about the scvba

The membership of the Santa Clarita Valley Bar Association, founded in 2005, includes nearly 100 local attorneys dedicated to serving the Santa Clarita community. Our member attorneys, the majority of whom are Santa Clarita residents, are bound by a strict code of professional conduct designed to ensure that clients are represented by attorneys competent to handle the specific needs of each client. The goal of each bar member is to be an effective advocate, to provide sound and objective counsel and advice, and to evoke a sense of comfort for every client.

The Santa Clarita Valley Bar Association recognizes the importance of being a good partner with our community.

A Growing Community

The Santa Clarita Valley is certainly one of the fastest growing communities in the Los Angeles area.  More and more people are living and working in Santa Clarita than ever before. More homes and other housing units are being developed as the community grows. More and more businesses are moving to the Santa Clarita Valley. As such, our bar membership continues to grow as more lawyers live and work in Santa Clarita.

it is the mission of the scvba to do the following

Represent the interests of its members and to advocate on their behalf

Educate its members and the public concerning the law, the legal profession, and the judicial system

Provide a means of communication both among its members, and between its members and the public

Promote professional growth and to enhance the quality of life of the legal community

Promote the highest standards of professionalism, competence and ethical conduct

Uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States and of the State of California and to maintain representative government

Promote meaningful access to legal representation and the justice system for all persons regardless of their economic or social condition

Preserve and enhance the ideal of the legal profession as a service profession and its dedication to public service

EXECUTIVE BOARD

Armendariz copy

JEFF ARMENDARIZ

PRESIDENT

Jeff Armendariz has been exclusively practicing criminal law for over 25 years. While in law school, he worked as a law clerk in both the Juvenile Division and Gang Unit of the San Diego District Attorney’s Office. After passing the California Bar exam in 1994, he was hired by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office as a Deputy District Attorney. In 1998, he opened his private practice “The Law Offices of Jeffrey Armendariz”.  While handling a variety of criminal cases throughout Southern and Central California, his caseload is centered in Northern Los Angeles County with a focus in the Antelope Valley, San Fernando Valley, and Santa Clarita Valley. He appears almost daily before the Santa Clarita Superior Court, and therefore, has the greatest familiarity with the manner in which criminal case are handled there. Consequently, he enjoys an especially positive reputation within the Santa Clarita legal community. Jeff participates in many worthwhile community activities and local organizations such as the Santa Clarita Valley Bar Association and the Santa Clarita Valley Business Group.  Since 1999, Jeff has been a bench officer (judge) in the Santa Clarita Teen Court program.

Noland

JOHN NOLAND

PRESIDENT-ELECT

John Noland has been a trial attorney for the past 24 years. John served in the United States Navy as a medic assigned to the Fifth Marine Reconnaissance Unit. After leaving the Navy, John was hired by the Los Angeles City Fire Department where he served as an emergency paramedic for approximately 10 years. While on the fire department, John began pursuing an undergraduate degree in fine art with a specialty in medical illustration. This was a specialized degree combining fine art with a pre-med a curriculum. After graduating college, John began a career as a medical illustrator primarily preparing illustrations for attorneys to display to jurors during trial. John spent many hours in courtrooms watching trials and testifying at times to authenticate the illustrated anatomy. It was during this experience that he decided that he would become a trial lawyer specializing in personal injury. It was a perfect fit for John who used his story telling abilities along with his medical knowledge and training. Recently John was inducted as a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. Currently John is dedicated to continuing his career as a trial attorney with an emphasis on training younger attorneys to be effective in trial.

ROBERT CASTILLO

TREASURER

Robert F. Castillo is dedicated to helping local residents ease their burden after a workplace injury through helping them pursue their workers’ compensation claims. Mr. Castillo enjoys seeing clients happy and knowing he worked as hard as he could to be at his best for those who put their faith in him. He gets excited learning about new topics or new ideas and ultimately wants to master workers’ compensation law. With his clients, he likes to take his time to explain what he knows or answer questions as best as he can. He does this by thinking about questions that he himself would ask and how to best answer these issues for his clients. He got into workers’ compensation law because he really wanted to get into a field where he felt he could make a difference and help as many people as possible. He is currently an attorney at the Law Offices of Wax & Wax.

COREY CARTER

SECRETARY

Corey Carter became an attorney in 2010. He has started his career representing debtors in bankruptcy court. Corey then worked with small businesses in assisting them with their corporate and small business needs. However, he missed the courtroom. After diligent study and participation in a trial program offered by the local bar association, Corey conducted his first trial. Corey zealously represents his clients in seeking justice. He has a passion for telling your story to the jury and making the most of your day in court. Corey is admitted to practice in all courts of the State of California, the United States District Court for the Central District of California, and the United States Tax Court. Corey has been recognized for his Pro Bono participation in the United States Bankruptcy Court Central District of California Honor Roll of Pro Bono Volunteers from 2011 to 2018. He served on the Executive Committee of the Barristers section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association from 2014 to 2018, and served as secretary during the 2016-2017 term.

JENNA EDZANT

MEMBER AT LARGE

BEAU GOODRICK

MEMBER AT LARGE

KATIE SIMERS

MEMBER AT LARGE

CHRISTOPHER WARNE

MEMBER AT LARGE