Meet Our Staff
Dieter C. Dammeier
Dieter Dammeier is one of the founding partners and now Managing Partner of Lackie, Dammeier & McGill APC. Dieter began his law enforcement career in 1989 as a police officer for the City of Cypress. He left Cypress in 1991 to work for the Claremont Police Department. While at Claremont he served on the POA Board of Directors and became heavily involved in negotiations and officer representation. Working full-time at Claremont, Dieter went part-time to college and then law school. He graduated in 1996 from Western State University of Law in the top 5% of his class. After becoming a fulltime attorney Dieter continued to maintain his knowledge of police work while working as a Reserve Deputy Sheriff for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.
While in law school Dieter completed an externship working at the Law Offices of Castle & Krause, a police labor firm representing San Diego area police unions. In 1997 Dieter joined Michael Lackie and formed Lackie, Dammeier & McGill APC. He has practiced in all levels of state and federal courts in, from representing a POA President in a retaliation case before a federal jury to arguing public safety labor issues before the California Supreme Court and public employee privacy rights before the United States Supreme Court.
In the past decade, Dieter has more published Appellate Court decisions in the field of public safety labor law than most if not all of the other attorneys in the State who practice in this field. He is co-author to the most widely used resource on POBR; The Pocket Guide to the Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act.
In recent years, Dieter has become the firm's primary negotiator. He has since negotiated hundreds of public safety contracts obtaining record salary and benefit increases benefiting not only LDM clients but pushing the California public safety market to record levels. Dieter has become the preeminent attorney in California for police negotiations and as such, now handles negotiations for more police associations than any other attorney in the Country.
As a PORAC LDF Panel Attorney, Dieter is also active in politics in the area of police labor issues, traveling to Sacramento and Washington D.C. to lobby legislators to improve police officer rights and assist in drafting proposed legislation to address these issues. Dieter drafted SB 1516, which imposes a monetary penalty against police management for violating an officer's rights under the Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act. Dieter has testified before the State Senate on police labor legislation and was a panel advisor to the Speakers Committee on Police Conduct. Dieter has made countless appearances on local and national television advocating for his police officer clients.
Email Dieter at Dieter@policeattorney.com
Michael A. McGill
Michael joined what is now Lackie, Dammeier & McGill in 2004 as an associate and became a partner in 2008. He has spent his entire career specializing exclusively in the representation of public safety associations and their officers. Michael represents officers in all labor and employment matters, with a primary focus on litigation and trial work. His aggressive style has produced tremendous results significantly enhancing the rights of public safety officers throughout the United States. Michael has successfully litigated virtually every state and federal law affecting the rights of public safety officers and is widely considered an expert on important matters, such as the Public Safety Officer Procedural Bill of Rights Act, the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the First Amendment.
Michael divides his time equally between state and federal court, and his repeated successes have netted his clients millions of dollars through settlement or trial. His work has resulted in several published decisions each improving the rights afforded to peace officers, including Florio v. City of Ontario, 130 Cal.App.4th 1462 (2005) (finding that arbitration cost-sharing provisions are unconstitutional); Soto v. County of Riverside (2008) 162 Cal.App.4th 492, 76 Cal.Rptr.3d 21 (holding that union contract cannot waive the constitutional rights of its members); Rialto Police Benefit Association v. City of Rialto, 155 Cal.Rptr.4th 1295 (2007) (as an issue of first impression, city was required, under Meyers-Milias-Brown Act, to meet and confer with association concerning city's decision to contract out with county for services); York v. Robinson, 566 F.3d 817 (9th Cir. 2009) (public safety officer's reporting of numerous instances of possible corruption, and follow-up communications when he did not receive adequate response, involved "matters of public concern"); Quon v. Arch Wireless Operating Co., Inc., 554 F.3d 769 (9th Cir. 2009) (ground breaking case involving the privacy rights of public employees in text message devices owned by the city, in which the court held that employees had an expectation of privacy in content of their city-owned text messages); and Desrochers v. City of San Bernardino, 572 F.3d 703 (9th Cir. 2009) (identifying the parameters by which a public employees may be entitled to constitutional protection for speech in the workplace).
Michael graduated from California Lutheran University in 1999 with a B.S. in Sports Medicine and Athletic Training. He later graduated cum laude in 2003 from the University of La Verne College of Law. Michael received the University of La Verne's Merit Scholarship and was both a Staff Writer and Staff Editor for the College of Law's Journal of Juvenile Law. Michael is a member of the California Bar, each of the U.S. District Courts for the State of California, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal, and the United States Supreme Court.
