Carlos A. Gonzalez is a Shareholder at Saldaña Bollinger & Gonzalez, Professional Legal Corporation, where he represents individuals, businesses, employers, property owners, and insurers in complex civil litigation throughout California. His practice includes general civil litigation, employment law, landlord-tenant litigation, personal injury, premises liability, business disputes, insurance litigation, catastrophic injury claims, among many other categories of civil claims and defenses.

Carlos brings a manifestly unique perspective to the practice of law which he uses to the benefit of all his clients, focusing on the right and wrong of a matter over the value of it. Carlos continues as an attorney to dedicate his career to public service; he was previously a combat veteran, law enforcement officer, criminal investigator, and, now, a successful trial and appellate attorney. His diverse professional background enables him to approach each matter with strategic insight, meticulous preparation, and a practical understanding of litigation from investigation through trial.

Carlos was born in Managua, Nicaragua, and is a native Spanish speaker. Carlos and the firm are proud to serve California's diverse communities by providing legal representation to all clients, who need their assistance, including particularly Spanish-speaking clients.

After completing his undergraduate education, Carlos enlisted in the United States Army Reserve, becoming the first member of his family to serve in the military. He served honorably from 1999 to 2007 with the 351st Civil Affairs Command. In 2004, while serving as a police officer with the Oakland Police Department, he was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

As a Civil Affairs Team Leader in southern Iraq, Carlos led more than 100 missions focused on humanitarian assistance, infrastructure restoration, and community stabilization. He trained Iraqi police officers, coordinated with governmental and non-governmental organizations, and worked alongside tribal leaders to promote security, stability, and reconstruction efforts. Having fled a country affected by war as a child, the opportunity to return to a conflict zone as an American soldier helping rebuild communities remains one of the defining experiences of his life.

Following his military service, Carlos continued an accomplished career in law enforcement, serving more than a decade with the Oakland Police Department. He spent an extensive period of time as a patrol officer before being selected to the Special Victims Unit as a criminal investigator, where he investigated complex crimes involving vulnerable victims of diverse backgrounds. Carlos also served as a Special Agent with the California Department of Justice investigating sophisticated white-collar crimes involving healthcare fraud, financial exploitation, and elder abuse.

Inspired to continue serving the public through the legal profession, Carlos earned his Juris Doctor from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. In recognition of his leadership and commitment to service, Carlos was selected as a Pat Tillman Foundation Military Scholar for his educational experience in Indiana. Chosen from more than 7,500 applicants nationwide, the prestigious scholarship honors military veterans and spouses who demonstrate exceptional leadership, academic excellence, and an enduring commitment to serving their communities.

During law school, he gained valuable litigation experience as a law clerk with the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California, the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, and a law firm specializing in medical malpractice.

Following law school, Carlos practiced at a prestigious, well-known, and nationally recognized defense law firm in San Francisco's Financial District, where he represented employers in a broad range of employment matters, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour disputes, workplace investigations, and complex civil litigation. This experience provided him with valuable insight into both plaintiff-side and defense-side litigation, enabling him to develop effective strategies for clients facing sophisticated employment disputes. Carlos now utilizes those skills for clients of the firm and successfully so. Carlos has successfully tried multiple cases and been attorney-of-record on appeal in California state appellate cases.

Carlos leverages his extensive experience in military leadership, criminal investigations, and courtroom advocacy to represent clients in high-stakes litigation throughout California. He regularly advises employers, employees, business owners, landlords, tenants, property owners, and individuals in matters involving employment disputes, workplace investigations, wrongful termination, wage and hour claims, landlord-tenant conflicts, habitability and wrongful eviction claims, personal injury, premises liability, business litigation, insurance coverage disputes, and catastrophic injury cases. Clients value his disciplined approach, practical problem-solving, meticulous preparation, and unwavering commitment to achieving favorable outcomes through negotiation, arbitration, and trial.

Carlos remains committed to advancing the legal profession through integrity, excellence, and dedicated advocacy while ensuring that clients from all backgrounds have meaningful access to experienced legal representation. Carlos and the firm are committed to education of up and coming legal professionals and routinely employ and expose new legal professionals to litigation and appellate procedures in order to advance their knowledge of the law and its procedure, advancing their own abilities to leverage that experience and education on behalf of clients.

Carlos is admitted to practice before:

• all the Courts of the State of California;

• United States District Court for the Central District of California;

• United States District Court for the Northern District of California; and

• United States District Court for the Southern District of California.