Mark Sweet

MANAGING PARTNER

ATTORNEY AT LAW

Mark Sweet was born and raised on the east coast and completed his undergraduate degree in Chicago before attending Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. A practicing lawyer since 2010, Mark has spent the majority of his career focused on personal injury law, and has experience in a wide variety of personal injury cases. Mark is an award winning attorney and has been honored by the AIOPIA as one of the 10 Best Attorneys in California for Client Satisfaction three years in a row.

Mark founded Sweet Lawyers in 2015, and has worked extremely hard to build a law firm that is different than any other. He prides himself on leading a team that is willing to go above and beyond where most lawyers go to help their clients. Walking his clients through each part of the process, from helping you book appointments with doctors to making sure you have a way to get to work. Mark is personally committed to getting you every bit of help you deserve. He feels the main thing that sets this law firm apart is their communication. Unlike many other law firms, Sweet Lawyers provide frequent status updates and reminders via, phone, email, and text.

When he is not busy working, Mark enjoys traveling and spending time with his wife and their dog.

Mark is licensed to practice in California, Texas, Arizona, Washington, and Washington D.C.

Awards

Steve Baric

OF COUNSEL

ATTORNEY AT LAW

Steve Baric is a seasoned trial attorney with experience in business litigation, criminal defense, DUI & Family Law matters. Steve has tried over 100 cases including serious felonies in both State and Federal courts. As a former Orange County Gang Prosecutor, Mr. Baric prosecuted the toughest hard core criminal street gangs as a member of the TARGET gang task force. In 2005, he was honored with the prestigious Diligent Prosecutor award by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

Steve is also experienced in appellate advocacy having briefed and argued cases in the California Supreme Court and California Courts of Appeal. In 2008, Steve organized a group of legislators filing a lawsuit to prevent the early release of 50,000 violent felons. He was directly involved in drafting the legislation briefs and preparing arguments for the Supreme Court.

An experienced and adept problem solver, he has successfully navigated clients through their legal issues while in the media spotlight. Many of Steve’s cases have been “high-profile” involving significant media scrutiny. Steve has been quoted by almost every major news publication in California and has appeared on the FOX News program “On the Record” with Greta Van Sustern.

Steve is licensed to practice in California.

Tyler Toomey

OF COUNSEL

ATTORNEY AT LAW

Tyler Toomey was born in St Louis, Missouri, grew up in Houston, Texas and lived in Sparta, New Jersey before moving to sunny Southern CA in 2000. He studied at the University of California, Irvine, receiving his bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Economics. Tyler continued his education with law school at Chapman University in Southern California. While at Chapman University, Tyler became a certified mediator, mediating almost 100 cases at the Riverside Historic Courthouse in Riverside, California.

Tyler has been practicing personal injury law for 5 years now. He also has experience in corporate and contract law, as well as credit processing matters.

Tyler’s hobbies include boating, weightlifting, DIY home improvement projects, and hunting. Tyler is happily married and the proud parent of a dog and two cats.

Tyler is licensed to practice in California and Texas.

Nicholas D’Agostino 

Litigation Attorney

ATTORNEY AT LAW

Nick D’Agostino is a tenacious litigator who works relentlessly to achieve just compensation for his clients. Born and raised in Southern California, where he received his undergraduate degree from California State University, Fullerton. Nick then graduated from the University of San Diego School of Law, where he was the recipient of a merit-based scholarship.

Nick began his legal career as a defense attorney, which gives him a unique perspective as a litigator because he has an in-depth understanding of how insurance carriers evaluate claims. Prior to joining Sweet Lawyers, Nick was a litigator at an AM Law 100 firm, where he defended some of the nation’s largest transportation companies in high-exposure motor vehicle accident cases. He also has experience handling premises liability, professional liability, habitability, sexual harassment,and product liability matters.

Nick lives in Newport Beach with his wife and dog.
Admitted to California: State Courts, and U.S. District Court of California: Eastern District.

