Our attorneys are intelligent, highly skilled individuals who have spent their legal careers practicing business, employment, and corporate law. Please click on the links below to learn more about the lawyers of Branfman Mayfield Bustarde Reichenthal, LLP.
Our office is conveniently located in Carlsbad, California. Please call 858.793.8090 or send us an e-mail for a consultation or an appointment.
Mark Reichenthal
Partner
Location: Carlsbad, California
Phone: 858.793.8090
Fax: 858.793.8099
Mark Reichenthal practices in the areas of intellectual property, licensing, new media, entertainment law, book publishing, and general business contracts.
Prior to joining Branfman Law Group, P.C., Mark was a Senior Counsel at Wiley Publishing, Inc., publisher of the wildly successful and famous “…For Dummies” series where Mark was responsible for managing the day-to-day legal affairs of the company including the negotiation of book contracts, supervising the enforcement of the “…For Dummies” trademark, and all company trademark and copyright licensing. Mark is a frequent speaker to various author and publishing groups.
Mark earned his Juris Doctor degree from California Western School of Law in 1995 and a Master of Science Degree in Book and Magazine publishing at Pace University in 1992. After joining the Bar, he was the Contracts Manager for Vivendi Universal’s software division. Mark is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the North County Bar Association (“NCBA”) in San Diego and is Co-Chair of the Business Law Section of the NCBA. Mark is admitted to practice law in California.
Education
- California Western School of Law, San Diego, California
- J.D. – 1995
- Pace University
- Master of Science Degree in Book and Magazine publishing
Professional Associations and Memberships
- North County Bar Association, Co-Chair, Business Law Section 2018 – Present
- North County Bar Association, Board of Directors, 2018 – Present
David Branfman
Of Counsel
Location: Carlsbad, California
Phone: 858.793.8090
Fax: 858.793.8099
Mr. Branfman has been practicing law in San Diego County for over thirty years. Mr. Branfman’s practice focuses on intellectual property and entertainment law, including trademarks, domain names, copyrights, trade secrets, licensing, motion pictures & TV, and music.
After a five-year association with the intellectual property law firm of Charmasson & Holz in San Diego, Mr. Branfman joined Gary Martin to form Martin & Branfman and in early 1994 formed Branfman & Associates to focus on intellectual property and entertainment matters. Branfman & Associates became Branfman Law Group, P.C. in 2008.
Mr. Branfman graduated Cum Laude from Alfred University in New York and received his law degree from the University of San Diego in 1978. He is an instructor on intellectual property law at the UCSD (University of California, San Diego) Executive Perspective for Scientists & Engineers program. Mr. Branfman is a member of the NORML Legal Committee and has spoken several times at NORML Legal Committee conferences. He was for many years a member of the Board of Directors of the non-profit San Diego Music Foundation which sponsors the San Diego Music Thing and San Diego Music Awards. He was Chairman of the Board of the San Diego Film Commission from 1998 – January 2000 and was a member of the Board of Directors from 1998 – 2007. He was Legal Chair of the Pacific Southwest Chapter of the National Television Academy for approximately two decades and is a member of the State Bar of California’s Intellectual Property Section and its Executive Committee which helps to guide and govern the Section. He is a regular speaker at Comic-Con and has lectured or spoken on entertainment, intellectual property and Internet Law at Thomas Jefferson School of Law and California Western School of Law.
David is recognized by peers and was selected to Southern California Super Lawyers for intellectual property law 10 out of the last 13 years and for the last 6 years consecutively
Lisa A. Reichenthal, Esq.
