Ronald Vera, Partner & Founder

Prior to starting his private practice in Claremont, California, Ronald was with two nationally recognized public interest law firms where, for 14 years, he litigated seminal cases in the field of civil rights and education. He now advises a number of education foundations and non profit entities, in addition to representing businesses, school districts and postsecondary institutions on a variety of matters.

His law practice has focused in the areas of public sector and government law, litigation, and employment law, with a recent emphasis on private–public school partnerships, and economic development. He has been lead or co-counsel in several significant class actions and appellate cases. Insofar as his public law experience, he has represented a number of public agencies and school districts on significant and complex matters.

Mr. Vera has also served as special counsel to the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership and presently serves as chief Legal Counsel to the Los Angeles County Education Foundation, the San Dimas Community Foundation, the University of La Verne, Hillcrest Brethren Retirement Community, the Los Angeles County On Line High School, and the Southeast Cities Education Coalition, a joint powers authority in Los Angeles County. He has also served as principal legal advisor to the Vons and Safeway food stores in their merger of their non profit Employee Associations and their related foundations and serves as legal counsel to numerous education foundations in California.

In addition to serving on the Board of the California Community Foundation, he serves on the Boards of the Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, the Los Angeles County Fair Association, the California Consortium of Education Foundations, and also serves on the Advisory Board for the Hispanic Border Leadership Council, a consortium of universities advising K-12 schools in the Southwest.

A native of Southern California, he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Michigan State University and a Juris Doctor from UCLA. Over his thirty six year practice, he has received a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship, served as a Visiting Scholar at UC Berkeley, and was a Visiting and Adjunct Professor for seven years at Loyola Law School, teaching among other courses the Education and Law seminar each year. He has also served as a consultant to the Ford Foundation, the College Board and the American Council on Education. Among his awards is the Sierra Club Community Service Award for his pro bono work on environmental projects in Southern California.

He and his wife Christina Vega, an educator, have four sons.

Genoveva Meza Talbott, Of Counsel

Genoveva Meza Talbott, is Of Counsel to Vera Law Group and has her own law firm specializing in family law matters. Prior to becoming Of Counsel, Ms. Talbott was managing partner to Talbott Kim, LLP for eight years, headquartered in Downtown Los Angeles. She began her legal career working with primarily low-income clients, and then spent a number of years working for a well-respected Southern California law firm known for representing celebrities and high net worth individuals.

Ms. Talbott has spoken on matters relating to family law, as well as diversity in the legal profession. She continues to volunteer her time to pro bono legal clinics, as well as non-profit boards whose mission is to support underrepresented individuals in legal and nonlegal matters.

Ms. Talbott was recently appointed to the Board for Shoes that Fit, a California nonprofit organization that has been recognized nationwide for its efforts in helping school children. She is a member of multiple legal organizations such as the Orange County Hispanic Bar Association, Los Angeles County Bar Association and the Latina Lawyers Bar Association, and in 2011 served as President of the Orange County Hispanic Bar Association.

She received her J.D. in 2002 from University of Southern California Gould School of Law, earning a full tuition scholarship for all three years of study, and her B.A. in 1999 from the University of California, Los Angeles, where she majored in Political Science and minored in French.

Ms. Talbott is admitted to the State Bar of California and the United States District Court, Central District of California. She is fluent in Spanish and conversational in French.

Shelley Gallardo, Paralegal

Laura Hernandez, Legal Secretary

Rikki Fine, Office Manager