Is a past national president of the National Lawyers Guild and, on behalf of the Guild, has acted as co-lead counsel on the L.A. Eight case since it began in January 1987.  He is a nationally renowned immigration and civil rights attorney who has litigated dozens of cases of national importance in his almost 30 years of practice.  He is the founding partner of the San Francisco firm of Van Der Hout, Brigagliano and Nightingale.