David Wattel is a founding member of the law firm of Wattel & York. Mr. Wattel obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Illinois in 1984. He continued on to earn his Juris Doctor from the Arizona State University College of Law in 1988. He has devoted his entire career to representing those injured at the hands of others. He actively litigates cases and has represented more than 13,000 clients. In addition, Mr. Wattel trains physicians through the American Institute of Personal Injury Physicians (AIPIP), an organization founded by Wattel, on how to properly document personal injury claims. He also speaks nationally to auto body shops and their professional associations regarding diminished value and other property damage related subjects. Mr. Wattel is a member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Arizona Trial Lawyers Association, and the State Bar of Arizona. He is licensed to practice in the State of Arizona, as well as the United States District Court, District of Arizona.

Michael York is a founding member of the law firm of Wattel & York. Mr. York obtained his Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Arizona State University in 1989, and later earned his Juris Doctor from the Arizona State University College of Law in 1992. He has been practicing in the field of personal injury, property damage, and insurance coverage litigation for his entire career. Mr. York has represented plaintiffs in thousands of personal injury and diminished value claims since the early 1990's. He has successfully handled cases during the pre-trial phase of the insurance claims process, up and through arbitration, trial, and appeal. He has successfully briefed and argued numerous published Arizona Appellate cases involving insurance coverage and personal injury law issues, including USAA v. DeValencia, Country Mutual Insurance v. Fonk, and Yollin v. City of Glendale. Mr. York has devoted his entire career to the practice of personal injury, property damage, and insurance issues, and has been instrumental in the revival and resolution of diminution in value claims in the State of Arizona. Mr. York is a member of the Arizona Trial Lawyers Association, and is licensed to practice in the State of Arizona, as well as the United States District Court, District of Arizona.

Ryan C. Holzer is an associate attorney with the firm, and admitted to practice law in the State of Arizona and the United States District Court. Although originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, Mr. Holzer has lived in Arizona for the last sixteen years and considers himself an Arizona native. He attended Buena High School in Sierra Vista, Arizona, graduating in 2000. From there he pursued his Bachelor of Arts in Social and Behavioral Sciences in Psychology with a pre-law minor from the University of Arizona, graduating in 2003. He then went on to earn his Juris Doctorate from the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, at Arizona State University in 2007. While pursuing his Juris Doctorate, Mr. Holzer worked for various law firms in the Valley as a law clerk and research assistant, including two insurance defense firms, a plaintiff's personal injury firm, and the City of Chandler Prosecutor's office.

Thomas A. Grisoni, an associate attorney for the firm, was born in Cleveland, Ohio and received his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at the University of Michigan in 2004. He then relocated to Arizona to attend the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University and earned his Juris Doctorate in 2007. Prior to joining Wattel & York, Grisoni worked at the City of Phoenix Prosecutor's Office. He is a member of the State Bar of Arizona, Maricopa County Bar Association, Los Abogados, Hispanic National Bar Association, and is licensed to practice in the United States District Court, District of Arizona. Grisoni is a bilingual member of our team which serves him well in assisting our clients' needs.

Daniel A. Hoffiz, originally from Detroit, Michigan, joined Wattel & York in 2008 as an attorney for the firm. Previously, he was In-house Counsel for Sensory Research Center, Principal of Bank of America, Director of CIBC Asia, Vice President of Citibank and In-house Counsel for Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ. Mr. Hoffiz is a member of the California and Pennsylvania Bars having received his Juris Doctorate from Arizona State University College of Law in 1989. Mr. Hoffiz is fluent in spoken Japanese and received his Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies from the University of Michigan in 1982.

Paul has represented severely injured persons as an attorney for five years in claims against insurers, major corporations, and government agencies. In and out of Court, through jury trial, and before the Supreme Court of this state, Paul has prevailed and counseled clients and small businesses in financial crisis, fought for the rights of the accused and victims of discrimination, and helped ordinary people who needed justice. Paul has lived in the Puget Sound area his entire life. After graduating valedictorian from Oak Harbor High School, he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree with Honors in Physics from the University of Puget Sound. Then he went to law school at night so he could work full-time to support his family, graduating Magna Cum Laude from Seattle University in 2003. He is currently a member of the Washington Bar, the Washington Association for Justice, the American Association for Justice, and admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. He and his wife of 10 years have four children aged 6-12, and he lives in Wallingford, Seattle, just north of Lake Union. He has an intense passion for golf and chess, though he’s no expert at either. He also enjoy spending time with his family, especially on Orcas Island or at Gasworks Park.

Christine E. Santoni joined Wattel & York in 2010 as an associate attorney for the firm. Christine is a Washington native and received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. She earned her Juris Doctorate Degree from Seattle University School of Law in Seattle, Washington, where she graduated cum laude. She is passionate about individual's rights and championing for the protection of those rights. She has litigated in both superior and district courts throughout the King County area. Most recently, she worked in public defense, representing clients faced with contempt of court charges, as well as assisting on a death penalty case, where she gained litigation experience and insight into jury selection. When Christine is not busy advocating on behalf of her clients, she enjoys traveling, cooking, and cheering for her favorite Seattle sports teams.

David H. Cluff is "of counsel" to the firm. He is an accomplished personal injury trial lawyer with over 25 years of experience in litigating injury cases. He graduated from Arizona State University in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration. He earned his Juris Doctorate from Pepperdine University School of Law in 1978. Early in his legal career, he defended accident cases and represented a number of different insurance companies including Farmers, Allstate and GEICO. The opportunity to defend cases provided invaluable experience and insight regarding how insurance companies review and evaluate cases. For many years, Mr. Cluff has put that experience to good use in representing accident victims who have been injured by the negligence of others. Mr. Cluff has represented thousands of injured people with a variety of injury claims involving auto accidents, medical malpractice, unsafe land/property conditions and dog attacks. He has obtained record setting trial verdicts as well as multi-million dollar settlements on behalf of his clients. He is a member of the State Bar in both the State of Arizona and the State of California. He is also admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the State of Arizona.

Brian M. Torba is an associate attorney with the firm and is licensed to practice law in the state of Arizona. Although originally from Columbus, Ohio, Mr. Torba spent the majority of his early years in Louisville, Kentucky. In 2002 he enrolled at Arizona State University where he pursued and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Human Communication from the university’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. In 2010 Mr. Torba received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law. During his time there Mr. Torba assisted a civil litigation attorney in various legal matters and spent a year working for the Criminal Prosecution Division of the Denver County District Attorney’s Office. Despite having left Arizona for his education endeavors, he and his wife returned to the state they both consider home to begin his legal career.