Our Team: The People Behind Trusted Legal

We believe in building strong relationships with our clients through a core value of connection. Our team members value work-life balance, and you'll often see kids, dogs, and friends stopping by our office.

As a small firm, we are nimble and able to adopt new technologies and ways of working to provide our clients with cost-effective legal services. We want our clients to feel at home when meeting with our team, so we strive to create an environment where discussing your legal needs feels comfortable and accessible.


Our founder, Naomi Dewey, established our firm in 2019 with a mission to provide personalized and lasting client service. 

Our loyal client base is a testament to our commitment to providing exceptional legal services. We find importance in giving back to our community, and donate 10% of our profits to social justice nonprofits each year. We also volunteer our time and services to several local organizations.

At Trusted Legal, we are proud to be LGBTQ+ friendly and work with nonprofits and organizations that support that goal. We believe that diversity and inclusion are key to building a strong and vibrant community.

We understand that legal issues can be stressful and overwhelming, and we are here to help. Our approachable, empathetic and professional team is committed to providing you with personalized and effective legal solutions.


We look forward to working with you and building a lasting relationship.


Meet Naomi Dewey

An attorney who knows how to get things done. With a background in litigation, Naomi has worked with everyone from government entities to nonprofits, private families, serial entrepreneurs, and business owners. She believes in getting to know her clients personally so she can offer legal services that are effective and efficient. Your goals and mission always come first.

If you're starting a new business or navigating a sale or purchase, Naomi is your go-to deal maker. She'll guide you through the process step-by-step. And when it comes to construction and real estate projects, Naomi's experience and expertise ensure that you'll be covered from concept to completion.

In the field of employment law, Naomi can help with everything from negotiating employee exits to executive compensation matters. As a risk management expert, she represents employers from hiring to firing and can advocate for those facing discrimination, wage, and retaliation claims.

If you're facing legal action, Naomi is a skilled courtroom advocate who can defend your interests in mediation, arbitration, administrative hearings, and at trial.

But Naomi is more than just a legal expert – she's also a passionate advocate for her community. She's received numerous honors and awards, including the National Association of Women Business Owners' Lifetime Achievement Award, the Santa Barbara Women Lawyers' Attorney of the Year Award, and Pacific Coast Business Times' Top 50 Women in Business Award. She also serves as a director for MOXI The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation and has volunteered at Teen Court, a program of CADA and the Santa Barbara County Superior Court.

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Meet Natasha Bushan

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With over a decade’s experience in corporate and transactional law, Natasha Bhushan knows every step to building a business from the ground up. Natasha has guided entrepreneurs, corporations, nonprofits, and LLCs through every stage of growth, passionate about providing clients with the knowledge and tools they need to thrive. Whether you're forming a new entity or navigating transitions, Natasha is your strategic partner who ensures nothing falls through the cracks. She'll handle your governance matters, shareholder agreements, compliance issues, and buy-sell arrangements with precision. When navigating the complexity of real estate transactions, Natasha protects your interests from contract to closing. Her years at an appellate litigation firm mean she catches problems before they become costly mistakes.

Born in Bangalore and raised on the Central Coast, Natasha’s travels throughout Europe and Asia have honed her unique perspective. After graduating with honors in Economics from UC Irvine and earning her JD from Cornell Law School, Natasha now lives in the Santa Ynez Valley with her husband, two children, and labrador Charli. Alongside her family, Natasha supports the Community Kitchen run by St. Mark's in-the-Valley and the Pacific Conservatory Theatre in Santa Maria, reflecting a commitment to strengthening our local community. When not hard at work, she channels creativity through watercolor painting and baking, while feeding her curiosity with history and science books.


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Meet Elke Kane

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Elke Kane brings real-world business acumen to every legal challenge. As founder of her own specialty cake bakery before entering law, Elke understands the daily realities you face as a business owner. Now, having passed the bar in 2021 as an honors graduate of the Santa Barbara College of Law, she’s able to combine her practical experience with deep legal expertise to serve entrepreneurs, small businesses, and families throughout Santa Barbara.

Whether you’re looking for assistance with the purchase or sale of a business, negotiating stock sales, or structuring loan agreements, Elke’s counsel keeps your operations running smoothly. For business owners interested in planning their legacy, she crafts individualized estate plans that account for business succession planning and the effective transfer of business assets. Her approach focuses on understanding your unique situation first, then delivering solutions that actually work in practice. 

Beyond the office, Elke is deeply invested in strengthening our community through education and entrepreneurship. She serves as a trustee on the Cold Spring School Board and previously served on the Board of Directors at the Santa Barbara Education Foundation. Through Women's Economic Ventures, she has volunteered her expertise teaching emerging business owners about legal structures and risk management. 