Michael was born in Oxnard, California, the third of four children. Prior to commencing his legal education, Michael's first love was basketball, at which he earned several intercollegiate awards while completing his undergraduate degree. Michael makes his home in Orange County with his wife.
Email Michael at Mcgill@policeattorney.com
Saku E. Ethir
Saku E. Ethir earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology at California State University Long Beach in 1995. Saku then went on to earn her Juris Doctorate (JD) at Western State University College of Law in 1999. Saku was admitted to the California State Bar in 1999.
Prior to joining Lackie, Dammeier & McGill APC, in 2001, Saku worked for another police defense firm from 1999-2001 adding to her experience in arbitrations, administrative hearings, mediations, court appearances, depositions, internal affairs interrogations, and Skelly hearings. During this time Saku gained significant experience in the police disciplinary process; gained significant familiarity with the the Peace Officers Procedural Bill of Rights. During this period before Saku joined LDM she was involved in handling the now infamous Rampart related cases for Boards of Rights; participated in seven Rampart related Boards of Rights with "Not Guilty" Verdicts in all seven; represented Rampart officers in internal affairs interrogations.
Saku joined Lackie, Dammeier & McGill APC in March of 2001 and is among the senior associates in the Firm. Saku is a police defense specialist, handling administrative cases from inception through the appeal process. At LDM she has successfully litigated numerous wrongful termination cases and demotion cases involving allegations of dishonesty, excessive force, sexual harassment, traffic related incidents, and multiple other department policy violations and penal code violations. Saku has been successful in getting discipline suspensions reduced or overturned in many cases for Officers. She has also been successful, via City Personnel Boards decisions, Los Angeles Civil Service Commission decisions and Arbitrator decisions, in getting countless officers reinstated to their positions, and made whole as to wages and benefits, following their terminations.
Saku is also known in the firm as the go to attorney for issues involving denials of CCW Endorsements for retired officers. She has been successful in several Appeal Hearings challenging Police Chiefs' denials of the endorsement.
Another area of expertise Saku has is in the area of Restraining Orders. On numerous occasions, in Court, Saku has successfully opposed attempts by civilians to obtain Restraining Orders (RO) against officers.
Saku's track record as an LDF panel attorney is among the top, if not the best, in the State when it comes to fighting termination cases involving police officers. With her fierce dedication to her clients, it is no surprise she is among the top selected attorneys in the State in fighting disciplinary cases.
Email Saku at Saku@policeattorney.com
Andrew M. Dawson
Andrew received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from San Jose State University with a special major in Law Enforcement. He received his Juris Doctor degree from Pepperdine University Law School.
Law Enforcement experience: California Highway Patrol, Advanced P.O.S.T certificate, Advanced Accident Reconstruction Officer, Drug recognition Expert, was appointed to be a Field Training Officer while still on his first year probationary period, Physical Performance Coordinator, Public Relations Officer and Court Officer. 15 Official Commendations, 10851 V.C. (stolen recovery awards) and numerous special assignments, such as the Special Intelligence Unit for the 1984 Olympics.
Licensed to practice law in California in 1992, he practiced law at one of the largest Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice firms in Southern California as a Senior Trial Attorney. He successfully litigated cases against public entities with jury verdicts and settlements in the multi-millions. (Emmenecker v. State of California, 4.05 million, Morhorko v. State of California 1.4 million) His practice included wrongful death, product liability, medical malpractice and personal injury cases. He conducted hundreds of arbitrations and mediations.
While practicing law he has also been an instructor at the college level for the last 15 years. He teaches courses in Evidence, Criminal Law, Arrest, Search and Seizure 832 PC, Criminal Procedure, Introduction to Criminal Justice and Victimology. He created and teaches Principles of Law course. Andrew is also a guest speaker regarding Internal Affairs investigations and disciplinary appeals for PORAC and training seminars organized by Lackie Dammeier & McGill.