Partner
Location: Carlsbad, California
Phone: 858.793.8090
Fax: 858.793.8099
Lisa Reichenthal is an Intellectual Property Attorney focusing on trademark prosecution, maintenance and enforcement on a worldwide scale. She also prepares and files a large number of Uniform Dispute Resolution Procedure actions. Lisa graduated from California Western School of Law in 1994. One of her first positions was as a headhunter at KForce where she successfully placed attorneys at some of the largest companies, corporations and law firms in Silicon Valley, California. Some of her clients included Cisco Systems, Intel, Hewlett Packard, Fenwick & West and Cooley Godward. Lisa was recognized as the top headhunter at KForce within the state of California. Thereafter, Lisa took on the challenge of being a stay-at-home mom for ten years and is proud to say that her daughter is now in high school, driving and thriving.
For the past five years Lisa has been an attorney at the law firm of Burns & Schaldenbrand in Oceanside, California. There, Lisa has been primarily representing one of the top aftermarket automobile custom wheel manufacturers, Wheel Pros, LLC. on their intellectual property matters. She was recently brought in-house as an Associate Counsel for Wheel Pros, LLC. She currently works part-time at Wheel Pros and part-time at Branfman Mayfield Bustarde Reichenthal LLP.
Education
- California Western School of Law, San Diego, California
- J.D. May 1994
- Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
- Bachelor of Science in Psychology
Melissa L. Bustarde Esq.
Partner
Location: Carlsbad, California
Phone: 858.793.8090
Fax: 858.793.8099
Melissa Bustarde is a transactional and litigation attorney serving small to medium-sized businesses and individuals in San Diego County for most of their legal needs. She has advised hundreds of clients concerning their business, job and/or protection of their personal assets. She is also an experienced litigator, representing both plaintiffs and defendants in cases related to wrongful termination, real estate, and business disputes.
Ms. Bustarde strongly believes in the concept of preventative law. If deals are structured and documents are prepared correctly the first time around, it will minimize and can even avoid disputes and litigation down the road. A deal done on a handshake is no longer enough in today’s litigious sociality. Ms. Bustarde incorporates that philosophy, in addition to looking at the bigger picture, in advising all of her clients.
Ms. Bustarde started with Branfman Mayfield Bustarde Reichenthal, LLP (formerly Mayfield & Associates) in 2004 as a Law Clerk while she attended California Western School of Law. While at Cal Western, she made the Dean’s List every semester and graduated Cum Laude and was the recipient of numerous scholarships and awards. After passing the California Bar Exam on her first attempt, Ms. Bustarde remained with the firm as an Associate Attorney. She was made a partner in 2012 and the firm was re-named Branfman Mayfield Bustarde Reichenthal, LLP.
Ms. Bustarde is very active in the legal community. She is a past President and former member of the Board of Directors of the North County Bar Association, in addition to chairing the Legislative Committee and serves on several other committees. She also performs extensive volunteer work, including serving on the Board of Directors for other non-profits (San Elijo Elementary Parent Teacher Organization, and San Elijo Hills Homeowners Associations), and serving as co-leader of her daughter’s Girl Scout Troop. She is currently co-President of San Elijo Elementary Parent Teach Organization.
When not at the office, Ms. Bustarde enjoys spending time with her family, going to Disneyland, shopping and running.
Bar Admissions
- California, 2005
- U.S. District Court Southern District of California, 2005
- U.S. District Court Central District of California, 2007
Education
- California Western School of Law, San Diego, California
- J.D. cum laude – May, 2005
- Honors: Trustee Scholarship
- Honors: Dean’s List
- University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, U.S.A
- Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude
- Major: Political Science
- Major: History
Professional Associations and Memberships
- State Bar of California, Business Law Section, December 1, 2005 – Present
- San Diego County Bar Association, December 1, 2005 – Present
- North County Bar Association, Current President
- North County Bar Association, December 1, 2005 – Present
- North County Bar Association, Board Member, 2016 – 2019
- Business Networking International-Carlsbad, February 7, 2013 – Present
- Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, June 1, 2014 – Present
- Lawyers Club, July 1, 2015 – Present
- North County Bar Association, Co-Chair, Legislative Committee, 2015 – Present
- North County Bar Association, Board of Directors, 2016 – Present
Darwin L. Bustarde Esq.
