Our Attorneys

Kirk A. Lauby has a varied and comprehensive background in business management which is of particular benefit to the firm’s business and business litigation clients. Mr. Lauby was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1978, and has combined his legal practice with business endeavors in the food marketing industry, oil and gas exploration, and real estate building and development.

Mr. Lauby is an experienced trial attorney with a focus on business litigation, construction defect litigation, construction injury litigation, premises liability, contractor general counsel assignments and personal injury. He has the distinction of having represented the developer defendants in what was at the time the largest construction defect jury trial held in Riverside County. Mr. Lauby has vast experience representing plaintiffs, developers, manufacturers and subcontractors in all construction trades.

His published opinion in Lopez v. C.G.M. Development, Inc. (2002) 101 CA 4th 430 is an established and often cited authority which limits liability of owners, developers and general contractors for injuries sustained by subcontractor employees.

Additionally, Mr. Lauby has had the opportunity to participate with multiple insurance carriers in their special investigation unit (SIU) automobile defense activities. He has tried and arbitrated several hundred SIU cases.  Mr. Lauby recently had the honor of being recognized by The Riverside Superior Court as one of the most successful mediators on the Court’s Civil Mediation Panel for 2009-2010.

Mr. Lauby is licensed to practice in the State of California, and before the United States District Court. He is available to represent appellants in the California Appellate Court system.

He is a member of the State Bar of California, the Riverside County Bar Association, and the American Inns of Court and a former member of the American Bar Association, and the Los Angeles and Orange County Bar Associations.

Fernandez & Lauby LLP strongly supports alternative dispute resolution programs as the best means to control litigation costs and exposure. Mr. Lauby has successfully completed the mediator’s training certificate from the Strauss Institute for Mediation at Pepperdine University School of Law. Mr. Lauby serves as a private mediator for construction, business litigation, real estate and personal injury disputes and is on the panel of mediators for Dispute Resolution Services. He also serves on the panel of arbitrators for the Riverside County and San Bernardino County courts.

Mr. Lauby received his Bachelor of Arts degree from U.C.L.A. in 1974 and his Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern University in 1978.

Brian Mankin is one of the more highly experienced employment law attorneys in Southern California, having handled nearly 500 employment cases while repeatedly receiving the distinction of “Super Lawyer” by his peers. He manages the firm’s employment and labor law practice, and as a member of the California Employment Lawyers Association, he and his team primarily represent employees who have been subjected to unfair treatment in the form of unpaid wages, denied meal and rest breaks, misclassification, wrongful termination, discrimination and harassment. Brian has tried cases to juries in state and federal courts, including individual cases as well as class actions. A large portion of his practice involves class action litigation where he has represented groups of employees in federal and state courts. Having practiced for 20 years, Mr. Mankin is has recovered well in excess of $250 million in damages for his clients (who often work as nurses, ambulance drivers, technicians, warehouse workers, truck drivers, sales, professional occupations and countless other trades).  Many firms send their class action employment cases to Brian and his team to draw on their experience in navigating the waters of class action litigation.

Prior to becoming an attorney, Brian completed his undergraduate degree in San Diego and law degree in Orange County while serving as a military police officer in the California Army National Guard. Brian joined the firm in 2003, and he is admitted to practice before Federal and California courts, and is a member of local bar associations.

In his time away from the office, Brian, his wife and two kids spend much of their time engaged in competitive racing activities whether on the road, at the track, or on the water. Just like the man he was named after (Brian Piccolo, former running back for the Chicago Bears and subject of the movie Brian’s Song), for Brian, the desire to compete and win doesn’t stop at the courtroom.

Brian and his team stand ready to evaluate your case, so feel free to use the contact us link and we will be happy to give you a free case evaluation.

Misty Lauby is an aggressive advocate for employees who have suffered wrongdoing at the hands of their employers. Her practice focuses on all manner of employment disputes including unpaid wages, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wrongful termination.

Misty Lauby has practiced complex litigation since 2006.  She began her practice as the primary handling attorney for a litany construction defect and personal injury cases resulting in successful results on behalf of her clients. In 2018, Misty switched gears and devoted the entirety of her practice to holding employers accountable for violations of their workers’ rights.

Misty received her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois where she majored in Social Policy and played softball.

After college, Misty got her first post-graduate job as a legal assistant at Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago which afforded her the opportunity to travel the country performing trial preparation work for the tobacco litigation team.

Upon starting her family, Misty moved back to her native Southern California and transferred to Kirkland’s Los Angeles office where she continued to work after starting law school at Southwestern University.  During law school, Misty began working for Fernandez & Lauby LLP as a paralegal and transitioned to attorney upon graduation where she has practiced ever since.

When not at work, Misty enjoys spending time with her three active kids and old friends.

Misty provides free consultations to prospective clients, and often works on a contingency basis, as she is empathetic to the fact that many employees have lost their jobs or are struggling to make ends meet as a result of their workplace circumstances.

Admissions and Practice Locations

• Misty was admitted to practice law by the California State Bar in 2006
• Misty is admitted to practice in all state courts in California, and in the Central Federal District Court in California

Education

• Southwestern University School of Law, J.D.
• Northwestern University, B.S.

Professional Associations and Memberships

• California Employment Lawyers Association (CELA)

Peter Carlson is a member of the California Employment Lawyers Association (CELA) and dedicates the entirety of his practice to representing workers that have been subjected to illegal employment practices. In addition to individual actions, Peter also represents clients in class action lawsuits. Through these class action lawsuits, Peter seeks to fight for the rights of all individuals that were subjected to an employer’s unlawful practices in order to obtain unpaid wages and other compensation on their behalf.

During his time at Lauby, Mankin & Lauby, Peter has litigated over one hundred class and representative action lawsuits representing a wide range of workers, including retail workers, warehouse workers, mechanics, commercial truck drivers, commission-based employees, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, among others.  And, on these cases, Peter has helped to recover over $60,000,000 for his clients, the class members, and the State of California.  These cases were based on violations such as:

• Unpaid Minimum Wages
• Unpaid Overtime Wages
• Unpaid Wages Under Piece-Rate / Flag-Rate Schemes
• Denied Meal/Rest Breaks
• Failure to Timely Pay Final Wages
• Failure to Pay Accrued Vacation at Termination
• Unlawful Deduction of Wages
• Unreimbursed Business Expenses
• Independent Contractor Misclassification

Peter received his undergraduate from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business. He then received his law degree from the University of Oregon with a specialty in tax law. Prior to practicing as an attorney, Peter worked for a non-profit dedicated to protecting individuals from unlawful housing practices and discrimination.

Kristina Bui Carlson is an associate at Lauby, Mankin & Lauby LLP. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a Bachelors of Arts degree in History. In 2013, Kristina earned her Juris Doctorate degree with a specialization in tax law from the University of Oregon School of Law.

Prior to joining Luaby, Mankin & Lauby, Kristina was an associate at Cadden & Fuller LLP. Kristina’s current practice includes insurance defense, personal injury, and construction defect.

Kristina is admitted to practice in the State of California and before the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

Areas of Practice
Insurance defense
Premises Liability
Personal Injury
Construction Defect

Education
University of Oregon School of Law – 2013
J.D.
University of California, Berkeley B.A. – 2010
Major: History