At Lackie Dammeier and McGill, APC, he is a senior litigator for the firm and has successfully litigated wrongful termination cases and demotion cases involving allegations of excessive force, dishonesty, sexual harassment, misuse of property, Department policy violations and criminal law matters. He has represented Officers involved in internal affairs investigations and has attended over 1,000 internal affairs interrogations. He has been successful in getting discipline suspensions reduced or completely dropped in hundreds of cases for Officers. He has obtained favorable rulings, including Officers being reinstated to their positions after termination, from arbitrations, City Personnel Boards, Los Angeles Civil Service Commission and the State Personnel Board. A sampling of his successful resolutions include: City of Arcadia Lieutenant and Sergeant both received favorable settlements after their terminations; California Highway Patrol Officer was reinstated after he was terminated; El Monte Police Sergeant was reinstated after he was terminated; three (3) Los Angeles County Police Officers were reinstated after they were terminated; Buena Park Police Officer was reinstated after he was terminated; overturned a demotion with the City of Garden Grove; and, received a favorable settlement for a demotion at the City of Signal Hill.
Andrew is always ready to take on the tough disciplinary cases that others shy away from. He is known throughout the State as one of the most aggressive LDF panel attorneys. Andrew takes a personal interest in his clients and becomes self invested in their clients success. This is why he is among the most sought after LDF attorneys when it comes to tough disciplinary cases.
Email Andrew at Andrew@policeattorney.com
Steven J. Brock
Steven J. Brock is a former, seasoned, law enforcement veteran who served in a multitude of uniformed and plain clothes assignments, and also held management and supervisory positions in those assignments with the Los Angeles Police Department before embarking on his legal career.
Mr. Brock has an extensive array of experience in employee representation matters on both sides of the playing field, and has served as an Employee Defense Representative and as an Associate Advocate for Internal Affairs. Mr. Brock is a recognized expert and certified instructor in many fields including the Leadership and Command curriculum developed and taught at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He has taught, analyzed, and developed programs for personnel development and promotions, police tactical operations, officer-involved shootings, and supervisory and leadership, and was on numerous review boards and steering committees.
Mr. Brock has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice, a Master of Arts degree in Negotiations and Conflict Management, and a Juris Doctor law degree. He is admitted and licensed to practice law in the State of California, the United States District Court for the Central District of California, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Mr. Brock is a member of The State Bar of California, the State Bar's Labor and Employment Law Section, American Bar Association, Consumer Attorneys of California, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, and Los Angeles County Bar Association.
Prior to joining Lackie, Dammeier & McGill, Mr. Brock began his legal career volunteering with the Legal Aid Society of Orange County, and then from 2000-2007, he was a member of a prominent, AV-rated Los Angeles area law firm specializing in public and private sector employment law matters, with a focus on police, fire, and civilian employees.
Mr. Brock continues to focus on public employee matters at Lackie, Dammeier & McGill, and specializes in police employment issues at both the administrative and civil litigation levels. Mr. Brock has a track record of success and a no-nonsense approach. He has extensive experience in internal affairs representation, administrative appeal hearings, writs, and civil litigation, and handles these matters at the local, state, federal, and appellate levels.
Mr. Brock represents peace officers in all civil litigation matters including violations of the Public Safety Officer Procedural Bill of Rights Act, the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act, the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, Fair Employment and Housing Act, California Labor Code, California Government Code, Fair Labor Standards Act, Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Civil Rights Act. Most of Mr. Brock's cases involve issues of retaliation, discrimination, harassment, whistleblower, and wrongful termination.
Mr. Brock can be reached at steve@policeattorney.com
Robin L. Sergi
Rob is a retired Lieutenant with the Long Beach Police Department with 26 years of service and retired in December 2006. As a police officer with Long Beach PD he had a variety of assignments including, vice, undercover detective, Career Criminal Apprehension, Robbery and patrol. He spent 9 years on the SWAT team, 1 year as sniper and 8 years as a Sergeant/Team Leader. As a supervisor he worked as a sergeant within the Special Enforcement Section for many years and retired as a patrol Lieutenant. Rob spent several years on the board of the Long Beach Police Officer Association.
Rob brings a wealth of police experience along with his legal training to bear on his clients issues. He passed the bar in 1992 and has devoted his entire legal practice to the field of police labor and police officer discipline cases. Rob has firsthand experience handling Officer involved shootings from all perspectives, as an officer involved in more than one OIS, as a POA rep, as an attorney and as an incident commander.
Email Rob at Rob@policeattorney.com
Kimberly D. Riley
Kimberly Riley graduated from California State University, San Bernardino with a Bachelors Degree in History and Economics and from Claremont Graduate University with a Masters Degree in Economics with emphasis in Business and Finance. She went on to pursue her Law Degree at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento and was admitted to the California Bar in 2008.
