Don came to Santa Barbara as a student at UCSB. After graduation he left the area to attend law school at the University of California (Boalt Hall) in Berkeley. After serving as a Deputy Attorney General in the California Attorney General’s Office in San Francisco, in 1968 he returned to Santa Barbara and joined Griffith & Thornburgh. Except for a three year stint as a Judge of the Santa Barbara Superior Court, he has been with the firm since he returned to Santa Barbara. Don has served as President of the Santa Barbara County Bar Association and on the boards of several non-profit community organizations. Don is an avid and enthusiastic tennis player.
John grew up in Santa Barbara and attended the local public schools. He returned to Santa Barbara after college, the Navy, and law school and joined Griffith & Thornburgh in 1974. He was elected to two terms on the Hope School Board, and has served in leadership positions for several local non-profit organizations. As an avid golfer, he served as the President of the Southern California Golf Association and has enjoyed traveling to the magnificent courses of England, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, and Australia. John and his wife Helen have been blessed with three wonderful children, nine remarkable grandchildren, and two precious great-granddaughters.
Originally from Los Angeles, Craig arrived at Griffith & Thornburgh in 1977 after graduating UC Berkeley and law school at UCLA, and serving a stint as Assistant County Counsel in Ventura. Craig attributes his genuine enjoyment of practicing law to the trust that his clients place in him to solve challenging and important issues. Outside of legal work, Craig has been involved in numerous community leadership roles and was awarded the prestigious Hope Award by Santa Barbara Education Foundation in 2021. He also occasionally finds time for fly fishing in Idaho where one of his adult children is a guide and photographer and for excursions to San Francisco and Seattle with his wife Tricia…
Bruce is a third-generation Southern Californian. After first practicing law in Los Angeles, Bruce and his wife, Denise, moved to Santa Barbara in 1990 and joined Griffith & Thornburgh. His expertise in family law was nurtured by his earlier work as a family therapist and his degree in clinical social work. In 2023, Bruce retired from the firm as a full partner and family law litigator and joined the firm as Of Counsel. He currently works part-time with a focus on mediations, pre and postmarital agreements, and family consulting. Bruce enjoys reading, barbequing, gardening, golf, and travel. He is also an ardent follower of UCLA Bruin basketball and football.
John was born and raised in Carson City, Nevada. After high school, John attended the University of San Diego, where he played on the football team and was team captain. John stayed at USD and obtained his law degree. After law school, he moved to Carson City, Nevada where he worked as a Deputy District Attorney. As an assistant D.A., John tried numerous cases, from speeding tickets to murder and everything in between. John and his wife moved to Santa Barbara in 1998, and he joined Griffith & Thornburgh upon his arrival. He enjoys coaching his boy/girl twins in several sports and serves on the boards of local non-profit organizations.
Marisa was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. She attended Louisville High School in Woodland Hills, and then moved to Santa Barbara to attend UCSB. After graduation, she lived in the Bay Area while attending law school at Santa Clara University. During law school, Marisa served as a summer law clerk at Griffith & Thornburgh, LLP, and was thrilled to join the firm as an associate attorney in 2004. She became a partner in 2009 and served as the firm’s managing partner for several years.
Felicita “Cita” joined Griffith & Thornburgh in 2014, after spending seven years working at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Central District of California, as a law clerk to the Honorable Robin L. Riblet (Ret.). She feels fortunate to have gained invaluable experience at the court, including an in-depth understanding of bankruptcy law and its broad impact in the community.
Austin joined Griffith & Thornburgh in 2018 after spending the first seven years of his legal career in Nashville, Tennessee. He works primarily in the firm’s Education Law practice, counseling school district clients through a broad range of issues. Austin has extensive experience representing government agencies from his previous work as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Tennessee and Assistant General Counsel for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. Prior to law school Austin worked for a U.S. Senator on Capitol Hill, where he focused on healthcare, environmental, and education issues.
Lauren joined Griffith & Thornburgh in 2020 after spending three years as an associate with a boutique firm in Santa Barbara focusing almost exclusively on family law matters, including complex divorces and child custody disputes. Before moving to Santa Barbara in 2017, Lauren worked for a firm in Los Angeles, where she handled all the firm’s Chapter 7 and 13 bankruptcy matters throughout all four districts in California. Prior to law school, Lauren worked at Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones, one of the most prominent insolvency practices in the nation…
Olivia was raised in Northern California and relocated to Los Angeles to attend University of Southern California, where she received her bachelor’s degree in business administration. She then attended Pepperdine Caruso School of Law in Malibu, California, where she was a member of the Journal of Business, Entrepreneurship and the Law and received a certificate in Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine’s Straus Institute…