Of Counsel

Charles R. (Chuck) Keller has practiced law in Monterey County since graduating from Stanford Law School in 1965. Prior to founding the law firm of Fenton & Keller in 1993, he was a partner in its predecessor firm, Hoge, Fenton, Jones & Appel. Chuck is considered one of the preeminent civil trial lawyers on the Central Coast.

Chuck’s legal practice has focused on all areas of civil trial practice, and has included judgments in several high profile cases including the Americans with Disabilities Act claim against The Mission Ranch in Carmel, and a case involving Salinas Valley agricultural concerns which established an important legal principle regarding cover damages under the Uniform Commercial Code. More recently he and his co-counsel obtained an $8 Million verdict in a personal injury case against the State of California and also prevailed in a bad faith  case against the insurer and insurance agent of a local gallery which suffered a flood loss.

Chuck’s practice has involved a wide variety of business litigation matters for a diverse group of clients. He also conducts mediations and arbitrations, but he is now semi retired.

Chuck’s experience, skill and integrity have been recognized by election to the American College of Trial Lawyers, The American Board of Trial Advocates, and in 2005, by being honored with the first Lewis L. Fenton Excellence in Advocacy Award by the Monterey Bar Association.

Civil litigation, including legal and real estate broker malpractice defense, real estate and commercial litigation, and probate and securities litigation (primarily on behalf of claimants) and more recently plaintiffs personal injury cases. Mr. Keller also serves as a mediator and arbitrator.

For over 20 years Troy has practiced in the areas of business, real estate, estate planning, trust administration, and tax law. He represents and advises corporations, limited liability companies and partnerships in a wide range of complex business transactions including mergers, acquisitions and spin-offs. He also advises businesses in intellectual property matters involving trademarks and various licensing matters. Troy assists clients with family wealth planning including estate planning, probate, trust administration, and related tax matters. Troy also handles complex commercial, multifamily and residential real estate transactions including sales, acquisitions, leases, construction projects and loans. In addition to his business and real estate work, Troy also provides clients with sophisticated tax planning advice and represents clients in tax controversies involving the Internal Revenue Service, Franchise Tax Board, Board of Equalization and County Assessors. Troy also counsels clients on the formation and operation of tax-exempt entities including public charities and private foundations. Troy is a certified mediator and is available for mediation of business, real estate and trust disputes. Before returning home to the Monterey Peninsula to join Fenton & Keller, Troy practiced in the areas of business, tax, real estate and estate planning, initially with a major San Diego law firm, and later with his own firm, The Kingshaven Firm.

Business, Estate Planning, Real Estate, Trust Administration, Taxation, Intellectual Property.

Brian’s primary practice focus is in business and real estate transactions. Brian has 40 years of experience in representing clients in a wide variety of real estate and business transactions including entity formation, leasing, business sales, private placements, syndications, complex real estate transactions, financing and subdivisions. Brian’s real estate and business litigation background provide him with a unique and valuable perspective in counseling business and real estate clients at the transactional stage on strategies for minimizing litigation risk. Brian represents a variety of private sector and institutional clients, including a number of multi-property hospitality and management companies, an international manufacturing company and a local private K-12 day and boarding school. Brian has also advised numerous clients in connection with non-profit corporate formation and governance issues.

Business and real estate transactions; estate planning, probate and trust administration.

Sara represents employers with regard to a wide variety of workplace issues, including discrimination and harassment, wage and hour claims, employee misclassification issues, employment policies, leave issues, workplace investigations, defense of post-employment claims, and in home caregiver agreements. Her 30+ years of experience in areas of law ranging from civil litigation to estate planning complements her expertise in employment law, and provides a unique perspective to problem solving for her clients. Sara is proactive and responsive when assisting managers and employers in complying with complex employment laws, preventing and solving day-to-day workplace problems, and developing a productive, profitable work force. Sara presents interactive and current educational seminars on employment related topics for clients and the general public, including the California statutorily required harassment prevention training seminars for employees. Sara has also been a featured speaker at the HFTP Club & Hotel Controllers Conference, and she frequently speaks to local community groups on employment law topics. Sara also conducts workplace investigations for a wide range of clients and is an  Association of Workplace Investigators Certificate Holder (AWI-CH).  With contributions from her colleagues, Sara writes a bi-weekly article for the Monterey Herald addressing workplace law issues, and she is also responsible for the content in the Fenton & Keller newsletter.  A member of the firm since 2000, Sara is involved in community activities primarily related to education and youth. In early 2019, the Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce named Sara Businesswoman of the year.

Employment, wage and hour law, employee handbooks and policies, employment agreements, workplace investigations, privacy issues, benefits issues, prevention and defense of employment related claims.