Our Attorneys
Nora Rousso
I am a native San Franciscan. I have lived in the South Bay for over 20 years. My B.A. is from U.C. Berkeley. My law degree is from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. At Golden Gate, I won the American Jurisprudence Award for Legal Research and Writing.
Although it is increasingly rare, I like being a generalist. I like to say that my mind is like a bathtub that gets filled up to the top before trial, while I learn about my client’s business, problem or injury. Then, when the case is over I pull the plug and fill my head with new information.
Why I became an attorney: Being a trial lawyer satisfies my twin ambitions of helping people and acting. I am an amateur actor and consider the courtroom my other “stage.” When I am in trial, I try to put on a great show for the jury. I don’t tell juries everything; I guide them and let them find out things for themselves. The trick is ensuring that they don’t stray too far from the script I have in my head. I am fiercely competitive and I hate to lose, so I fight really, really hard for my clients. A judge once told me that I was “relentless” and a client once called me “a pit bull in a tutu.” I considered both those statements to be huge compliments.
What I like about practicing law: I truly love helping people to solve problems. People are often scared and upset when they come to see me and it is gratifying when they leave with their minds at ease. I love being in the courtroom, even when I am just on a routine law and motion appearance. I enjoy the challenge of thinking on my feet, especially when I wiggle out of a tight spot with a thought that just occurred to me. But what I like best of all is cross-examining a witness, especially an evasive witness. I am an auditory learner; I remember most of what I hear; and so I use people’s own words against them to great effect. It is very exciting and I love it.
What I would do if I weren’t a lawyer: I would probably be involved in theater as an actor or director. Trial work and acting definitely draw on the same skill set. On the other hand, my college passion was journalism so perhaps I would be a journalist. And then again, I also love crafting, cooking and art, so maybe I would be the West Coast Martha Stewart. But since I’ve been a lawyer for over 20 years, I don’t envision a career change any time soon.
Jonathan Jackel
I grew up in New Jersey but I went to law school in Washington State at Gonzaga University and have lived on the West Coast for over 30 years, over 20 years in the South Bay. Before I moved to California I was a city prosecutor for the city of Puyallup, Washington. That experience honed my skill at proving up each element of a claim. This sounds basic but it is a fundamental skill many practicing lawyers never attain.
I have represented hundreds of individuals, businesses, non-profits, and employee associations in litigation, administrative proceedings, and transactions. My clients’ matters range from contracts to employment to real estate, torts and disputes between business owners. I am an expert in wage and hour cases and also judgment enforcement. Many people think that cases end with a judgment, but a judgment is merely a piece of paper. People (including local attorneys) come to me when they can’t or don’t know how to turn that piece of paper into money.
I am a member of the California, Santa Clara County and West Valley Bar Associations. I am currently the President of the West Valley Bar Association. I also value community involvement and thus I served on the Board of Directors and as a Vice-President for Temple Emanu-El and Jewish Family Services of Santa Clara County. I also served on the Board of Directors for The Tabard Theatre Company and as co-chair of the Cardozo Society.
Why I became an attorney: I have an inquisitive mind and I knew that law would involve looking things up and figuring things out. I also was fascinated with the idea of using the legal system to make people take responsibility for their own actions.
What I like about practicing law: I consider myself above all to be a problem solver. Legal problems are merely knottier (and perhaps more expensive) than other problems, but they are still just problems. I take a pragmatic approach and try to keep emotions out of the equation as much as possible. I really like trying cases with Nora. We are inspired by the British system of justice, where the legal team consists of a Barrister (Nora) who is the fiery trial advocate for the client and a Solicitor (me) the guy who knows the facts and the law inside and out.
What I would do if I weren’t a lawyer: Over the years I have enjoyed working on a number of local theatrical productions as a “tech.” At some point in my life I would like to spend more time as a “tech,” and less time as a lawyer. Given Nora’s interest in acting, it looks like we will continue to work together for a long time.