Partner
Location: Carlsbad, California
Phone: 858.793.8090
Fax: 858.793.8099
Darwin Bustarde is a transactional and litigation attorney focused on maximizing and protecting his clients’ personal property, real property, business, and employment. Some of the methods he accomplishes this include preparing estate plans/living trusts for individuals, forming an LLC or corporation for a business, drafting and reviewing human resource related documents for employers, etc. He helps his clients eliminate and reduce their liabilities. He successfully litigates on behalf of plaintiffs and defendants in matters ranging from unlawful detainer/eviction actions through more complex matters, including, for example, employment, real property non-disclosure, and business/corporate disputes.
Mr. Bustarde’s focus is to achieve the client’s goal as efficiently as possible. In this day and age where online one-size-fits-all legal services are available, Mr. Bustarde helps his clients find the right solution for their unique circumstance. Disputes often arise or are made more complicated due to lack of planning, or inadequate document drafting. Mr. Bustarde enjoys helping his clients resolve disputes in a way that allows his clients to incorporate best practices on their own.
Mr. Bustarde began practicing law in 2005 after graduating from California Western School of Law in San Diego, California. His clients have included design and construction professionals in complex construction defect actions, commercial and residential landlords and property developers, entrepreneurs, small and medium-sized businesses, and people simply interested in protecting their assets and property. Mr. Bustarde’s experience includes business start-up legal services, business entity formations, transactional services (document drafting/review), dispute resolution through litigation and/or negotiation, and general risk management.
Mr. Bustarde enjoys serving his community as a member of the San Marcos Kiwanis Club. Some of his favorite regular service events that the club puts on are the annual City of San Marcos Christmas and Holiday Parade, hosting Thanksgiving dinner for homeless kids and helping the club distribute thousands of books a year to kids as part of the club’s literacy program. He is also on the Board of Directors for the North County Bar Association and also serves as chair of the Business Law Section. Mr. Bustarde also enjoys coaching his son’s AYSO soccer team and just spending time with his family and dogs.
Bar Admissions
- California, 2005
- U.S. District Court Southern District of California, 2005
Education
- California Western School of Law, San Diego, California
- J.D. – May, 2005
- Honors: Kennedy Scholarship and Ethnic & Cultural Diversity Scholarship
- University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California
- Bachelor of Arts – 2001
- Major: Political Science
- Minor: History
Professional Associations and Memberships
- State Bar of California, 2005 – Present
- San Diego County Bar Association, 2005 – 2014
- North County Bar Association, 2005 – Present, Co-Chair Business Section
- San Diego Defense Lawyers, 2009 – 2010
- San Elijo Business Breakfast, Past President 2014 – 2017
- Kiwanis Club of Greater San Marcos, 2014 – 2018
- Lake San Marcos Kiwanis Club, 2018 – Present
- Lopardo Inns of Court, 2015 – Present
- North County Network Alliance, 2017 – Present
Retired Partner – Gayle Mayfield-Venieris
Gayle Mayfield-Venieris, was a founding partner of Mayfield Bustarde, LLP (the former name of Branfman Mayfield Bustarde Reichenthal, LLP) and retired in late 2017. In creating the firm back in 1997, she set the foundation of the firm by offering the unique combination of extensive, practical business experience, coupled with solid legal experience. Her philosophy of offering practical business advice is the hallmark of the firm today.
Gayle Mayfield-Venieris’ early work career involved working with a variety of companies, including high-tech and chemical companies. After 20 years of working in business management positions, Ms. Mayfield-Venieris made the decision to attend law school. Following admission to the Bar, she co-founded DeHaan and Mayfield, and later founded Mayfield & Associates. She was the principal of Mayfield & Associates, the predecessor to the firm, from June 1997 until Mayfield Bustarde, LLP was formed in 2012.