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.

Area of Practice: Corporate, Transactional, and Intellectual Property Jeff Whittle provides nearly 30 years of legal experience to clients in the energy and high-tech industries. He advises on strategic and complex technology merger & acquisition transactions, licensing, patent, trademark, and copyright protection, intellectual property portfolio analysis, and various other contentious and transactional matters, including inter partes reexaminations, post-grant reviews, and derivation proceedings, among other disputed cases. Jeffrey is Head of Womble Bond Dickinson’s Global Energy and Natural Resources Industry Sector. Jeffrey has been recognized by Chambers USA, Best Lawyers in America, The Legal 500 United States, WIPR Leaders, and Client Choice, among others, for his outstanding work, career and contributions to law, technology, and intellectual property. Additionally, he was awarded the Texas Trailblazer Award as a Texas Lawyer in 2019, he was the Frank Barnes Award Winner for LES USA/Canada in 2019, and he was named Global IP Attorney of the Year by Legal Era in 2018. Jeffrey is the past president and chair of the Licensing Executives Society (LES) for the USA and Canada (2015-2016) and served on the LES Board for over seven years. He currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Americas Committee for Licensing Executives Society International (LESI). He also currently serves as Chair of the Certified License Professionals (CLP), a licensing certifying professional society. Jeffrey is a frequent and highly sought-after speaker and author, nationally and internationally, on various intellectual property/licensing/technology topics. Jeffrey keeps up with the always changing intellectual property field through memberships in various legal and professional associations, including the American Intellectual Property Law Association, Federal Circuit Bar Association, and Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers. He serves on the Board of Trustees of Certified Licensing Professionals, Inc., the Board of Visitors for Wake Forest University School of Law, the Advisory Council for the University of Houston Law Center Intellectual Property Institute, and the Advisory Board of the Institute for Energy Law. He also has served on the International Advisory Board of the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP), M.D. Anderson Cancer Center's Technology Review Committee, IP Law360's Advisory Board, as well as on boards of various charitable organizations. Jeffrey is also a member of the Texas Bar College and the Texas Bar Foundation.