Attorneys
Vartkes Yeghiayan
University of
California, Berkeley (B.A.)
University of California, Hastings College of Law/ Lincoln
University (J.D.)
Vartkes
Yeghiayan's distinguished career began when he served as the
Director of California
Rural Legal Assistance, where he pioneered the class action and used
it to advance the rights of
farm workers in the state. In 1974, Mr. Yeghiayan was appointed by
President Nixon to serve
as Assistant Director of the Peace Corps. In this role he traveled
to over 90 countries and
supervised the worldwide operations of the Peace Corps' 7000
volunteers. In 1980, when Mr.
Yeghiayan entered the private sector and established a legal
practice in Los Angeles, his
knowledge of the class action merged with his international
experience to yield a law firm that
specializes in international law, litigation, and administrative
law.
In addition to the practice of law Mr. Yeghiayan routinely lectures
university students and has
authored numerous volumes including:
Volunteerism: The Real and Emerging Power; The
Horn
of Africa: Challenges to American Foreign Policy; The Trial of
Soghomon Tehlirian; The
Case of Misak Torlakian; The Trial of the Young Turks in
Constantinople.
Rita Mahdessian
City of London University (MA)
University of Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom (LLB / Hons)
Before being accepted to the California State Bar, Mrs.
Mahdessian served as a barrister in
England, a designation she received after extensive study at the
prestigious Gray's Inn in
London. Mrs. Mahdessian continued her studies at the City of London
University where she
received a master's degree in Business Law. Mrs. Mahdessian, then
returned to her home
country of Cypress where she was employed as a consultant for
off-shore companies.
Currently, Mrs. Mahdessian utilizes her international background to
lead the firms administrative
law practice. Mrs. Mahdessian is qualified to practise law in the
United Kingdom, Cypress, and
California.