Dennis Whitley, III, a life-long resident of Prince George’s County, Maryland, graduated from Rutgers School of Law, Newark, New Jersey in 1996, and is admitted to practice before the State and Federal Courts in the District of Columbia and the State of Maryland. Mr. Whitley focuses his practice in the area of general civil and appellate litigation, administrative law, land use and zoning. He represents clients in complex administrative and constitutional matters relating to zoning violations, administrative appeals, landlord and tenant, breach of contract and personal injury matters, appearing regularly before state trial and appellate courts and administrative tribunals. Mr. Whitley’s extensive litigation experience includes being the sole or lead attorney handling jury and bench trials in both District and Circuit Courts throughout the State. He has also successfully participated in dozens of appeals in the Maryland appellate courts, appearing before both the Court of Appeals and the Court of Special Appeals. Mr. Whitley is also involved in professional, civic and community activities in Prince George’s County and the State. He has served as a court-appointed trustee in the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County and as a mediator in the District Court for Prince George’s County. He is an appointed member of the Maryland Attorney Grievance Commission and serves on the Board of Directors for the Maryland Assembly for School-Based Healthcare, Inc. Mr. Whitley is also an active member of the Laurel community, currently serving as a member of the City of Laurel’s Greenbuild and Moderately Priced Dwelling Task Force. He is also previous member of the Board of Directors for the Ashford Homeowners’ Association and a current member of the Wellington Architectural Review Committee. Mr. Whitley is an active member of the Maryland State Bar Association, the Prince George’s County Bar Association and the J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association.

Mr. Whitman is a highly skilled litigator accustomed to vigorously defending complex healthcare cases. Prior to joining SCHAEFFER COTA ROSEN LLP, he was a partner in one of the Central Coast’s largest healthcare litigation defense firms. Mr. Whitman has extensive experience defending the unique liability issues presented to the healthcare provider business entity (including claims of “corporate profits over patient care”) and defending healthcare providers against liability from elder and dependent adult abuse claims under Welfare and Institutions Code section 15657. For nearly two decades he has been at the epicenter of defending the long-term care industry against efforts to erode and eliminate MICRA protections. Mr. Whitman obtained his law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. He obtained a B.A. degree in Political Science from Arizona State University with honors (Magna Cum Laude). He is admitted to practice law before all California State Courts, the U.S. District Court for the Central and Eastern Districts of California and the U.S. Circuit Court Appeal for the 9th Circuit. He is a member of the California Bar Association, Southern California Association for Healthcare Risk Management (SCAHRM) and a former member of the California Association of Healthcare Facilities, Legal Subcommittee. He has been a frequent speaker at healthcare and legal conferences on a variety of topics. He is the co-author of a published article on healthcare provider obligations in responding to medical record requests.

Charles Whitman is a Shareholder in Buchalter’s San Diego office. He is a member of the Litigation, Labor & Employment, and White Collar & Investigations practice groups. Mr. Whitman focuses his practice on representing employers and business in workplace law matters, business disputes, and government investigations. Mr. Whitman represents employers in all aspects of state and federal employment litigation, including wage and hour class and representative actions, Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”) litigation, single plaintiff wage and hour disputes, as well as federal and state discrimination, hostile work environment, bullying, sexual harassment wrongful termination, and retaliation cases. Mr. Whitman also advises employers on protecting proprietary trade secrets, drafting comprehensive employee handbooks, personnel policies, navigating the complicated array of state and federal leave laws, and employment-related agreements to ensure compliance with California and federal law. Additionally, he conducts workplace investigations and management training on a wide array of employment law matters. Further, Mr. Whitman defends companies facing government enforcement actions, administrative inquiries from state and federal agencies, and white-collar criminal proceedings. He also has previous experience litigating securities fraud class actions and other complex business litigation. Prior to joining Buchalter, Mr. Whitman worked for a national employment law firm and was a highly decorated judge advocate in the U.S. Marine Corps. In 2018, Mr. Whitman was awarded The Commandant’s Award for Excellence in Legal Assistance, as the top legal assistance attorney in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was appointed as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona and the Southern District of California, during which time he assisted federal law enforcement agencies during investigations, prosecuted cases occurring on Marine Corps property, prosecuted border crime cases, and tried cases in federal district court. As a trial defense counsel in the U.S. Marine Corps, Mr. Whitman, represented numerous Marines at courts-martial and administrative discharge trials. Between his time as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney and defense counsel, Mr. Whitman tried dozens administrative, bench, and jury trials to verdict—the vast majority of which he was the lead trial defense counsel. Most of Mr. Whitman’s cases involved serious felony level offenses. Mr. Whitman received the Navy Commendation Medal while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. In 2023, Mr. Whitman was recognized as a “Rising Star” in San Diego by Super Lawyers Magazine.

Mr. Whitney concentrates his law practice in the areas of civil litigation, trial, appellate and business law. His practice emphasizes representation of small and medium-sized businesses and owners, as well as not-for-profit entities. His practice includes commercial and business litigation, employment law, insurance coverage, administrative law, and domestic law. Mr. Whitney earned his B.A. from MidAmerica Nazarene University before earning his J.D. at Washburn University School of Law. He is admitted to both the Kansas and Missouri State Courts.

For the first half of her career, Debra was a prosecutor, and she spent the latter half specializing in matrimonial and family law. She is an experienced mediator and collaborative divorce practitioner as well as a recognized expert in working with victims of domestic violence. Debra believes that legal battles are more harmful to families than helpful, and is passionate about helping people find ways to make their own decisions for their families, rather than leaving their outcomes in the hands of a stranger in a black robe. When court is unavoidable, Debra aims to educate and support people to make the legal process less costly, scary, uncertain, and stressful. In her spare time, Debra works with Zonta International to improve the lives of women and girls in her local community and around the globe. She loves travel, good food and wine, tennis, and spending time with her husband and children enjoying all of the outdoor activities available in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State where they make their home.