During law school, Kimberly was the recipient of the Amicus Lex Award, awarded to the first year law student who ranked number one in their class. She is also a member of the Traynor Honor Society, McGeorge School of Law; Phi Kappa Phi, National Honor Society; Omicron Delta Epsilon, Economics Honor Society; Phi Alpha Theta, History Honors Society. She has also been the recipient of various academic scholarships, some of which include: McBride Family Economics Scholarship, SEMA Memorial Scholarship, and Judge Elvin F. and Pauline C. Sheehy Scholarship.
While attending law school, Kimberly worked as a civilian manager for the Sacramento Police Department. She managed the Governmental Affairs Unit in the Chief's Office, which served as the police department liaison with outside governmental agencies and other city departments, primarily the Sacramento City Attorney's Office, City Manager's Office, and City Council and drafted, reviewed, and processed contracts, Public Record Act requests, City Council reports, legislative analyses and opinions, and ordinance revisions. She also served as a member, on behalf of the Sacramento Police Department, of the California Peace Officers' Law and Legislative Committee.
Kimberly joined Lackie Dammeier & McGill, APC in 2008. She primarily handles police administrative disciplinary matters, responds to officer-involved shootings, and prepares Brady appeals.
In her spare time, Kimberly enjoys traveling and spending time with her family and friends.
Email Kimberly at Kim@policeattorney.com
Russell M. Perry
Russell Perry attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and earned a B.S. in Social Science with a concentration in Criminal Justice in 1996. As an undergraduate, he completed an internship with the San Luis Obispo County Probation Department and was later hired by the department to supervise wards at the juvenile hall. After graduating from college, he worked as a correctional officer for the State of California at the California Mens Colony (CMC). In 1997, Russell was hired as a probation officer by San Bernardino County. He was assigned to multi agency law enforcement task forces such as the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Street Enforcement Team (S.E.T.) and IMPACT, a collaborative between the Probation Department and the San Bernardino Police Department. While working full time as a probation officer, Russell attended night school at Whittier Law School and earned his Juris Doctorate in 2006. He was admitted to the California State Bar in 2006, as well as the Central and Northern U.S. District Courts.
Russell began his legal career as a civil litigator at Lewis, Brisbois, Bisgaard & Smith, where he gained extensive civil litigation experience. At Lackie, Dammeier & McGill, he represents peace officers in all civil litigation matters including violations of the Public Safety Officer Procedural Bill of Rights Act, the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, California "whistleblower" statutes, employment discrimination, and unlawful retaliation.
Email Russell at Russell@policeattorney.com
Chris Gaspard
Prior to joining the firm, Chris Gaspard spent more than six years as a Riverside Police Officer and five years as a U.S. Marine. That experience makes him a uniquely qualified and remarkably dedicated member of the firm.
While enlisted in the Marine Corps, Mr. Gaspard was meritoriously promoted twice, achieving the rank of Sergeant. As a member of 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment he participated in Operation Restore Hope in Somalia in 1992-93 as well as training Operations in Japan and Thailand. He also served in Combat Service Support Group 1 before completing his enlistment.
After leaving active duty service, Mr. Gaspard was hired by the Riverside Police Department. He graduated at the top of his Riverside Sheriff’s Academy class, earning the awards for Top Academic Achievement, Top Physical Training, and Top Overall Achievement. As a Riverside Police Officer, he was assigned to the Patrol Division, the SWAT team, and the Honor Guard. As a police officer, he received numerous commendations for his aggressive policing and attention to detail.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Science summa cum laude from California Baptist University, Mr. Gaspard attended Pepperdine University School of Law. His distinguished academic record and legal writing skill earned him a position as an Associate Editor on the Pepperdine Law Review before being awarded his Juris Doctor degree. Mr. Gaspard has also been published in the Pepperdine Law Review. See Chris Gaspard, Kimbrough and Gall: Taking Another "Crack" at Expanding Judicial Discretion Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, 36 Pepp. L. Rev. 757 (2009).
Prior to joining Lackie, Dammeier and McGill, Chris Gaspard worked as an intern in the U.S. District Court and as a law clerk for the largest litigation firm in the Inland Empire. While Mr. Gaspard’s first couple of years with LDM was spent in the litigation department, he has also performed a substantial amount of work on administrative matters relating to public employee discipline, retirement, and compensation and benefits. Additionally, Mr. Gaspard has assisted the firm’s partners in drafting legislative proposals relating to public employment laws.
