Attorney Profiles
Lenore Rae Shefman Lenore is originally from Texas. She is the granddaughter of Benjamin Shefman, attorney at law, and Lillian Shefman. In 1987, Lenore joined the US Coast Guard where she was a search and rescue seaman until her honorable discharge in 1989. After performing search and rescue operations off the Gulf Coast of Texas with the Coast Guard, Lenore attended Texas State University, formerly Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas. In 1993, she graduated with a Bachelors in Social Work. As the first school social worker hired directly by the Austin Independent School District, Lenore developed and implemented an alternative high school-within-a-school at Austin's Reagan High School, created social and educational programs for urban youth, their families and the local communities of Austin, Texas. She was the Co-Chair of the National Association of Social Workers, Texas Committee for School Social Work, and she was a co-founder of the American Association of School Social Workers. All of this means, Lenore spent four years as a social worker, in Austin, Texas, fighting for the under represented in the schools, in the community, and in the legislature. Lenore relocated to Northern California in 1997. She attended the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law from 1997-2000. She was admitted to the California State Bar on December 4, 2000. Lenore was also admitted to the Northern District of California, Ninth Circuit, and in September 2006 was admitted to the Texas State Bar. During law school, Lenore clerked for the Office of the State Public Defender working to preserve the rights of inmates alive on San Quentin's death row. As a clerk she contributed to several habeas corpus briefs and utilized her background in social work to develop a social history for a client at San Quentin. Whether as a social worker or lawyer, Lenore's work is compelled by a passion for creating change. As a young activist and social worker she challenged the Texas Legislature on social welfare reform laws that were having a disparate impact on teenage mothers attempting to remain in school. Lenore fought back against discriminatory laws aimed at gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals and groups. Today, Lenore's politics are key to her practice. She fights for the rights of those who are underrepresented in our society. Today Lenore works with plaintiffs who have been injured or harmed by other's negligence and those accused of committing criminal acts. She has won millions in awards for injured plaintiffs. She also volunteers with Project Homeless Connect in San Francisco providing legal assistance to those who have been completely disenfranchised. Over the past seven years, Lenore has been general counsel for small businesses working on progressive issues throughout the Bay Area. Lenore has provided small business legal solutions to Medical Cannabis Dispensaries, edible cannabis product manufacturers (who made eating an option for those suffering from terminal diseases and on chemo/drug therapy, Medical Clinics, Restaurants, Auto-Body Repair Shops, Financial Lending Institutions, Motion Picture Equipment Dealers, and various others. Lenore spent three years learning plaintiff's law from Paul B. Engler in Walnut Creek. Her first trials were through his office. He taught her well and she has defeated all of her opponents. Today, Lenore focuses her practice on bicycle accident victims, other personal injury claims, and defending the rights of the criminally accused. For fun, Lenore enjoys endurance bicycle riding, swimming, snow and wakeboarding, reading and life outdoors. Press and Media Links:
AIDS Lifecycle 6: http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=2540
Volunteer Legal Services: http://www.cccba.org/prof/qmanMay2004.htm
Medical Marijuana: Practicing in Austin, Bastrop, Kyle, Buda, San Marcos, Sequin, New Braunfels, Wimberly, Leander, Cedar Park, Round Rock, and other surrounding cities. Practicing in the following counties: Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop, Burnet, Lee, Guadalupe, and Comal counties. 
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