Criminal Law

• Criminal Defense
  Mr. Stuart graduated from the University of San Diego School of Law in 2004. During law school, he interned with the San Diego County Public Defender Office where he wrote and argued several motions in open court and participated in preparing and conducting misdemeanor jury trials. After passing the California State Bar Exam on his first attempt, he worked briefly as a San Diego County Public Defender before joining a large criminal defense law firm in San Diego.
• DUI/DWI
  Michael Stuart is Of Counsel and has handled the criminal and temporary restraining order (TRO) matters on behalf of Hoffman & Forde. During his first 4 years as a licensed attorney, he has defended more than 1500 criminal clients ranging from misdemeanor DUI cases to serious felonies. He has overseen all types of TRO cases in both family and civil court. Mr. Stuart has also defended more than 300 clients who have been served with a TRO in California. Currently, he is licensed to practice in both federal and California state courts.
• Fraud
  Hoffman & Forde’s tax attorneys are experts in the complexity and technicalities of our current tax laws. Consult with one of our tax attorneys to avoid legal tax conflicts involving tax fraud, estate taxes and tax treatments. Let us provide appropriate legal counsel for your particular tax needs. Schedule an initial consultation with one of our tax attorneys to save you time, frustration and a considerable amount of money down the road.
• Misdemeanors
• Restraining Order

Business and Corporate Law

• Corporate Law
  At our San Diego location, our attorneys have represented clients in some of the most complicated real estate and civil litigation disputes. In addition, Hoffman & Forde’s wide array of legal services includes disputes concerning corporate governance, entity formation, credit inaccuracies, along with real estate conflicts and unlawful detainers, just to name a few. Due to our attorneys’ diverse expertise, you save a considerable amount of time not shopping around for law firms. We will oversee your legal matters in one office.
• Business Formation
  Hoffman & Forde is engaged in all aspects of our clients’ business formation and development, from initial idea through liquidity. We provide business and legal guidance to clients through all stages of development, from initial incorporation, to seed and angel investments, venture capital debt and equity financing, strategic investments, and more.
• Business Disputes
  John B. Campbell is the Senior Partner and founder of the Campbell Law Group (“CLG”). Mr. Campbell is an experienced trial lawyer and has extensive experience in civil litigation involving personal injuries, real estate and business disputes. Mr. Campbell has personally tried over 200 civil and criminal trials to completion in addition to numerous arbitrations.
• Business Transactions
  Daniel Forde leads the civil litigation practice group as well as the commercial real estate and finance practice group. Mr. Forde represents clients in matters involving business and commercial litigation, complex commercial transactions, development, leasing, secured lending transactions, acquisition, disposition, options, and title disputes. He has successfully represented large corporations, small businesses, and individuals in litigation and corporate matters. He has achieved great results for clients of all sizes in civil trials, arbitrations, and mediations.
• Intellectual Property
  You work hard to establish your business, and a dispute can potentially damage it in a number of ways. Common disputes that arise out of commercial relationships include breach of contract, trade secret and intellectual property disputes, insurance, breach of fiduciary duty, employment, shareholder litigation, and many more.
• Unfair Competition
  Before forming CLG, Mr. Campbell was a founding partner of the San Diego firm of Hughes & Campbell (1983-1990) – which then specified in insurance defense litigation. Before that, he was a partner with the commercial litigation firm of Sullivan & Jones (1977-1983) – which then specialized in antitrust and securities litigation. Since leaving active duty in the United States military in 1977, Mr. Campbell has specialized in most forms of civil litigation – including, but not limited to, representation of those who have been injured; business owners; real estate clients; clients involved in construction litigation; clients who are involved in unfair competition/antitrust; fraud; and breach of contract issues.
• Antitrust

Employment Law

• Wrongful Termination
  We spend a considerable amount of time working. In your daily work interactions, whether in the office, project site, or even remotely, employment issues may come up. Unfortunately, workplace harassment, contract violations, discrimination, wrongful termination and other forms of employment issues still happen in any industry. Labor laws are here to safeguard your rights as an employee and our dedicated lawyers will work hard to help you prevent or recover damages.
• Employment Litigation