Email Chris at Chris@policeattorney.com
Carolina "Veronica" Diaz
Ms. Diaz received a Bachelors Degree in Political Science from UCLA, and graduated with Latin Honors from UCLA. During her senior year of college, she was chosen out of hundreds of applicants, to participate in JusticeCorps, a subsidiary of AmeriCorps, to help provide legal services to those who could not afford it. She served for JusticeCorps at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse for one year.
Ms. Diaz received a significant merit scholarship to University of LaVerne, COL, that virtually paid for most of her tuition for the first year of law school. Each subsequent year Ms. Diaz received merit scholarships. Ms. Diaz served as an officer for the Hispanic National Bar Association and was placed on the Dean's List for being in the top 15% of her class for her last semester of law school.
Ms. Diaz puts her legal skills to work at LDM for the Firm's clients in the area of civil litigation. She is admitted to practice before all California State Courts, United States District Court, Central District, United States District Court, Eastern District and the United States Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit.
Email Veronica at Veronica@policeattorney.com
Mike McCoy
Mike graduated in 1982 from Cal Poly, Pomona with a degree in Public Administration with an emphasis on outdoor recreation.
Mike worked for the Colton Police Department for 22 year before retiring and coming to LDM. He has worked Patrol, Traffic and on the Multi-Enforcement Team. He has served as a FTO in both the Patrol and Traffic Divisions. He is trained in advanced traffic investigation with some reconstruction experience and is also motor trained. Mike has received the CHP 10851 award (Grand Master) and has testified as an expert witness in several San Bernardino County courts on traffic and GTA cases. Mike was active with the POA both on and off the board while at Colton PD..
Mike attended California Southern Law School in Riverside while continuing to work full-time at Colton PD.. While attending school Mike interned for a criminal defense attorney in San Bernardino where he did staff work, made court appearances and participated in several DMV/DUI hearings. Mike graduated in 2008 and was admitted to the California Bar.
As an associate at LDM, Mike represents officers in all aspects of administrative cases, including internal affairs, Skellys, appeal hearings and critical incidents.
Mike is married with 4 adult children including a set of triplets.
Mike recently joined Lackie, Dammeier and McGill and will be handling LDF matters.
Email Mike at McCoy@policeattorney.com
John Bakhit
John H. Bakhit began his law enforcement career in 1997 as a Police Officer for the City of Oakland. He worked various assignments and areas of the city during his tenure. John developed expertise in the area of Narcotics and has testified as an Expert Witness in Superior Court. Working full-time at Oakland PD, he attended Columbia College part-time. John earned a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia College, where he graduated magna cum laude in 2002.
John then attended Santa Clara University School of Law in 2003 and graduated with a Juris Doctor degree in 2006. While in law school, he was the recipient of the Law Faculty Scholarship for three consecutive years. John was also awarded with a Certificate for Excellence in Oral Advocacy. In his last year of law school, he completed an internship working at the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office. John was assigned to the Gang Unit where he researched, prepared and argued motions, as well as prepared complex exhibits for a murder trial.
After graduating from law school, John joined Lackie, Dammeier & McGill APC. He handles police administrative disciplinary matters from the initial interview through the appeals process, responds to officer-involved shootings, conducts negotiations on behalf of associations and represents the Firm's clients in criminal matters.
John was admitted to the California Bar in 2006 and is also a member of the San Bernardino County Bar Association as well as the American Bar Association.
John H. Bakhit can be reached at Bakhit@policeattorney.com
Peter J. Horton, Esq.
Peter has been defending the rights of police officers, correctional officers, firefighters, and municipal employees since 2004. Over the past 6 years, Peter's practice has focused on successfully representing clients in internal affairs investigations, disciplinary appeal hearings, officer involved shootings, contract negotiations and criminal defense representation.
Peter joined Lackie, Dammeier & McGill in early 2010 but has been a Legal Defense Fund Panel Attorney (LDF) since 2004. He spends a majority of his time defending clients in internal affairs investigations into allegations of misconduct and has handled numerous disciplinary appeal hearings including arbitrations and appeals before the State Personnel Board. Peter is also responsible for responding to critical incidents such as deaths in custody and officer involved shootings.