Michael Valiente

Of Counsel

ATTORNEY AT LAW

Michael S. Valiente, Partner at Valiente Mott, left his position at Nevada’s preeminent insurance defense trial law firm to help people, not insurance companies. He has extensive experience representing victims of car accidents, defective products, and catastrophic injury.

Mike prides himself in providing unparalleled customer service. In his youth, Mike was involved in a serious car accident. Mike hired a lawyer to sue the negligent driver that caused his injuries. Unfortunately, Mike experienced what most people experience when hiring a lawyer: poor customer service and ineffective representation. Specifically, Mike met with the lawyer for the initial consultation, only to never hear or speak from the lawyer again. In the end, the attorney settled Mike’s case for pennies on the dollar. After this unpleasant experience, Mike vowed that Valiente Mott would be different.

Prior to attending law school, Mike was one of Las Vegas’ top real estate professionals. In the ten years before law school, Mike helped hundreds of clients with the acquisition and disposition of residential real estate and raw land. Mike’s exceptional customer service caused his real estate business to flourish only through word of mouth.

Mike graduated at the top of his class from UNLV with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Thereafter, Mike also graduated top of his class from the William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV. While attending Boyd, Mike received the CALI award five times for his legal writing, as well as his work in Evidence, Civil Procedure, and Contracts. Mike was also a member of Boyd’s National Moot Court team and won Best Brief at the Sutherland Cup Moot Court Competition. He was also honored as the sole recipient of his graduating class with the prestigious James E. Rogers Scholastic Achievement Award. He was further honored, along with only three of his peers, with the Scribes, The American Society of Legal Writers Award, which recognized excellence in legal writing while in law school.

After graduating from Boyd School of Law, Mike was employed at the preeminent insurance defense firm in the country. During this time, Mike defended big insurance companies against catastrophic injuries and multi-million-dollar claims.  During this time, Mike participated in a seven-week trial in which the jury awarded over $164,000,000.00, the third largest verdict in Nevada history. After gaining valuable experience, Mike made the decision to start his own firm with the goal of helping people, not insurance companies.

In 2017, Mike was voted one of Las Vegas’ Legal Elite. He has earned his reputation as a highly-respected member of the Las Vegas legal community and takes pride in receiving most of his cases as referrals from other attorneys, medical professionals, and, most rewardingly, prior clients.

In his spare time, Mike gives presentations around the Las Vegas valley in hopes of educating his community about important legal issues. Mike also enjoys traveling and spending time with his wife and two kids.

Mike is fluent in Spanish, and is licensed in both Nevada and California.

Samantha Williams 

ATTORNEY AT LAW

Samantha Williams was born and raised in Southern California where she received a degree in political science and forensic science at Long Beach State University. She later received her Juris Doctorate at Western State College of Law where she graduated Cum Laude. She was Managing Editor of Law Review and participated in the STELLAR program as a Dean’s Fellow where she tutored fellow classmates and incoming law students. 

Since the beginning of her legal career, she’s had a passion for helping those against big insurance companies whose driving interest is money. Samantha is a tenacious and perceptive attorney who will ensure the rights and entitlements of her clients are competently and effectively represented. 

Samantha’s hobbies include training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, eating sushi as much as she can, completing Spartan Races, camping, and being a couch potato with her pup, Maddie.

She is currently licensed to practice law in California and New Mexico.

Lorenz Schuerch

ATTORNEY AT LAW

Lorenz attended Brigham Young University – Idaho where he studied Psychology and Philosophy. After graduating with honors, he went on to attend the University of Wisconsin Law School in Madison, WI. There, he was president of the Business and Tax Law Society and vice president of the Indian Law Society. In law school, Lorenz participated in several legislative clinics where he helped advise state lawmakers and drafted several key pieces of state and local legislation.

