of the Oxford and Cambridge Club of Los Angeles and served as Chairman of the Long Beach Citizen Police Complaint Commission.

Email: mpearce@wiselawyers.com

Thomas J. Yocis graduated with high honors from Lewis University and received his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School. He also received a Masters of Law in taxation from the University of San Diego School of Law. He specializes in estate planning and probate and in general business and health law matters. The estate plans range from wills and trusts to more sophisticated planning involving generation-skipping transfers, charitable gifts, and insurance trusts. The business and health law services include the formation and operation of corporations, partnerships and limited liability companies; the drafting and analysis of purchase agreements for businesses or specific assets; the drafting and analysis of service, employment and independent contractor agreements; the preparation and review of real estate purchase agreements and leases; and the drafting and analysis of agreements regarding health law matters. Mr. Yocis is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association. He is a former editor of Mertens’ "Law of Federal Taxation."

Email: tyocis@wiselawyers.com

Stephen M. Smith is a graduate of the University of Southern California and received his law degree from Loyola University School of Law cum laude. Mr. Smith is a specialist in appeals and matters relating to the insurance industry including coverage analysis, coverage litigation and bad faith litigation. He has assisted insurers in preparing and revising coverage forms and endorsements. He has assisted insurers regarding matters before the Department of Insurance. He frequently makes presentations for insurers on coverage and claims handling issues and has been a CEB lecturer on automobile insurance.

Email: ssmith@wiselawyers.com

Mathew J. Vande Wydeven is a graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles. He received his law degree from Loyola University School of Law. Mr. Vande Wydeven has handled a wide variety of civil litigation matters. Mr. Vande Wydeven’s areas of concentration include product liability, personal injury, employment, and construction related litigation. Mr. Vande Wydeven is a member of the Defense Research Institute, the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel, the Long Beach and Orange County Bar Associations and the Joseph A. Ball/Clarence S. Hunt Inn of Court. He is currently on the Board of Governors of the Long Beach Bar Association, and is a member of the Scholarship Committee.

Email: mvande@wiselawyers.com

James M. Cox is a graduate of California State University at Fullerton cum laude and the University of Southern California Law School. He now is involved in the litigation department and has handled a variety of cases involving general business disputes, employment law, and insurance coverage issues.

Email: jcox@wiselawyers.com

George E. Wise is Of Counsel to the firm. He attended Lake Forest College and Northwestern University and is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School where he was a member of the Board of Editors, University of Chicago Law Review. He was a law clerk to a justice of the California Supreme Court before entering private practice. Mr. Wise is a Fellow of the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers, past president of the Long Beach Bar Association, and a recipient of that organization's Attorney of the Year Award. He has handled a number of major law suits in Southern California and has also been involved in major contract and real estate transactions.

Email: gwise@wiselawyers.com

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