Property Law

• Real Estate Litigation
  Hoffman & Forde, Attorneys at Law is a premier real estate law firm in San Diego. We handle a wide variety of residential real estate issues for our clients ranging from transactional issues to informal dispute resolution and litigation. Regardless of your specific needs, trust that our residential real estate attorneys will address your situation with quality, cost-effective solutions.
• Construction Litigation
  A seller must affirmatively disclose to the buyer, in writing, any all known facts that materially affect the value or desirability of the property. You might be entitled to compensation as a result of the seller’s failure to disclose the following: mold, siding defects, water intrusion/damage, a damaged or leaky roof, foundation issues, known construction defects, underground storage tanks, past repair work done on the home, sewage treatment, faulty wiring, heating issues, termites, radon leaks, rusty or damaged pipes, prior legal cases against the property, previous repairs and remodels, and many other material issues.
• Real Estate Transactions
  Our commercial real estate firm helps clients evaluate the business and legal issues affecting the real estate industry. We handle diverse commercial real estate transactions and financing.
• Easement
• Land Use and Zoning
  During law school, Ms. Misuraca served as the American Bar Association (ABA) Chair for two consecutive years, served on the board for the Real Estate and Land Use Society, and had the opportunity to represent her school in the annual ABA Law Student Division Negotiation Competition.
• Landlord-Tenant Disputes
  Landlord tenant conflicts are common and can take on many forms. You can prevent conflict before it happens or reach mutual agreement if it arises with proper legal counsel. Whether the case is residential or commercial, our landlord & tenant attorneys can help. Call Hoffman & Forde today for a consultation.
• Property Damage
  We represent landlords in a variety of matters, including but not limited to, drafting leases; property management/financing; unlawful detainer/evictions—both no-fault and fault-based cases; late payment and non-payment of rent; property damage; claims of breach of lease agreement/covenants—such as nuisance, unapproved subletting (i.e. Airbnb & VRBO rentals) and criminal activity; and defense against tenant lawsuits.

Immigration Law

• Family Immigration
  Ms. Elhaddad represents a diverse group of individuals and small, mid-sized, and large organizations. She focuses her practice on general civil litigation; corporate and contractual disputes; residential and commercial real estate transactions; family-based immigration petitions; and investor visas.
• Investor Visas

Health Law

• Personal Injury
  Hoffman & Forde has overseen various types of personal injury cases and helped thousands of clients throughout Southern California. If you’ve experienced an auto accident or suffered a personal injury from someone else’s negligence, time is of the essence. Let us remove stress off of your shoulders as you interact with insurance adjusters, physicians, and car repair personnel. Take the time needed to recover from your injuries by contacting one of our experts.
• Medical Malpractice
  Mr. Kritikos earned his Juris Doctor, Cum Laude, from California Western School of Law in May of 2015. During law school, he remained active with Sigma Phi Epsilon as an alumni advisor and joined multiple student organizations. Additionally, he worked as a Law Clerk for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Civil Division, working on various issues including qui tam actions, medical malpractice, and SNAP violations. Mr. Kritikos received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California, Riverside in 2011. He is licensed to practice law in California, is a member of the State Bar of California and the San Diego County Bar Association.

Trusts and Estates

• Estate Planning
  Hoffman & Forde’s estate planning attorneys inform individuals and married couples on a variety of advanced estate planning techniques they can use to make the estate or inheritance tax bill less painful. Our estate planning experts also educate clients regarding the designation of a guardian and trustee for your beneficiaries. Let us help you create a sound financial plan, avoid probate, protect your assets, prevent family conflicts and costly legal expenses.
• Wills
  Wills and trusts are both methods of transferring an estate, but there are key differences and can be suited to your needs. Wills take effect after your death and they lay out your final wishes for how to dispose of your property. On the other hand, a trust (also known as a living trust) takes effect as soon as you create it. With trusts, a trustee or third-party holds your assets on your behalf and you specify how and when your assets pass to your beneficiaries.
• Trusts
  You may not have control over global markets and pandemics. But you can, to a degree, control how your assets are distributed. Find out how a living trust or wills attorney could help you make wise decisions and plan well.
• Power of Attorney
  Durable power of attorney establishes responsibility and identifies guidelines if you become incapacitated. It directs an individual of your choosing to make financial and medical decisions on your behalf.
• Probate
  Mr. Sauls completed degrees in law from Thomas Jefferson School of Law with a B.S. in 1977 and a Juris Doctorate in 1980. Concentrating in the areas of estate planning and business law, he is a well-recognized member of the San Diego legal community. Mr. Sauls is active with the Business Law, Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law sections of the San Diego County Bar Association and the State Bar of California.

Finance Law

• Bankruptcy
  Under current bankruptcy laws, you must pass a means test before filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy. If your current monthly income is below the Southern California adjusted median income, then you automatically qualify. However, even if your income is above the Southern California adjusted median income, you may still qualify after expenses such as car payments and retirement plan contributions are deducted from your income. Our lawyers have helped many people file Chapter 7 Bankruptcy after other attorneys told them that they did not qualify.
• Foreclosure
  If mortgage payments have become unsustainable, we can help you secure a loan modification that may save your home. The purpose of a loan modification is to provide you with a mortgage payment you can afford. The process is similar to a mortgage refinance but instead of entering into a new mortgage we work with lenders to modify the terms of our clients’ current mortgage. Receiving proper legal advice from an experienced loan modification attorney helps ensure the best possible loan modification with lenders that may help save your credit. We assist clients in lowering interest rates, extending the terms of their loans, lowering the principal balance of a loan and potentially getting rid of a second mortgage. Our firm also helps clients who are behind in their mortgage payments stop the foreclosure process.
• Tax Law
  Find yourself in a complicated tax situation? Hoffman & Forde’s expert attorneys can help. We help clients navigate the complexities of tax law and ease potential stress that tax issues can bring. Schedule an initial consultation and tell us about your tax problems.