We are proud to have a team of five full-time employees, all with unique experiences and perspectives, who play an integral role in helping our clients regain control of their future when charged with a crime. Our office has the internal structure necessary to maximize the number of people we can help while retaining our reputation as one of San Diego’s best criminal defense law firms. Our clients not only receive the benefit of being represented by, and protected by the reputations of, attorneys David P. Shapiro and Stefano L. Molea, but also tend to find extreme value in the services provided by the Firm’s support staff. That full-time staff includes Director of Client Relations Kelly Norton, and Legal Assistants Nicole Van Lear and Alejandra Contreras.
Kelly Norton has over 25 years of experience working with the courts and the criminal justice system, almost exclusively in San Diego Superior Court. Kelly divides her time between her dual roles as Director of Client Relations and as the Firm’s Supervising Legal Assistant. Kelly is in invaluable resource for the Firm’s day to day operations, but most of all to our clients. Legal Assistant Nicole Van Lear came to the Firm with over ten years in customer service. Nicole is currently enrolled at the University of San Diego’s Paralegal Program, having recently completed an internship with the San Diego Public Defender’s Office. Alejandra Contreras is often our client’s first point of contact when calling the Firm. Fluent in Spanish, and the Firm’s lone San Diego native, Alejandra has experience working with the American Civil Liberties Union, Planned Parenthood and one of San Diego’s largest and most successful family law firms. Together, our three staff members support our two attorneys, provide helpful guidance to clients in their times of need, and ensure that the firm runs smoothly and in the best interests of those we represent. Our attorneys would not be empowered to do all they do for the Firm’s clients without the support of Kelly, Nicole, and Alejandra!
