Dawn L. Hassell
Managing Attorney
Dawn is a highly skilled litigator, negotiator, and top San Francisco personal injury attorney. She has an undefeated record in trial and arbitration for her clients and a special talent for obtaining exceptional results for her injured clients.
A fearless and relentless advocate for her clients, Dawn has expert knowledge of personal injury law and civil litigation strategy. She combines this with a high level of business acumen to obtain excellent results in her cases. Dawn works closely with some of the foremost experts in the nation to build clear and compelling personal injury cases on behalf of the firm’s clients.
Dawn has obtained substantial judgments and settlements for her clients. These include a $4,677,244 court judgment for a seriously injured motorcyclist; $4,600,000 for a physician who suffered an impalement injury in a trip and fall accident; $2,525,000 for two pedestrians struck by an agricultural vehicle; $1,750,000 for a client rear-ended by a commercial truck who needed back surgery; $990,000 for a pedestrian hit by a rideshare driver in a crosswalk; and $825,000 for a client injured by a dangerous sidewalk.
Awards and Honors include:
- Dawn is an eight-time Super Lawyer® having been named a Super Lawyer from 2014-2021. Super Lawyer is a rating bestowed on the top 5% of outstanding lawyers in their practice area who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.
- National Trial Lawyers Top 100 which is an invitation-only organization composed of premier trial lawyers from each state. Membership is held by some of the best and finest trial lawyers in America.
- Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, The Top Trial Lawyers In America, is one of the most highly prestigious groups of trial lawyers in the country with membership limited exclusively to lawyers with court judgments and case results exceeding 2 million dollars. This esteemed distinction is held by less than 1% of attorneys in the entire United States.
- In 2021, national lawsuit results ranking site Top Verdict recognized Dawn for her exceptional case results achieved in 2020 on behalf of several of the firm’s clients. Dawn was honored for multiple high-value cases and received awards including:
- Top 10 Premises Liability Settlements in California
- Top 20 Personal Injury Settlements in California
- Top 20 Pedestrian Accident Settlements in California
- Top 50 Motor Vehicle Accident Settlements in California
- Top 50 Wrongful Death Settlements in California
- Expertise.com named Dawn as one of The Best Personal Injury Attorneys in San Francisco and also as one of The Best Car Accident Attorneys in San Francisco
- Attorney and Practice Magazine named Dawn a Top 10 Personal Injury Attorney. Less than 1% of attorneys nationwide receive an invitation for membership.
- San Francisco Magazine has consistently named Dawn on their annual published list of the “Top Women Attorneys in Northern California” (2014-2021).
- Dawn served as a Distinguished Member of the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association from 2002-2012.
Her high-caliber legal skills, tenacity, and exceptional negotiation skills have won Dawn extremely high praise and gratitude over the years from the firm’s many clients. She has a superb “10” rating on the legal website Avvo, and countless 5-star ratings on review sites Yelp and Google Reviews
Dawn received her J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of Law, and was admitted to practice law in 1998. She received her undergraduate degree from SUNY Binghamton where she graduated Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and in the top 1% of her class.
Dawn is a sustaining member of WalkSF (a pedestrian advocacy organization making streets safer for pedestrians).and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (a bicycle safety advocacy group).
In her spare time, Dawn enjoys spending time with her adorable dog Emmett.
Lisa A. Villasenor
Senior Attorney
(Of Counsel)
Lisa is a highly skilled litigator, negotiator, and top trial lawyer, with a long and successful background litigating personal injury and wrongful death cases to trial.
With an undefeated record in trial and arbitration for her clients, Lisa has a 100% win rate in the 12 trials to verdict – including a wrongful death case, a toxic-mold case on behalf of a homeowner, and many auto accident cases.
Lisa is a formidable adversary. Her recent case results include $1,750,000 in a case where a migrant farmworker in her 60’s was struck and killed by an agricultural vehicle, $1,500,000 for a retired 73-year-old man who sustained a surgical femur fracture and post-surgical complications after tripping and falling on a box left in the entryway of a market, and $998,000 for a father and son injured by a negligent tow truck driver.
Lisa joined The Hassell Law Group in 2014 as Senior Counsel and has practiced law for the past 32 years.
