Meet Our Founder
John Fagerholm
(Managing Partner)
For over two decades, John has represented California employers in high-stakes employment disputes, from wage and hour class actions to FEHA retaliation and discrimination claims.
Known for his pragmatic counsel and courtroom composure, John brings clarity to complex cases, helping business owners focus on their operations while he manages the legal front lines.
He founded DefendMyBiz to create a space where employers could receive strategic, ethical, and empathetic defense, not fear-driven lawyering.
Meet the DefendMyBiz Team
DefendMyBiz is powered by experienced attorneys, legal analysts, and paralegals who share the same belief that employers deserve strong, proactive defense.
Each team member contributes specialized insight across California labor and employment law, ensuring every client receives thoughtful, data-backed strategy and fast response times.
M. Danton Richardson
Lead Trial Attorney
Nicole Nemeth
Supervising Attorney
Stephen Chrabaszcz
Senior Associate
Jinghu Liu
Associate
Yuhan Xia
Legal Clerk
Alisa Cantarero
Lead paralegal
Luis Palma
Paralegal
Nison Masayda
Paralegal
Rosemary Palma
Chief Operating Officer
Carla Collins
Client Intake Manager/Accounts Receivable Specialist
Olivia Glanz
Office Manager
Our Collaborative Approach
DefendMyBiz operates on a team-first defense model.
Unlike many firms where cases live in silos, we assign multiple attorneys and analysts to every matter, combining strategic oversight, documentation review, and client communication into a single process.
This collaboration ensures that every detail is examined, every deadline met, and every client supported.
Our clients never feel lost in the system; they know who’s working on their case and what comes next.