Litigators Giancarlo J. Mendez and Michael A. Sanchez first met as teenagers in Spanish class at Damien High School in La Verne.
"We're very close," Mendez said. "Even though we're not blood related, we see each other as brothers."
The duo also completed their legal degrees at Whittier Law School - where Sanchez graduated in 2014 and Mendez in 2015 - before deciding to strike out together, hanging a shingle in East Los Angeles.
"Our angle was there weren't too many litigators focused on Hispanic clientele," Sanchez said. "So originally that was the business plan ... servicing that Hispanic community, mostly around East Los Angeles."
Mendez & Sanchez APC opened in 2015, and back then, Sanchez said it was just him and Mendez along with two administrative staff members.
The cases were diverse early on as the duo worked hard to pay bills.
"We started doing everything that a lot of solo practitioners coming out of law school and opening up their own business would do," Mendez recalled. "It was personal injury, family law, criminal law, immigration, some workers' compensation."
Mendez said that in time they "realized what we were good at" and narrowed their focus primarily to personal injury and some workers' compensation matters. Early on, Mendez said the firm usually handled pre-litigation and farmed out some of the larger matters.
"Now, we pretty much have everything in-house," he said. "So, we take a case from inception all the way up until the trial verdict."
The firm is home to 14 attorneys these days and operates offices in East LA, Pasadena and Las Vegas. One aim that's remains constant, however, is working to help clients from the Hispanic community.
"We're both Hispanic origin and Spanish speaking," Mendez said. "And it allows us to - whether it's in depositions, whether it's in trial - to communicate better with the clients."
There are a range of different Spanish dialects across the state, according to Mendez, who mentioned those from Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala as just a few examples that can occasionally pose problems.
"Even though you may have an interpreter, there can still be a language barrier," Mendez said. "They may be a certified-Spanish interpreter, but the clients don't understand some of these translations."
Mentioning that several other attorneys at the firm also speak Spanish, Mendez said language fluency not only helps to ensure that the clients understand what's being said, but it also provides the important reassurance of cultural understanding.
"Ultimately, our goal is to have the clients trust us just as if we were family," said Mendez, whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from Cuba. "We want them to call us with how they're feeling and what their struggles are because our job is to help them get back on their feet. We want to build that relationship with them where they feel they can confide in us. ... We want to support them emotionally in every which way we can."
In July, the firm secured a $4.9 million Pomona jury verdict for a client in a trucking accident case, featuring negligent entrustment, hiring and supervision claims. Hernandez v. Palomares 22PSCV01673 (L.A. Super. Ct., filed Nov. 3, 2022).
"The insurance company had a $1 million policy, and they offered our client $750,000. But we knew the case was worth the policy, and we tried the case over $250,000," Sanchez said. "[The defense] called our client a liar throughout the trial, and the jury not only gave him $900,000 for his full medical bills, but they also gave almost $4 million in pain and suffering."
Sanchez, who worked on the trial with firm partner Jennifer L. Russell, said that although much of what he and Mendez do these days is focused on running the boutique, he still finds the chance to litigate thrilling.
"It's really one of the few things on earth that'll still give me the butterflies," he said. "We've been successful, so it's not for the money anymore. ... Everyone likes making money - don't get me wrong. But I could lose a case, and I'll be OK. But losing a good fight - that would disturb me."
Dana Point defense attorney Keith G. Bremer said he's opposed attorneys at Mendez & Sanchez on roughly 10 personal injury cases over the last five years, and he described the firm as "super professional."
"I felt like they knew the cases, and they were prepared," Bremer said. "I think they're looking toward trying to resolve cases, but I think they're also willing to push the case a little bit farther and into trial if they need to be."
Mentioning matters on which he's opposed Russell and Sanchez specifically, Bremer said the firm's attorneys conducted themselves with "a high level of civility."
"And when you have that, you're encouraged to try to find common ground and try to resolve the case," Bremer continued. "And we've had some success."
Asked about his firm's impressive growth over the past decade, Mendez said that was always the vision.
"I didn't think it would happen so fast," he added. "Obviously, we've done pretty well, and the vision is to continue to grow even more and become more of a powerhouse."