In 2021, the national lawsuit results ranking site Top Verdict recognized Lisa for her exceptional case results achieved in 2020 on behalf of the firm’s clients. Lisa was honored with awards including:
- Top 20 Pedestrian Accident Settlements in California
- Top 50 Motor Vehicle Accident Settlements in California
Lisa has worked extensively on both sides of legal cases, as plaintiff’s counsel and also as defense counsel. Before joining our firm, she practiced personal injury, asbestos, and pharmaceutical litigation at some of the top law firms in San Francisco. She was a defense attorney at a top San Francisco law firm, Manning, Marder, et al., and was a partner at Prestholt, Kleeger, Fidone & Villasenor.
Her extensive litigation experience includes personal injury, premises liability, wrongful death, government-entity liability, toxic torts, and insurance bad faith. After the 1994 Northridge earthquake, Lisa worked extensively on bad-faith litigation against 20th Century Insurance Company.
Lisa is a highly distinguished member of the Queen’s Bench Bar Association, which promotes equality for women. She is a member of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, and WalkSF, safety advocacy organizations for bicyclists and pedestrians.
Lisa received her Bachelor of Science degree (B.S.) from Cal State University, Long Beach, and her law degree (J.D.) from Loyola Law School. She was admitted to practice law in 1988. During her school years, she worked in her father’s insurance brokerage gaining significant insight into insurance issues and the insurance industry.
She is a highly distinguished member of The San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association.
In her spare time, Lisa loves to golf. She is an avid golfer and a member of many local women’s golf organizations.
Judy Graziano
Senior Attorney
(Of Counsel)
Judy is a highly skilled litigator, top-level negotiator, and trial lawyer with a long and extensive background handling catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases. She holds a near-perfect record of wins in law and motion practice on behalf of the firm’s clients.
With an undefeated record on all personal injury cases she has tried in court, Judy is involved in all aspects of litigating serious injury cases for The Hassell Law Group from inception to conclusion.
Joining The Hassell Law Group in 2008 as Senior Counsel, Judy has practiced law in California for the past 21 years and was admitted to the Bar in 1999.
Judy is a formidable advocate for her clients. Her recent case results include a $1,750,000 result for the family of a 71-year-old woman hit and killed by a commercial vehicle, a $1,000,000 settlement for a client who tripped and fell at a commercial property and required three surgeries, and a $925,000 settlement for the daughter of a very elderly woman in a wrongful death case.
In 2021, the national lawsuit results ranking site Top Verdict recognized Judy for her exceptional case results achieved in 2020 on behalf of several of the firm’s clients. In multiple high-value cases, Judy was honored with awards including:
- Top 10 Premises Liability Settlements in California
- Top 20 Personal Injury Settlements in California
- Top 50 Wrongful Death Settlements in California
Over the course of her career, Judy has successfully represented plaintiffs with serious injuries in catastrophic accident cases at some of the most prominent personal injury law firms in the Bay Area with case values exceeding $1 million. Before joining The Hassell Law Group, she worked at top personal injury firms The Veen Firm and The Law Offices of Joseph Carcione, Jr.
Experienced in the dual representation of clients in civil and workers compensation cases, Judy holds an undefeated record in the many cases she has tried before the Workers Compensation Appeals Board.
Judy is a distinguished member of The San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association. She is also a member of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, and a member of WalkSF, important safety advocacy organizations that support making San Francisco streets safer for bicyclists and pedestrians. Judy has passionately represented many clients who have been injured in pedestrian and bicycle accidents.
Judy is a California native and a Phi Kappa Phi undergraduate from San Jose State University. The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline honor society and standards for election are extremely high. Judy graduated from law school in 1999.
In her spare time, Judy loves hiking, fixing up her house, and dancing.
Andrew Haling
Senior Attorney
Andrew is involved in all aspects of handling and litigating serious injury accident cases for The Hassell Law Group from case inception to conclusion.
Andrew holds an undefeated record in trial and arbitration on behalf of his clients.
With over a decade of experience, Andrew has an outstanding record of success recovering millions of dollars for clients.
Some of Andrew’s recent verdicts include a $1,165,000 jury verdict for a driver involved in a low-impact accident who underwent neck surgery, and a $650,000 jury verdict against a grocery store for a customer who slipped and fell sustaining a spine injury. Other noteworthy results include a $990,000 settlement for a pedestrian who sustained a mild traumatic brain injury after being struck by a rideshare driver, and a $950,000 settlement for a woman who had neck surgery after being rear-ended by a passenger shuttle.
