Staff Offices (Sample Template Page)
California
Headquarters Sacramento, CA · Established 1997 · Western Region
About This Office
The California office serves as Pacific Justice Institute’s national headquarters and the operational center for our coast-to-coast legal defense work. Our California legal team handles cases ranging from religious accommodation in the workplace to parental rights in public schools, church land use disputes, and free speech protections on college campuses.
With seven full-time staff attorneys and an affiliate network of more than 180 California-licensed lawyers, we are positioned to respond rapidly to clients anywhere in the state. The office leads PJI’s litigation strategy in the Ninth Circuit and the California Supreme Court, and serves as the training hub for our legal interns and affiliate attorneys nationwide.
Our team has secured landmark protections for churches, families, and individuals across California — and we have never charged a client.
Religious Liberty
Workplace accommodation, church autonomy, houses of worship, and ministerial exception litigation.
Parental Rights
Public school curriculum and parental notice, family medical authority, and educational policy challenges.
Free Speech
Campus expression, government censorship, employment retaliation, and street preaching defense.
Civil Liberties
Constitutional defense, regulatory overreach, and protection of non-profit religious organizations.
California Attorneys
Meet the California-based staff attorneys leading our legal work in the state.
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Brad Dacus
President & Founder
Brad Dacus served as Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Phil Gramm and went on to receive his Juris Doctor from the University of Texas, School of Law. Brad coordinated religious freedom and parental rights cases throughout the Western States for five years prior to founding Pacific Justice Institute in 1997. PJI handles more case matters — always free of charge — defending faith and family coast to coast than any other legal organization of its kind.
Sacramento, CA
Kevin Snider
Chief Counsel
During his tenure with PJI, Kevin has litigated a number of cases which have garnered national attention. These include two in the U.S. Supreme Court — A Woman’s Friend Pregnancy Res. Clinic v. Becerra and Gateway City Church v. Newsom. He argued In re Jonathan L. before the California Court of Appeal, a case which restored the right to homeschool in California, and defended the national motto before the Ninth Circuit in Michael Newdow v. LeFevre.
Sacramento, CA
Matthew B. McReynolds
Deputy Chief Counsel
Matt McReynolds received his Juris Doctorate from Oak Brook College of Law in 2004 and joined Pacific Justice Institute in early 2005. Prior to that time, Matt gained practical experience defending religious liberties by clerking for the American Center for Law and Justice. During law school, he was awarded first place in the prestigious Pew Scholarship Writing Competition sponsored by the Alliance Defense Fund.
Santa Ana, CA
Michael J. Peffer
Staff Attorney — S. California
Michael has spent much of his 20+ years defending churches and issues of religious liberty. He has represented the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the Diocese of Orange. Michael has successfully represented many street preachers, including those charged with a crime for speaking the gospel in public. He is currently representing dozens of individuals who were terminated from their jobs in federal court, and appears regularly on HisChannel.com for PJI’s “Brad Dacus Live.”
San Francisco, CA
Russell Davis
Staff Attorney
After starting his own firm where Russell practiced real estate law, he joined Pacific Justice Institute and is now practicing religious liberties. Russell brings substantial transactional and litigation experience to PJI’s Bay Area work.
Woodbridge, CA
Milton Matchak
Staff Attorney
Milton started as a prosecutor for a small California county for 18 years before retirement from the District Attorney’s Office. He has hundreds of hours of experience in the courtroom advocating before judges and triers of fact. Milton has conducted over twenty jury trials and dozens of contested hearings.
Southern California
Nilab Sharif
Staff Attorney — S. California
Nelo received her Juris Doctorate from Southwestern University School of Law in 2003. She is a licensed attorney in the state of California. In addition to her law degree, Nelo holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of California, Irvine.
California Cases & Press
Notable cases, press releases, and news coverage from our California team.
Ninth Circuit Affirms Church Land Use Protections in Sonoma County
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Pacific Justice Institute’s California team secured a unanimous appellate ruling protecting a rural congregation’s right to assemble after Sonoma County imposed restrictive land use regulations targeting religious gatherings. The decision…
Christian Boarding School Settles Five-Year Fight with State Regulators
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — After a 2019 raid and years of litigation, Pacific Justice Institute attorneys secured a settlement that preserves the school’s biblical mission and ends the State of California’s pursuit of group-home licensing requirements that would have…
Rocklin Academy Parental Notice Case Advances to Discovery
ROCKLIN, Calif. — A Sacramento-area family represented by Pacific Justice Institute moves forward in a landmark curriculum disclosure challenge. The case, which arose after a kindergartener was exposed to controversial content without parental notice, raises significant…
Veterans Home Bible Study Restored After PJI Intervention
YOUNTVILLE, Calif. — Federal action led by Pacific Justice Institute resulted in the reinstatement of a long-standing devotional gathering at a CalVet facility after officials threatened to ban Artis, an 84-year-old widow and U.S. veteran, for refusing to stop leading her…
Senior Community Settlement Protects HOA Worship Rights
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Christian residents of Solera at Kern Canyon, a retirement community, regain access to clubhouse worship after a year-long legal battle ends in their favor. The HOA had previously banned the group from meeting based on a complaint from an atheist resident…
Contact & Location
Get In Touch
Whether you need legal review, want to schedule a consultation, or are seeking media comment from our attorneys — start here.
Garden Grove, CA 92842