Attorneys

Tom Nolan has been certified as a criminal law specialist by the State Bar of California for more than thirty years. He is a fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and the American College of Trial Lawyers. For more than 20 years, Mr. Nolan has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America. In 2010, he was designated by Best Lawyers as “Lawyer of the Year” in the San Francisco area for criminal defense. Mr. Nolan is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell and is listed in the Pre-Eminent Edition of Martindale-Hubbell.

He also has been selected as one of the 100 Most Influential Lawyers in California by the Daily Journal. Since 2004, he has been selected every year as a Northern California Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers. He is also listed as one of the Best Lawyers in Silicon Valley.

A past President for the California Attorney’s for Criminal Justice, Mr. Nolan is also active in the state and local bar associations and has been a Lawyer Representative for the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference. Mr. Nolan is active in both federal and state jurisdictions. He has represented individuals in criminal cases in California, Nevada, Arizona, Washington, D.C., Tennessee, Ohio, Oklahoma, Idaho, Utah, and Paris.

In addition to presenting many lectures throughout the country, Mr. Nolan has been teaching at Stanford University’s School of Law since 1987 as a lecturer and consulting professor in the field of criminal law.

Mr. Nolan has frequently testified as an expert witness at hearings and in trials regarding the competency of counsel, the function of defense counsel and the reasonableness of attorneys’ fees. Recently, Mr. Nolan was appointed “learned counsel” in a death penalty case in the Northern District of California.

Mr. Nolan is experienced in highly complex criminal cases. He has successfully tried criminal trade secret cases for several high tech company officers and employees in Silicon Valley. His recent cases include SEC insider trading, wire fraud, accounting fraud, tax fraud, trade secret theft, mortgage fraud, export violations, extradition and other white collar crimes, including internet related crimes. He has successfully defended CEO’s of public companies in criminal matters as well as their families. Mr. Nolan often consults with civil firms and individuals on the complex problem solving of potential criminal liability issues. Mr. Nolan has successfully tried numerous homicide cases, including death penalty cases, to verdict.

Mike Armstrong graduated from Stanford University in 1970. He lived and worked in Florence, Italy, for five years before returning to the United States to attend Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago.

Upon graduation, Mr. Armstrong worked in private practice for three years and as a deputy public defender for two years before joining the firm in 1984. Mr. Armstrong is a criminal law specialist, certified by the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization. He has served as a Judge Pro Tem in a felony jury trial in San Mateo County Superior Court. He has also served on the Board of Trustees for both the Santa Clara County Bar Association and the Palo Alto Area Bar Association. Each year since they began the survey, San Jose Magazine has chosen Mr. Armstrong as one of a handful of criminal defense attorneys listed among the Best Lawyers in the Silicon Valley. He has been named a Super Lawyer by SuperLawyers.com and included as one of the Best Lawyers in America in criminal defense and white collar criminal defense.

Actively involved in the community, Mr. Armstrong is a member of Grace Lutheran Church in Palo Alto, has served as President of the Board of Trustees at the Trinity School in Menlo Park, and has been an advisor to fraternities at Stanford University. For several years, he has served on the Board of Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto.

Mr. Armstrong is fluent in Italian.

Dan Barton has practiced criminal defense in the mid-peninsula since 1988. He received his A.B., magna cum laude, in 1983 from Brown University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and awarded the Prize for Academic Excellence in Latin American Studies. Mr. Barton received his J.D. from Stanford Law School in 1988, where his honors included induction into the Order of the Coif. Mr. Barton is a criminal law specialist certified by the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization and a specialist member of California DUI Lawyers Association. He has been listed in the Best Lawyers in America and designated as a Super Lawyer by SuperLawyers.com. Working with the Palo Alto Area Bar Association, he set up the Lawyers in the Classroom project, which brought discussions of constitutional law issues to 10th grade students at Palo Alto and Gunn High Schools and local cable television.

While pursuing his legal education, Mr. Barton traveled to Barcelona, Spain, to research Spanish constitutional law as a Fulbright Scholar. Mr. Barton served on the Board of Governors of the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice. He is experienced in the defense of intellectual property offenses and is an expert in the complex area of driving under the influence law. Mr. Barton has represented individuals arrested at political actions on issues of reproductive rights, homelessness, affirmative action, and U.S. military policies. Mr. Barton has successfully advocated for many clients charged under the California Three Strikes law. He is fluent in the Spanish language, and has studied the legal systems of Spain, Cuba and the International Criminal Court. He is a member of the International Criminal Defense Attorneys Association.

Mr. Barton has achieved verdicts of acquittal at trial in cases of homicide, theft of trade secrets, conspiracy, possession, sale and manufacturing of drugs, child pornography, child molestation, theft, burglary, domestic violence, assault, battery, resisting arrest and driving under the influence of alcohol.

Ms. Ryan joined Nolan, Armstrong & Barton in 2000. Her areas of practice include driving under the influence, controlled substances and Proposition 36 cases, theft offenses, domestic violence, assault and battery, minor in possession, juvenile proceedings, and all other vehicle code violations and Department of Motor Vehicle proceedings. Ms. Ryan received her J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law in 1998.

While at Santa Clara, Ms. Ryan interned in the Santa Clara Public Defender's Office and the East San Jose Law Clinic. She competed in the Honors Moot Court Competition and served on the Honors Moot Court Board. She continues to volunteer with Community Legal Services, East Palo Alto, and serve on the Board of Directors for the Palo Alto Bar Association. She is a member of the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice and Women Defenders.

Ms. Ryan graduated from Cornell University in 1991. She was named a Cornell National Scholar and played defense for the varsity women's ice hockey team.

Diane de Seve has been practicing criminal defense for over 14 years. She joined Nolan, Armstrong & Barton in 2001. She has handled a wide range of state and federal cases including securities fraud, Worker’s Compensation fraud, insurance fraud, domestic violence, assault and battery, embezzlement, theft, burglary, forgery, resisting arrest, sex offenses, DUI, drug offenses and child endangerment. Ms. De Seve also has extensive experience handling juvenile matters and suspension/expulsion hearings before school boards. Her practice also includes representing clients before the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Diane graduated cum laude from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, in 1979. She received her J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York City where she graduated magna cum laude, in 1986. Her honors included membership on the Moot Court Board, where she qualified as a quarter-finalist in the National Robert F. Wagner Sr. Labor Moot Court Competition. She was also selected to participate in the Cardozo Criminal Law Clinic, directed by Professor Barry Scheck, for which she received the highest rating in her class.

Upon graduating from law school, Ms. de Seve worked at the Legal Aid Society Criminal Appeals Bureau in New York City. Thereafter, she worked at a New York City law firm representing clients in a variety of complex civil and white-collar criminal defense matters involving RICO, securities, and trade secret law.

Emma has been an associate at Nolan, Armstrong & Barton since 2005. She has handled a wide variety of cases, and represented individuals accused of murder, manslaughter, sex crimes, and drug offenses, including medical marijuana patients.  Emma also represents individuals on appeal and in ancillary proceedings including restraining order petitions.

Emma graduated from Trinity College, Ireland in 1999 with a B.A. in English Literature. She received her J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 2004, where she was awarded the Percy C. Towne Scholarship and the Robert Blackfield Memorial Scholarship for academic excellence and leadership.

While at Hastings Ms. Bradford clerked for both the Federal Public Defender and the San Francisco Public Defender and coordinated the Pacific Juvenile Defender Center. She is a member of California Attorneys for Criminal Justice and Women Defenders.