A fierce advocate for his client, Andrew’s passion is standing up to large insurance companies to ensure his client receives what is just. He has earned high praise from many of the firm’s clients for the skill, tenacity, and diligence he displays in handling their cases to a successful resolution.
Andrew has handled a wide range of personal injury cases, including car accidents, trip/slip & fall accidents, and he has passionately represented many pedestrians and bicyclists throughout his career who were injured in accidents. He has also represented families who lost loved ones in wrongful death cases.
Andrew attended Arizona State University (ASU), where he was on the Dean’s list, and graduated with Bachelor’s Degrees (B.A.) in History and Political Science. He earned his Juris Doctorate (J.D.) at the University of San Francisco School of Law, where he was recognized for excellence in oral argument and received Honors in Appellate Advocacy.
Andrew is a member of:
- The San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association
- Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles
- Consumer Attorneys of California
- San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (a premier advocacy organization for bicyclists)
- WalkSF (a premier advocacy organization for pedestrians)
In his spare time, Andrew enjoys playing ice hockey and spending time with his wife and adorable daughter Dylan.
George M. Morris
Associate Attorney
George joined The Hassell Law Group in 2016. He comes from an entire family of doctors and has extensive medical knowledge which he uses regularly in our practice.
George represents clients in personal injury claims and personal injury litigation and arbitration. He has an undefeated record in arbitration handled on behalf of the firm’s clients.
Some of George’s recent case results include a $750,000 settlement for a 70-year-old client who sustained a femur fracture that required surgery from a fall accident caused by negligent property maintenance; a $300,000 settlement for a family injured by uninsured negligent driver who caused an accident with the family’s vehicle; and a $190,000 result for an elderly San Francisco pedestrian injured in a crosswalk by a negligent driver sustaining a non-surgical knee injury.
In 2021, the national lawsuit results ranking site Top Verdict recognized George for his exceptional case results achieved in 2020 on behalf of three of the firm’s clients. George was honored for his work on three cases all of which ranked in the:
- Top 100 Motor Vehicle Accident Settlements in California
George received his undergraduate degree from Stanford University. He obtained his law degree from The University of California, Hastings College of the Law. He was admitted to practice law in California in 2017.
Prior to joining the firm, George clerked for the California Court of Appeal, First District. He also worked at top San Francisco plaintiff’s firm Kornblum, Cochran, Erickson, and Harbison, LLP on personal injury cases, public entity claims, insurance bad faith, and medical malpractice cases.
George is member of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and pedestrian advocacy organization WalkSF. He passionately represents pedestrians and bicyclists injured in accidents.
George is a member of:
- The San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association
- The American Bar Association
- Bar Association of San Francisco
- California Young Lawyers Association
- BALIF
George is a loyal public servant. In 2014, he received an Outstanding Volunteer in Public Service Award from The Justice and Diversity Center (JDC) of The Bar Association of San Francisco. He has been honored for his pro bono work on behalf of Homeless Legal Services. He has also volunteered at the Family Violence Law Center in Alameda County.
In his spare time, George loves to bicycle ride, cook, and run along the Bay.
Caroline Shen
Associate Attorney
Caroline completed her undergraduate degree at the University of California, Berkeley in 2014, with a major in Legal Studies and a minor in Music Performance. She obtained her law degree (J.D.) from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 2019.
Joining The Hassell Law Group in 2019, Caroline is admitted to practice law in California. Prior to joining our firm Caroline worked for another personal injury law firm for over 4 years. Her goal as an attorney has always been to help as many people as possible and to get them the compensation they deserve.
Caroline has worked for many esteemed organizations, including;
- The Electronic Frontier Foundation
- The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence
- Creative Industry Law
She was the 2018 AT&T Fellow at The Justice and Diversity Center of The Bar Association of San Francisco.
Caroline is especially passionate about representing the rights of the underprivileged and minority members of the community. During law school she served as the Vice President of the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association and the Executive Productions Editor of the Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly. She was also an active member of The Women of Color Student Group as well as The Black Law Student Association during law school.
She values doing volunteer work in the community, Caroline has served as a volunteer at Berkeley East Bay Humane Society as well as Berkeley Animal Shelter. She has also served as a volunteer violin instructor at The Music Connection for students from low-income households.
In her free time, Caroline loves to play the violin, learn new crafts, spend time with family and engage in creative writing projects.
