Our Team

Benjamin T. Ikuta is a trial attorney who has been licensed in California since 2008.

Michelle Buxton Hemesath’s practice is focused on representing injured victims and their families.

Nicholas J. Leonard is a seasoned trial attorney who now manages Ikuta Hemesath’s Northern California office.

Since November of 2008, Heather Baker Dobbs has been a licensed and practicing attorney.

Vanessa Raven is an experienced trial attorney who works out of the Northern California office.

After graduating in 2010, Diana began her legal career defending healthcare providers in medical malpractice actions.

Janna joined Ikuta Hemesath, LLP in February 2024, bringing her litigation experience to the firm’s medical malpractice focus.

Erica Hornbuckle is an attorney at Ikuta Hemesath, LLP whose practice focuses on medical malpractice.

Rosa Battles has over 20 years of experience in the legal field. While finishing her last year at UCLA, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Rosa started her career in criminal defense.

Alex Del Castillo brings more than 27 years of experience across diverse areas of the legal profession, including personal injury, medical malpractice, employment law, and business litigation, with both Plaintiff and Defense expertise.

Paria T. Clemons has been instrumental in handling a variety of litigation tasks – from case inception to trial. Paria has a background in working in mass torts and complex civil litigation matters.

Ann Le has been a legal assistant or intake coordinator for over 10 years.

Faith is a recent college graduate, earning her B.A. in Political Science with a minor in history from the University of California, Riverside. Initially hired as an Intern, Faith has since been promoted to the role of Intake Coordinator.

Mellisa Long has extensive interpersonal skills and experience with building relationships with clients and was given an opportunity into the world of medical malpractice.

Stacy Ogawa recently has shifted careers to the legal profession after working for over a decade as a fashion retail merchandiser and Pilates instructor.

Danielle Buxton has over 20 years of experience working in office administration and accounting services. She has worked in a variety of industries inclusive of medical and retail, specializing in young start up companies.

Vanessa Villa is our bilingual secretary and intake specialist for all our Spanish-speaking clients. She excels at building strong, trusting relationships with clients, and she takes great pride in assisting the Spanish-speaking community.

Joani Wise has nearly 30 years of experience in litigation, having worked for several well-known litigation firms in the Sacramento area.

Jessica O’Neill brings nearly 20 years of experience as a legal assistant and paralegal with a primary focus in medical malpractice litigation.

Jake holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from California State University, Sacramento and has long been passionate about the fields of law and law enforcement.

Anh is an Intake Coordinator who began as one of our first interns in 2022.

Adia is a Medical Records Clerk at Ikuta Hemesath Leonard LLP while currently pursuing a degree at the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business, majoring in Finance and minoring in Information Systems.