Peter represents clients in contract negotiations. He also handles contract maintenance representation through the grievance process and provides legal advice to the Boards of Directors and the individual members of the Safety organizations he represents.
He has significant litigation experience including, but not limited to, experience with Mandatory Injunctions under the Public Safety Officers' Procedural Bill of Rights and Writs of Mandate. In addition, Peter also handles criminal defense cases involving assault under color of authority and driving under the influence charges.
Peter is a lecturer for the Peace Officers' Research Association of California Internal Affairs seminars and has been since 2006. Peter is admitted to practice in the Northern, Eastern, Central, and Southern District Courts of California.
Peter graduated from California State University San Marcos in San Marcos, California with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature and Writing in 2000. He remained in San Diego County to attend law school at California Western School of Law. He received his law degree and passed the California Bar in 2003. From 2003 through 2004, Peter worked for a San Diego law firm specializing in the representation of shareholder derivative actions, securities fraud class actions, merger and acquisition class actions, consumer fraud class actions, privacy class actions, antitrust class actions, and insurance class actions. Horton@policeattorney.com
Michael A Morguess
Michael rejoins the litigation department of Lackie, Dammeier & McGill, where he specializes in appeals, writs of mandate, and injunctions. He is certified by the State Bar of California as an Appellate Specialist. Michael previously represented the firm's clients, including police officers and their professional associations, in labor and employment, and disciplinary matters, where his work resulted in a number of published appellate and Supreme Court opinions, including Claremont Police Officers Ass'n v. Claremont (2006) 39 Cal. 4th 623 (test for when an employer must meet and confer under Meyers-Milias-Brown Act ("MMBA")); Rialto Police Benefit Ass'n v. City of Rialto (2007) 155 Cal. App. 4th 1295 (employer must meet and confer pursuant to MMBA prior to contracting out police services); Upland Police Officers Ass'n v. City of Upland (2003) 111 Cal. App. 4th 1294 (representational rights under Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act ("POBR")); and Otto v. Los Angeles Unified School Dist. (2001) 89 Cal. App. 4th 985 (what constitutes punitive action under POBR).
Prior to rejoining the firm, Michael worked for a municipal law firm where he served as an Assistant City Attorney for a number of cities and General Counsel for a joint powers authority, advising on and litigating personnel matters and other public employment issues, including employee discipline and investigations, wage and hour laws, leave time, employee discrimination claims, employment agreements, and labor relations and disciplinary issues under the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act, Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act, and Firefighters Procedural Bill of Rights Act. He also provided advice on and litigated matters involving the Brown Act, Public Records Act, Political Reform Act, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), Government Claims Act and municipal finance matters.
Michael also served as a Research Attorney for the Honorable David P. Yaffe of the Los Angeles Superior Court, Central District, who presides over one of only two Writs and Receivers departments in that court. Michael researched and wrote detailed proposed rulings on literally hundreds of traditional and administrative mandate petitions involving public employee disciplinary and civil service matters, CEQA matters, Public Records Act disputes, corporate and public elections issues, and preliminary injunctions.
Michael was previously an associate attorney at an Orange, California firm specializing in representing small businesses in advisory and litigation matters.
Michael grew up in New York and moved to California in 1990. After a career in deaf services, he attended Western State University College of Law in Fullerton, California. He received his Juris Doctor, cum laude, in 1997, graduating sixth in his class. Michael served as a Law Review editor for five semesters and published an article in the Western State Law Review (Peterson v. Superior Court: California Supreme Court Overturns Becker v. IRM, Abandoning Strict Liability for Landlords, Spring 1996). He received the American Jurisprudence Award for Excellence in Civil Procedure, Contracts, Property, and Torts.
