Partners

Christopher is a Shareholder in Fenton & Keller’s trust and estate practice group and provides representation in every aspect of trust, probate, and conservatorship litigation, including financial elder abuse actions, trust contests, will contests, breach of fiduciary duty claims, recovery of trust and estate assets, removal and surcharge actions, contested conservatorships, reformation and modification actions, accounting disputes, and related civil litigation. Christopher has successfully represented trustees, beneficiaries, professional fiduciaries, family fiduciaries, spouses, children, siblings, and other heirs in obtaining favorable resolutions of their disputes at every stage of litigation, including trial.

Prior to joining Fenton & Keller, Christopher was an Associate with Sheppard Mullin’s and Hopkins & Carley’s Trust and Estate Litigation practices, and with Burke, Williams & Sorensen, where he represented public agencies in both federal and state courts in all stages of litigation. Christopher also served as Deputy City Attorney for the cities of Pacifica and St. Helena.

Christopher currently serves as the Board Chair of the Arts Council for Monterey County, a nonprofit seeking to improve the quality of everyone in the Monterey County region through the arts, and on the Board of Directors of Legal Services for Seniors in Monterey, California. Christopher also previously served as Secretary of the East Garrison Community Services District Advisory Committee to the Monterey County Board of Supervisors from 2021 through 2025, and volunteered as a delegate of the Bar Association of San Francisco to the Conference of California Bar Associations, where he regularly debated and advocated for non-partisan legislative solutions for the benefit of all Californians.

During law school, Christopher served as an Extern to the Honorable Otis D. Wright II (United States District Court for the Central District of California), and worked as an Intern for NBCUniversal’s litigation and trademark law teams.

*NOTE: any testimonial or endorsement on this profile does not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.

Trust administration and probate disputes, business and employment litigation, and intellectual property.

Gladys’ practice focuses on employment counseling and litigation representing employers and employees in all areas of labor and employment matters including wage and hour issues and complex wage and hour class actions, harassment, discrimination, wrongful termination, and retaliation claims before state and federal courts and administrative agencies, including the California Labor Commissioner, the Civil Rights Department, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.  Gladys’ practice also includes performing workplace investigations, advising employers on workplace policies and employee handbooks, and proving statutorily required sexual harassment prevention training in Spanish.  Gladys also writes employment related articles for local publications.  Gladys is fluent in Spanish, is a lifelong resident of the Monterey Peninsula, and is pleased to have the opportunity to represent individuals and employers in her community.

Employment litigation and counseling.

Alex represents businesses, individual property owners, public agencies, and nonprofits in matters pertaining to land use, real estate, environmental law/CEQA, and water law. He has experience counseling clients with regard to planning and zoning law, general plans, use permits, variances, nonconforming uses, easements, exactions and tidelands.

Having started his career representing a wide variety of public agencies, Alex is uniquely positioned to assist clients with matters before various local and state permitting agencies. He serves as reviewer of the California Municipal Law Handbook, and is well versed in administrative hearings and appeals, writs of mandate, joint powers authorities, the Government Claims Act, the Brown Act, and the Public Records Act.

Alex’s experience includes the representation of clients in land use, water, and environmental law issues at both the trial court and appellate court levels. He also has represented clients before the California Public Utilities Commission.

In addition to his land use practice, Alex regularly assists clients with estate planning, including wills, trusts, advanced health care directives, and durable powers of attorney.

A native of the Monterey Peninsula, Alex’s pro bono efforts are focused on representing local nonprofits that serve children and the homeless.

Land use, real estate, environmental (CEQA) law, water law, and public agency law; wills, trusts, probate and trust administration.

Derric’s practice focuses on land use, real estate, and related civil litigation. Derric advises clients on state and local land use regulations, including the California Coastal Act, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the California Subdivision Map Act, and the Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act. He also assists clients in real property matters involving pre-purchase due diligence, easements, neighbor disputes, water rights, and residential remodel construction contract disputes. Prior to joining Fenton & Keller, Derric was a research attorney for the Monterey County Superior Court where he conducted legal research and conferred with judges preparing to hear and decide civil law motions. This experience gives Derric a valuable and unique perspective when advising clients and preparing matters for presentation to the courts. During law school Derric was a Research Fellow at the Panetta Institute for Public Policy and interned at the Watsonville Law Center and the Mandell-Gisnet Center for Conflict Management’s Neighbor Project. Derric’s diverse professional background includes experience as a financial advisor with a global financial services and investment management firm, as a business owner, and in the music, entertainment, and film industries.

