LAW OFFICE OF AARON J. FISCHER
A Commitment to Justice, Practical Problem-Solving, & Effective Representation
ATTORNEY PROFILE
Aaron Fischer
A Note from Aaron:
My hero and mentor, Jack B. Weinstein, passed away in 2021, two months shy of his 100th birthday. I published a piece on Judge Weinstein and his vision of our nation's collective endeavor to address the big problems of today.
Read my article here:
Jack Weinstein at 100: A Visionary for Our Legal Institutions
Excerpt:
... One particular image stands out for me. At criminal sentencing hearings, Judge Weinstein would sit at a table directly across from the person he was sentencing to prison. Family members were invited to sit at the table, too. Judge Weinstein sat close enough that he could – and did – hand a tissue to the crying mother of a young man going to prison. He listened to their experiences, seeking to understand them as a fellow human and not merely a perpetrator of a criminal act. That may be the ultimate lesson that Judge Weinstein has to teach us today. People need to be and feel seen by their government. They need to be and feel seen by the government officials with power – a power that is, after all, given to them by the people.
Aaron Fischer represents clients in matters involving actual or potential litigation. He maintains a diverse practice, representing clients on issues related to civil and constitutional rights, disability rights, employment and complex civil and class action litigation. He has extensive experience monitoring and investigating public and private entities to ensure compliance with relevant laws.
Since being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as a teenager, Aaron has committed himself to overcoming challenges and helping others do the same. He has dedicated his professional career to increasing justice, fairness, and opportunities for people to succeed.
Aaron previously served as Litigation Counsel at Disability Rights California (DRC) - the Protection & Advocacy System for the State of California - where he engaged in class and multi-plaintiff litigation on behalf of people with disabilities.
Aaron also practiced law for many years at Rosen Bien Galvan Grunfeld LLP, a nationally recognized firm that specializes in complex litigation and impact cases that shape public policy.
Aaron is a graduate of Columbia Law School and of the University of California-Berkeley. Following graduation, he was a Skadden Fellow at the Children’s Law Center in Washington D.C., where he represented D.C. residents through a medical-legal partnership at the Children’s National Medical Center.
He served as a law clerk to the Honorable Jack B. Weinstein of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, and for the Honorable Kimba M. Wood of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Aaron has been recognized broadly for his work. In 2014, he received the Jack Berman Award of Achievement for Distinguished Service to the Profession and the Public from the California State Bar Association (now the California Lawyers Association). He has repeatedly been named to the Northern California Super Lawyers list, which recognizes outstanding lawyers who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.
Aaron is committed to public and community service. His public service roles include:
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President, Board of Directors, Jewish Community Center-East Bay
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Chair, American Diabetes Association Legal Advocacy Subcommittee
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Institutional Review Board (IRB) Member, Committee on Human Research, University of California-San Francisco
Aaron lives in Berkeley, California with his wife and two amazing children who make him laugh every day. He enjoys backpacking in state and national parks, playing and coaching basketball, and doing the New York Times crossword puzzle.
DISABILITY RIGHTS AND EQUAL ACCESS
We fight for a world where people with disabilities enjoy the power of equal rights and opportunities, and freedom from discrimination. We represent people of all ages who have faced disability-related discrimination.
CIVIL RIGHTS & combating discrimination
We represent people who have experienced discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation/gender identity, disability, age, and more.
EMPLOYMENT
matters
We represent employees confronting discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other workplace violations. We litigate claims in court and also assist clients in resolving claims without filing suit. We assist with employment and severance agreement negotiations. We also provide counseling and representation to employers.
RIGHTS OF PEOPLE IN DETENTION facilities
We represent people who have had their rights violated while in jail, prison, or other detention facilities, whether related to disability, medical and mental health care needs, or other conditions of confinement.
CLASS ACTION AND CIVIL LITIGATION
We have served as lead or co-lead plaintiffs’ class counsel in class actions or other representative actions involving civil rights, disability rights, due process, and more. We represent individuals who have been injured by negligence or other legal violations in civil litigation and negotiations.
INVESTIGATIONS
We have extensive experience investigating and monitoring public and private entities to ensure compliance with relevant federal and state law, providing advice and technical assistance to improve systems and protect against future legal actions.
