Brande Gustafson practices civil litigation with an emphasis on civil rights defense and personal injury defense.  She defends public entities and their employees in complex high profile cases involving various aspects of public entity liability in State and Federal courts. Her clients have included school districts, police officers, deputy sheriffs, correctional officers, probation officers, elected and other public figures, including sheriffs, chiefs of police, and heads of public agency departments.  Brande  successfully argued before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on a case involving the issue of probable cause on claims of unlawful detention and arrest. 

 

Prior to becoming an attorney, Brande worked as a contract paralegal for the United States Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of California managing case materials for affirmative civil litigation. During her time as a contract paralegal, she participated in litigation involving wildland fire cases; Internal Revenue Service tax summons enforcement; and enforcement of criminal restitution, special assessments, and fines.

 

Bar Admissions

U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California

U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
All courts of the State of California

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Professional Activities and Affiliations

Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel,  U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California

2015 and 2017

Conference Planning Committee, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California

Co-chair 2020 - 2022

Federal Bar Association

2017 President   

2016 Vice President/President Elect
2014 - 2015 Secretary                    

Judicial Advisory Committee 

2017 - 2019 Member-at-Large

Ninth Circuit Lawyer Representative

2019 - 2023

San Joaquin College of Law Alumni Association

 2014 - 2015 President

Fresno County Bar Association

Fresno County Women Lawyers

Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada

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Honors and Recognition

2015 - 2019 - Named as a Super Lawyers Rising Star

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Education

Juris Doctor, 2009

San Joaquin College of Law

 

Bachelor of Science, 2005

Criminology (Emphasis in Victimology)

Minor in Spanish

California State University, Fresno

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