Email Michael at Morguess@policeattorney.com
Dale Nowicki
Dale is an associate in the litigation department of Lackie, Dammeier, & McGill. Dale began his law enforcement career in 1989 as a sheriff’s deputy for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD). As a deputy, Dale worked a variety of assignments which included field training officer, detective, traffic enforcement, tactical flight officer, and helicopter pilot. He has received awards for exemplary performance, numerous commendations, and acknowledgements for excellence from various municipal agencies, civic groups, the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, and the Los Angeles County Criminal Courts Bar Association. As a recognized expert in gangs, Dale has served as an expert witness in criminal cases and has been called on by numerous agencies to consult on police training and tactics. While on the LASD, Dale was a unit representative for the Association of Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs (ALADS) where he served on ALADS’ contract negotiation committees and political endorsement committees. During his tenure on the LASD, he wrote published articles for the National Tactical Officer Association’s highly respected quarterly journal, The Tactical Edge, as a recognized expert in field patrol tactics. Additionally, Dale has completed the NTOA’s Special Weapon’s Team Supervisor Course, and the California P.O.S.T. certified Crisis Negotiations Course. In 1996, Dale was appointed as a member of a committee to develop a police early warning and tracking system, as one of the principal post-Kolt’s Commission reforms. The policy which resulted from this committee was one which closely monitored force and other risk management matters. Subsequently, Dale, along with the General Counsel of the Kolts Commission presented the policy as part of a national panel conference held at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. This early intervention system has since been adopted and instituted by numerous state and local law enforcement agencies nationwide.
Just prior to retiring from the law enforcement, Dale went to law school at Western State University where he earned the Criminal Law Practice Certificate with Distinction, and an exemplary Public Service commendation award. Additionally, he was awarded Witkin Awards for Evidence II, Advanced Criminal Procedure, and Advanced Criminal Evidence. Dale was a member of the Dean’s Circle, was on the 3L Honor Roll, and received the Los Angeles Criminal Courts Bar Association “Barry Levine” Scholarship, the Scott McCune Memorial Scholarship, merit scholarships, and was the past president of the Criminal Law Association. During law school, he worked as a certified law clerk at the Orange County District Attorney’s office in the Homicide Unit. While at the Homicide Unit, he wrote numerous evidentiary motions and briefs. Additionally, Dale used his first hand experience in OIS to draft District Attorney decision and opinion letters for several police agency Officer Involved Shootings during the period he was assigned to the homicide unit. He is licensed to practice law in California and in the United States District Court, Central District of California. Dale also has a Masters degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California, and his undergraduate degree in criminal justice and military officer studies from the University of Toledo, in Toledo, OH.
Prior to joining Lackie, Dammeier, & McGill, Dale was an attorney and served as a criminal investigations team leader with the U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) where he was assigned to the only specialized national criminal team in the agency, He initiated, planned, and investigated criminal violations of federal statutes related to inter-jurisdictional or national benefits plans with complex organizational structures. Many cases involved coordination with other federal agencies such as the IRS, FBI, Postal Inspector, U.S. Attorney’s office, as well as many state and municipal entities. Dale worked closely with the Department of Justice in preparing cases for litigation and provided technical guidance. As a team leader, Dale managed a multi-state federal team caseload and trained investigators and attorneys. Dale conducted analyses of legal issues and policies arising under ERISA, U.S.C. Titles 18 and 29, the Internal Revenue Code, and related state and federal laws and regulations affecting employee benefit plans and labor organizations with a primary focus on complex fraud and white collar crimes. The team has been responsible for multi-million dollar settlements, and millions of dollars in recoveries and asset forfeitures.
Dale has a great deal of experience in police training and tactics, investigations, police agency liability, and advising city councils regarding public safety. Due to his education, training, and experience, he has taught various Administration of Justice courses as an adjunct professor at several local colleges since 2006. Prior to his law enforcement career, Dale served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army for eight years, and was Ranger and Airborne qualified. With his background, Dale has also worked as a law enforcement and military technical advisor for numerous television shows and movies.
Dale can be contacted at Dale@policeattorney.com
Kasey Castillo
Kasey graduated Cum Laude from San Diego State University with a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice Administration and a minor in Journalism. While at San Diego State, she was the vice president of the Criminal Justice Student Association, a student mentor, on the Dean's List and a member of two national honor's societies. Kasey was admitted to the State Bar of California in 2005 after graduating early from Chapman University School of Law. While at Chapman, Kasey was the vice president of one of the school's legal fraternities and received the CALI award for the highest grade in Legal Research and Writing.
After law school, Kasey worked for two small boutique law firms, focusing on employment law, personal injury, representation of individual and business debtors, financial institutions, mortgage lenders and other creditors in commercial litigation, bankruptcy and reorganization. Then in 2006, she went to work for the San Bernardino County District Attorney's office where she most recently was a member of the Career Criminal Prosecution Unit, prosecuting serious and violent felons. During her five year tenure there, Kasey held also assignments in the juvenile delinquency division, was a member of the misdemeanor trial and preliminary hearing team, and a part of the auto theft division. While at the DA's office, Kasey was responsible for all aspects of felony and misdemeanor criminal prosecutions, including trial preparation and investigations. She continues to enjoy legal research and writing and trial advocacy. Since 2006, she has also been an attorney coach for the mock trial students at a high school in Rialto, CA.