IN THE NEWS
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In unusual rebuke of San Diego County sheriff, coroner rules diabetic man’s jail death a homicide by neglect, Los Angeles Times & San Diego Union Tribune, September 20, 2024.
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West LA College ordered to provide transportation for disabled students by next week, but will they comply?, LAist, August 20, 2024.
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Disability Ruling Against Calif. College is ‘Wake-Up Call’ for Others, Inside Higher Ed, August 9, 2024.
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Deaths at the Monterey County Jail: 'The Monterey County Jail is the killing fields of Monterey County,' KSBW 8 Investigates, March 20, 2024.
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Sonoma autism facility resident faces wrongful eviction threat after abuse, parents say, The Press Democrat, March 19, 2024.
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What Riverside can learn from the jail death crisis in San Diego, inewsource, January 10, 2024.
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Jail mental health provider and Sheriff’s Office need better communication, grand jury says, Santa Maria Sun, July 20, 2023.
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No way out: Why a mentally disabled man was jailed nine years awaiting a murder trial that never happened, CalMatters, December 15, 2022.
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Attorneys seek emergency order to force changes at San Diego County jails, San Diego Union Tribune, May 2, 2022.
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Orange County Sheriff’s Department to make landmark changes to its jails for LGBTQ inmates, Orange County Register, April 15, 2022.
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Lawsuit asks federal judge to order reforms across San Diego County jails, San Diego Union-Tribune, February 10, 2022.
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Santa Barbara County stopped allowing mental health evaluators to enter the Main Jail, Santa Maria Sun, February 1, 2022.e
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Alameda County violates rights of mental health patients, inmates, feds say, San Francisco Chronicle, April 25, 2021.
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Sacramento County to vaccinate inmates ahead of schedule, Fox40, February 24, 2021.
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‘No way of stopping it.’ How COVID-19 invaded Sacramento jail, triggering major outbreak, Sacramento Bee, February 11, 2021.
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Surging COVID outbreak at Patton State Hospital prompts demand for release of patients, San Bernardino Sun, December 15, 2020.
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Extreme Isolation Cells’ Banned from Santa Barbara County Jail, Santa Barbara Independent, July 21, 2020.
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California jail population plummets during pandemic. Could this lead to long-term change? Sacramento Bee, May 27, 2020.
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While Lompoc's prison deals with the county's worst COVID-19 outbreak, the county jail remains relatively unscathed, but some warn it may be next, Santa Maria Sun, April 15, 2020.
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Asylum seekers endure prison-like conditions in ICE detention centers for chance of freedom, ABC 10-News, March 28, 2019.
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‘What happened to our brother?’, Sacramento News & Review, August 30, 2018
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Sac Jails Slapped with Class Action Suit Charging Prisoners Subjected to ‘Inhumane and Degrading Conditions’, The Davis Vanguard, August 1, 2018.
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Report: San Diego Jails Face A Suicide 'Crisis', KPBS, April 25, 2018.
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Trial set in LA disabled students' suit alleging community college blocked their education, KPCC-Southern California, October 16, 2017.
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Legal Advocacy Volunteer-Aaron Fischer, Diabetes Forecast, July 2014.
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Deaths underscore record of poor medical care at the Sutter County jail, Sacramento Bee, June 2, 2014.
published ARTICLES
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Opinion: Failure to provide insulin to inmate was reckless and deadly, San Diego Union-Tribune, October 8, 2024.
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Opinion: San Diego Still Needs Effective Jail Oversight, San Diego Union-Tribune, July 14, 2021.
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Jack Weinstein at 100: A Visionary for Our Legal Institutions, Daily Journal (Los Angeles & San Francisco), March 3, 2021.
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Soapbox: Disabled lives matter, too, Sacramento Bee, February 5, 2018.
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The Rights of Transgender Prisoners, Los Angeles Daily Journal, June 17, 2015.
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Working with Diabetes, Oakland Business Review, November 2012.
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How Businesses Can Protect Their Valuable Trade Secrets, San Francisco Daily Journal, September 26, 2011.
CONTACT
OUR OFFICE
Law Office of Aaron J. Fischer
1400 Shattuck Avenue, Ste. 12 - #344
Berkeley CA 94709
Email: info@aaronfischerlaw.com
Phone: (510) 806-7366
Fax: (510) 694-6314