I grew up in Fullerton, California, the fourth of four boys. I also have one younger sister. Our childhood neighborhood had 23 boys and a few girls, and every opportunity we had, we played sports -- nerf football, toothpick, whiffle ball, skateboard hockey, frisbee golf, and ping pong. The neighbors even allowed us to build a half pipe in the cul-de-sac because we thought we were such good skateboarders. No matter what sport it was, we played it morning, noon, and night when we weren't in school or at practices and games with our organized sports teams. I played organized football and baseball through high school, and also attempted to walk-on to the UCLA football team, but that didn’t work out. I started working early to make a few bucks, which included lying about my age when I was 10 to have a paper route delivering the local newspaper. Eventually I had two paper routes and at times three, delivering papers after school before going to sports practices. I continued working multiple jobs with too many hours, including at the UCLA drug lab testing NCAA athletes for street drugs and steroids. Once I came to my senses and realized being a Chemistry major at UCLA was not for me, I graduated with a double major in Economics/Business and History, before attending Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, California. I started working with Brian Panish as his law clerk in 1991, and I have worked exclusively in the area of personal injury and wrongful death since then. Over the years, when I could find the time, I have also coached a variety of sports including football, baseball, soccer, and basketball, winning a few championships along the way.
