The firm’s founders, Ben and James, met in law school and bonded over their shared commitment to doing good work for good people and causes, vowing to someday start a firm that did just that. After working for some of the leading law firms and public agencies in the country, Ben and James decided to explore that commitment by founding Torres & Tolman on one principle: accessible excellence for good people and causes.
We believe what sets us apart is our focus on who our clients are and what our assistance will help them achieve. For us, the true measure of effective legal representation is real results in the real world through a process that is personal and efficient. The firm’s focus is on employment litigation, investigation and advise; as well as commercial and contractual formation and disputes.
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We know that finding the right attorney to represent you is a choice not to be taken lightly. That’s why we offer free consultations to walk you through your needs, the scope of your goals, and your budget.
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Attorneys
Partner & Founding member
James J. Torres, Esq.
After working hard to earn degrees from U.C. Berkeley and Harvard Law School, I secured justice in the courtroom for survivors of human trafficking as an Assistant Attorney General with the Special Prosecutions Division. As a civil attorney, I have run multimillion-dollar actions; achieved consistent success in the courtroom; and advised small businesses, multinational corporations, and nonprofits.
I founded this firm with my law partner to bring justice to deserving clients and to counsel companies with a conscience. Whether securing one of the top monetary rewards in the history of the City of Oakland for a firefighter subjected to discrimination, or advising good business owners in the particulars of the law, I am a fair and zealous advocate for my clients.
Education
HARVARD LAW SCHOOL
Juris Doctor, 2014
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
B.A., Political Science, cum laude, 2010
Bar Admissions
•California, New York, and New Mexico
Partner & Founding member
Benjamin J. Tolman, Esq.
Whether you need an advisor, a negotiator, a mediator, or a courtroom advocate—Ben can help. Ben specializes in navigating business and employment issues from start-ups to established companies, particularly incorporation, investment, business contracts, and employment. An entrepreneur himself, Ben has been involved in business for over a decade and provides General Counsel advice to start-ups, emerging growth, and more established businesses across industries to help them meet their business needs and goals. Ben’s transaction experience includes organizing companies and making them fully capital compliant with Securities Exchange Commission regulations and with various state Blue Sky laws, facilitating deals, and structuring strategic alliances between companies. Ben has also been a practicing litigator since graduating law school and relishes the time he spends in the courtroom.
Before founding the firm, Ben learned how to practice law at elite firms on both coasts where he represented public companies and their officers and directors in complex multi-forum securities class actions and M&A deal litigation, as well as internal, governmental, and regulatory investigations. Ben has also represented private companies in high-stakes commercial litigation as well as private individuals in federal criminal litigation.
Ben is admitted to practice in the state of California and Washington and before numerous federal courts around the country, including the Northern, Central and Eastern Districts of California and the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He graduated from Harvard University School of Law, where he was a semi-finalist in Harvard’s Ames Moot Court competition and a teaching fellow at Harvard University.
Education
HARVARD LAW SCHOOL
Juris Doctor, 2014
GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
B.S., Philosophy & Psychology, Honors College, cum laude, 2008; minor in Applied Statistics
Bar Admissions
• California and Washington
OF COUNSEL
Sonal Mittal Tolman, Esq.
Sonal is an innovation and high technology attorney. She has spent her professional life among Silicon Valley's most prominent institutions. She is deeply committed to the values of personal dignity, privacy, and freedom of speech.
Education
HARVARD LAW SCHOOL
Juris Doctor, cum laude, 2014
STANFORD UNIVERSITY
B.S., Computer Science and Economics, 2010
Bar Admissions
• California