Upon graduation, Lorenz was offered a position as associate in house counsel for a multibillion dollar federal contracting corporation where he learned to manage complex contract disputes; litigation matters involving government entities; and contracts involving international export control elements.

Following his experience with a large corporation, Lorenz sought out a more diverse legal practice and was hired as an associate at a small law firm in Pinetop, AZ where he learned how to fight for personal injury clients. After honing his craft for a year, Lorenz opened his own law firm. He focused his practice on seeking justice aggressively for personal injury clients by any means necessary, often opting to litigate cases rather than letting insurance companies pressure his clients into settling for less than they deserved.

After several years as a solo practitioner, Lorenz and his family moved to beautiful Tucson, AZ. There, Lorenz again focused his professional efforts on personal injury law and practiced with a mid-size firm in Tucson until he came to work with Sweet Lawyers where the client always comes first.

Lorenz has a wife and four very active kids. During his free time, Lorenz enjoys watching, playing, and coaching soccer. He enjoys the outdoors, woodworking, and reading poetry. Lorenz is also obsessed with Sonoran food and loves discovering new restaurants.

Lorenz is licensed to practice in Arizona and Wisconsin.

Patrick Shahverdian

ATTORNEY AT LAW

Patrick Shahverdian was born and raised in Southern California and completed his undergraduate degree at the Virginia Military Institute with honors before attending Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles. Patrick’s motivation to become an attorney stemmed from his belief that everyone should have a fair chance at justice, regardless of their economic or societal status. Being a personal injury attorney has allowed Patrick to help people from all walks of life to be fairly compensated for the injuries they sustain in their auto accidents. His time at the Virginia Military Institute has instilled hard work and discipline in him, which he displays in his everyday efforts to get the best results for his clients.

Patrick has been practicing law since 2022 and specializes in personal injury.

Outside of work, Patrick enjoys weightlifting, working on his cars, and barbecuing with friends.

Patrick is licensed to practice in California.

Michelle Nguyen, CPA

Chief Financial Officer

ATTORNEY AT LAW

Michelle Nguyen received a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Southern California and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).  She later received her Juris Doctor from Irvine University, College of Law where she graduated Cum Laude.  While in law school, Michelle worked as a law clerk at the law firm of Gilbert M. Gutierrez, a boutique law firm in Riverside handing real estate, construction, business, estate planning, and family law.

Michelle has a passion for legal work and a desire to help people.  Being both an attorney and a CPA, Michelle has developed distinct analytical approaches, which allow her to view issues from unique perspectives, ensuring details are reviewed at every angle.

Michelle speaks, reads, and writes Vietnamese fluently.  In her spare time, Michelle enjoys reading legal thriller books, working out, finding new recipes, helping at the Vietnamese church, and spending time with her husband and her three children.

Michelle is admitted to the California State Bar.

Richard Salkow

Of Counsel

ATTORNEY AT LAW

Richard Salkow has been a Plaintiff’s attorney for the entirety of his career commencing in 1999. Richard began his career focusing on mass tort litigation, specifically pharmaceutical and medical device litigations coordinated on both state and federal levels. The Mass Tort background provided him with exposure to extraordinarily complicated medical issues as well as complex procedural matters related to the various venues the litigations were conducted. Mr. Salkow has also handled cases involving coordinated proceedings related to molestation such as claims against USC and the Catholic Church, as well as environmental issues such as groundwater contamination and wildfires. Richard has shifted his career to include single event matters over the last ten years. These cases include auto accidents, dog bites, and premises liability cases such as slip and falls. He has obtained numerous seven figure results employing the expertise in medical work up and litigation strategies he perfected as a mass tort attorney.

Richard graduated University of California at San Diego in 1996 and received his law degree from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles in July of 1999. Richard became licensed in California State Court as well as the Federal Courts of the Central District of California in December of 1999. After eight years at a medium size Plaintiff’s firm, Richard opened and has been operating Salkow Law since 2008.