Our partners, from top clockwise, Ron Poirier, Mark Ellis, Andrew Steinheimer, Theresa LaVoie, Wendy Vierra and June Coleman. The partners also are proud that 50 percent of the owners of the firm are women. The Firm is committed to the promotion of women in the practice of law.

The Firm’s partners possess nationwide reputations in defending agencies and law firms sued under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), and their state law equivalents. The attorneys at Ellis Coleman possess extensive experience in handling complex litigation, including class actions under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23 and under California’s Unfair Competition Law, Business and Professions Code § 17200.

Founding and Managing Partner Mark E. Ellis has defended hundreds of professional malpractice cases, taking more than 30 of these cases to trial or arbitration. As of spring of 2008, Mr. Ellis had not lost a legal malpractice case which reached final disposition by way of either jury verdict or court judgment.

Since its founding in the fall of 2006, Ellis, Coleman, Poirier, LaVoie & Steinheimer, LLP has more than tripled in size. The firm's partners each have specific areas of practice in which they possess a special expertise and in which they concentrate. Nonetheless, the firm is committed to handling all types of serious litigation. The partners believe that all successful litigation – whether in prosecuting or defending a case – requires a systematic analysis of the issues, circumstances and people involved. Each case is unique and requires its own individual plan and approach. The Firm sees its strength in the partners’ abilities to break down issues in any case so they can be effectively presented to a judge or jury.

Recent trials by the partners have involved such varied areas of the law as legal malpractice defense, FDCPA defense, FCRA defense, banking and commercial law, breach of contract, plaintiff’s personal injury, and the defense of a wrongful death case.

Representative clients of the firm include Wells Fargo Bank, Chubb Specialty Group Insurance, Fireman’s Fund Insurance, Monitor Liability Managers, National Interstate, St. Paul-Travelers and Navigators Insurance.

The Firm’s mission statement is that each case will be individually tailored and handcrafted for trial, not settlement. The partners of Ellis, Coleman, Poirier, LaVoie & Steinheimer, LLP believe this approach is much more likely to produce a favorable resolution for the client because opposing parties understand that the Firm's partners will not only try the case, but try it well.

The Firm’s partners bring more than 75 years of combined legal experience to each client and case. The Firm also works with certain highly experienced attorneys who act as "of counsel" on selected cases. Significantly, we enjoy the practice of law and are excited about doing it well. This shows in our dedication to our clients and our commitment to their cases. We are decidedly not a "9-to-5" law firm. Every single day, we represent clients who have serious legal problems. The partners understand that our clients' reputations, finances and futures are often at risk. For these reasons, the partners of Ellis, Coleman, Poirier, LaVoie & Steinheimer, LLP zealously represent their clients. It is a job the Firm welcomes and takes seriously.