Clarissa graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College in 2000, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Latin American Studies and Spanish. After teaching English in Mexico, and managing the office of a sole practitioner in Los Angeles, Clarissa moved to San Francisco to attend law school. She is a 2006 graduate of Golden Gate University School of Law where she placed in the top four percent of her graduating class. She became licensed to practice law in California, and an associate at Walker, Hamilton & Koenig that same year.

For eight years, Clarissa has handled a busy caseload in the areas of catastrophic personal injury, government liability, civil rights, insurance bad faith, and employment, before working remotely while raising her three young sons. She has now returned to full-time practice with the firm. She is a member of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association and Consumer Attorneys of California and was selected for inclusion on the 2011-2014 “Northern California Super Lawyers Rising Stars" lists, an honor reserved for only 2.5% of lawyers in Northern California. She also speaks Spanish and Portuguese.

Clarissa lives in San Francisco with her husband, three young boys, and two tolerant cats. When not in the office, she enjoys exploring a new playground, park or neighborhood at the pace of a two-year-old.

Areas of Practice

• Personal Injury
• Dangerous Condition of Public Property
• Bicycle v. Auto Accidents
• Pedestrian v. Auto Accidents
• Wrongful Death
• Product Liability
• Insurance Bad Faith
• Civil Rights
• Employment

Bar Admissions

• State Bar of California
• U.S. District Court Eastern District of California
• U.S. District Court Northern District of California
• U.S. District Court Southern District of California

Education

• Golden Gate University School of Law, San Francisco, California
  J.D. – 2006
  Honors: Top Four Percent of her Graduating Class.
  Honors: Member, Environmental Law Moot Court team
  Honors: Quarter-Finalist in the 2006 National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition of Pace Law School
• Wellesley College
  B.A. magna cum laude – 2000
  Major: Latin American Studies and Spanish

Honors and Awards

• “Northern California Super Lawyers Rising Stars", 2011-2014
• Witkin Award in Appellate Advocacy
• Witkin Award in Community Property
• Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI) Award in Writing & Research
• CALI Award in Land Use Regulation
• Recipient of the 2006 Faculty Award for Academic Excellence in Environmental Law, 2006

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Consumer Attorneys of California, Member
• San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, Member

Languages

• Spanish
• Portuguese