Land use, real estate, and civil litigation, including business and construction litigation.

Kenneth’s practice focuses on estate planning, business, and real estate. Kenneth is certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization as a specialist in estate planning, trust and probate law. Kenneth counsels individuals, families and businesses regarding estate and business planning by providing clients with options most suitable to their specific needs. Kenneth has extensive experience in estate planning, which has been a primary area of focus for him since he began practicing in 2008. Kenneth also assists clients with forming entities, structuring business and real estate transactions, as well as business succession planning to ensure family businesses are continued through generations. Kenneth clearly and effectively communicates estate planning concepts to his clients while providing advice tailored to improve their financial security and minimize risk of future disputes. Kenneth handles probate and trust administrations and represents clients in probate and trust dispute matters that require court intervention. Kenneth also assists his clients with sophisticated tax planning and represents clients with business, income and property tax controversies involving the Internal Revenue Service, Franchise Tax Board, Board of Equalization, and County Assessor. A Carmel native, Kenneth enjoys working with individuals, families, and businesses in the community in which he grew up.

Estate planning, trust administration and probate disputes, business and real estate transactions.

Elizabeth’s practice focuses on civil litigation, primarily in the areas of employment, healthcare, and business disputes.  She has obtained multi-million-dollar awards in both trial and arbitration for plaintiffs, as well as complete defense verdicts for defense clients following trial. Representative matters include workplace harassment and discrimination claims, wrongful discharge and retaliation claims, wage and hour issues, including class actions, contract disputes, real estate disputes, and healthcare disputes. Elizabeth is happy to be practicing on the Monterey Peninsula where she was born and raised.

Civil litigation, including labor and employment law, healthcare disputes, and general business litigation; employment counseling.

John’s practice focuses on business, real estate, estate planning, and post death administration. In practice since 1993, John counsels businesses and families who need practical and timely advice in a challenging legal and regulatory environment. John has extensive experience in forming entities, advising clients in business and real estate transactions, and planning for business succession from one generation to the next. He began his legal career as a litigator, which provided John with an ability to structure transactions with clarity and precision to minimize the risks of future disputes. John has worked extensively with businesses in the Salinas Valley, and understands the unique challenges facing the agricultural industry, as well as the opportunities presented in these changing times. He has enrolled thousands of acres into Farmland Security Zone contracts saving his clients hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in property taxes. John has also handled many probates and trust administrations and has represented clients in probate and estate litigation matters that have required court intervention.  John also works as a court-appointed mediator to help parties resolve their disputes.

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

Chris’ practice focuses on civil litigation, including labor & employment law and general business litigation. In practice since 1994, Chris has litigated a multitude of cases in state and federal courts, and has successfully tried cases before judges, juries, and arbitrators. He represents both employers and employees before state and federal administrative agencies, including the California Labor Commissioner, the Civil Rights Department, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He counsels employers regarding legal issues in the workplace, including discrimination, harassment, wage and hour law, disability accommodation, investigations, and the drafting of personnel policies and employment contracts. Chris also handles plaintiff cases representing employees in harassment, discrimination, and unpaid wage claims. His general business litigation practice covers a wide range of topics allowing for representation of individuals and businesses facing varied legal challenges. Chris represents large and small businesses in many of the local industries including the hospitality, health care, non-profit, and construction industries. Chris also serves as a mediator and has successfully resolved hundreds of employment related cases. Chris won the Lewis L. Fenton Award for Excellence in Advocacy from the Monterey County Bar Association in 2023. The prestigious award, which pays homage to the late Lewis Fenton, a respected figure in Monterey County’s legal community, recognizes Chris’s outstanding contributions as a trial lawyer.

Civil litigation including labor and employment law and general business litigation. Chris also serves as a mediator.