Since 2008, Kasey has also been a faculty instructor at the University of Phoenix, teaching bachelor's degree courses in criminal law, criminal procedure, criminal courts, ethics, juvenile justice, and interpersonal communications in law enforcement.
Kasey is admitted to all California courts, as well as the Central, Eastern, and Southern Districts of California. She is a member of the California State Bar Association, San Bernardino County Bar Association, and a former member of the California District Attorneys Association, California Gang Investigators Association, California Narcotics Officers Association, International Latino Gang Investigators Association, Western States Auto Theft Investigators Association, and California Robbery Investigators Association.
Kasey was recently published in “Inmates and Parolees: A Law Enforcement Contacts Guide,” where she co-authored a chapter on current trends and an update on the applicable case law relevant to the search and seizure of parolees and felony probationers.
Kasey also received the honor of being selected as Academic Faculty Member of the Year for 2011 for the Southern California College of Criminal Justice and Security in her capacity as an instructor at the University of Phoenix.
Kasey can be reached at Kasey@policeattorney.com
Michael Lackie
Michael Lackie is semi-retired but still works with the firm as "of counsel." In this capacity, Lackie provides representation only to the California Corrections Supervisors Organization.
Michael Lackie is a founding partner of Lackie, Dammeier & McGill APC in Upland, CA. Also born in Upland in 1953, he graduated with honors from California State University, San Bernardino in 1973 with a BA in Political Science. Employed as Deputy Sheriff and Sheriff's Investigator for the Riverside County Sheriff's Department from 1973 to 1990. Graduated with honors from Southwestern University School of Law in 1993 and admitted to the California Bar the same year. Admitted in 1994 to the Federal District Courts and Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal.
Labor Experience: Chief negotiator and labor rep, Riverside Sheriff's Association, 1979 to 1987; labor representative, Silver, Shaeffer, Goldwasser & Hadden, 1990 to 1993.
Legal Experience: Associate Attorney, Silver, Shaeffer, Goldwasser & Hadden, 1993 to 1995, specializing in police defense during disciplinary investigations, labor negotiations, and civil litigation (writs and injunctions); Associate Attorney, Castle & Krause, 1995 to 1997, specializing in police administrative hearings and civil litigation; Partner, Lackie, Dammeier & McGill APC, 1997 to 2006, "Of counsel," Lackie, Dammeier & McGill, APC, 2006 to present..
Mr. Lackie has extensive experience in internal affairs representation, administrative appeal hearings and civil litigation in defense of police officers and their associations. He handles local, state and federal law enforcement cases. His track record for winning serious disciplinary cases and court actions is one of the best in the business. He has argued cases before several courts of appeals and been invited to brief police cases before the California Supreme Court. He is a frequent and well-known lecturer on the police defense circuit on the Bill of Rights and Critical Incidents.
Mr. Lackie has personally handled numerous injunctions and writs vindicating police rights and overturning discipline, including injunctions barring police agencies from violating the Bill of Rights. He is a featured presenter of multi-day seminars for law enforcement hosted by Lackie, Dammeier & McGill APC.
Damian Stafford
Damian was born and raised in Southern California. After graduating high school and attending college, he began his law enforcement career as a police officer in 1990. Damian learned about collective bargaining while serving on his police association's board of directors. He participated as a bargaining team member, doing research and discussing strategy. He was promoted to sergeant and was later elected president of the management association. While on the management association board, Damian took a more direct role in negotiations and eventually become a lead negotiator, successfully negotiating management association contracts.
In 2005, Damian moved to an Orange County municipal police agency. He was elected to the police association's board of directors in 2006. In 2007, Damian was selected as the lead negotiator where he worked closely with Dieter Dammeier for the first time. With Dieter's supervision, the negotiating team successfully reached an agreement with the city establishing his agency as one of the highest paid police departments in Southern California.
Damian has since joined Lackie Dammeier & McGill as a labor specialist, conducting contract negotiations for our clients. In addition to working for Lackie, Dammeier & McGill.
Email Damian at Damian@policeattorney.com
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