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As an active member of California Women Lawyers and the Santa Barbara County Bar Association, she channels her passion for education policy into meaningful community impact. When not practicing law, Elke enjoys long walks, traveling, and poolside time with her husband, two daughters, and two big dogs.

Meet Brooke Darnall

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With a passion for legal technology and a commitment to accessibility, Brooke Darnall is an attorney that strives to make legal services work better for you. She earned her J.D. with highest honors from the Santa Barbara College of Law, where multiple Witkin Awards attest to her exceptional expertise in legal writing and research.

Having cultivated a specialty in trusts and estates, from initial strategizing through to administration, Brooke provides solutions that anticipate not only your needs, but those of your descendants.

Whether advising entrepreneurs launching a business or families securing their legacy, your goals become Brooke’s roadmap as she navigates regulatory requirements, structures business and real estate contracts, and creates estate plans that truly reflect your intentions. Her innovative approach means you benefit from both cutting-edge legal technology and personalized attention- making quality legal services more accessible, yet just as efficient.

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A graduate of Westmont College and proud resident of Santa Barbara for over a decade, Brooke continues to pursue opportunities within the local community. She currently serves on the board of the Santa Barbara Barristers, and is both a member and mentor with Santa Barbara Women Lawyers. Outside the office, Brooke loves to explore Santa Barbara's hiking trails and beaches alongside her husband and young children.

Meet Grace Miles

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A lifetime Californian, Grace Miles is a graduate of UC Santa Barbara, having earned her bachelor’s degree in the History of Art and Architecture in 2021. She initially joined Trusted Legal as a law clerk while enrolled in UCSB’s Continuing Education Paralegal Studies program. Since completion, she now works as a paralegal, assisting the firm primarily in the area of business law, using a careful, detail-oriented approach to facilitate entity formation, corporate transactions, and contract preparation.

With a strong foundation in writing, Grace also manages the drafting and design of our seasonal newsletter. Outside the office, she has used this skill to write exhibition reviews and artist profiles for Santa Barbara’s LUM Art Magazine, and further worked as a copy editor for three of its print issues.




An advocate of wine tasting and coffee drinking while not knowing much about either, Grace also enjoys playing piano, bass guitar, and spending too much money on theater and concert tickets.


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Meet Claudia Rucker

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Besides an operational strategist, Claudia is a recognized force for sustainable business growth. The California Senate has honored her leadership and contributions to economic growth in our community three times. She serves on the National Association of Women Business Owners Santa Barbara's Board, advocating for women-owned businesses and strengthening our business community. Her commitment to ending entrepreneurial poverty shapes both how Trusted Legal operates and her broader impact. With her International Business degree from Franklin University Switzerland and proven success building local enterprise, she uniquely understands scaling excellence while maintaining personal connections.



Claudia Rucker’s operational excellence and dynamic profit strategy earned her an invitation to join Trusted Legal as Firm Manager in 2024. Originally engaged to translate our firm's values into tangible client experiences, Claudia has since devised the systems that bring our triple profit model to life.

Her operational expertise transcends borders- she's as comfortable designing systems for international healthcare initiatives as she is building award-winning local enterprises. This global-to-local fluency now powers Trusted Legal's exceptional client experience. Her own seven-figure venture earned sixteen consecutive "Best Of" awards from the Santa Barbara Independent, plus Business of the Year honors from both Women's Economic Ventures and Pacific Coast Business Times.

Claudia believes exceptional firms create clarity, profit, and ease for everyone they touch. When you partner with Trusted Legal, her systems will anticipate your needs while remaining flexible enough to work directly with you to create customized solutions. Behind every smooth interaction and exceeded expectation is Claudia’s signature, bringing our values to life.


Mindfulness fuels her creativity, and she loves exploring the world through reading, art, food, and traveling with her business besties and family. At home in Goleta, she shares life with husband Mark, parents Arturo and Toti, foster parrot Gilly, and pup Dixie Pop.

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Meet Erin Landriz

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Our amazing paralegal with over 20 years of experience in the legal field! Erin has been with our firm since day one. Her background is primarily in Civil Litigation, but Erin is a jack of all trades and assists our team with all areas of practice. Her attention to detail and dedicated approach to client care and case management make her an invaluable member of our team.

Erin's role involves handling various systems, such as calendar coordination, communicating with third parties and preparing pleadings, discovery, and document production. She's a master at multitasking and always ensures that our day-to-day operations run smoothly.



When Erin is not working hard in the office, you can find her enjoying the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley. She's passionate about singing and loves watching home renovation and design shows. Erin also enjoys traveling with her husband and their two chihuahuas, Toby and Cleo.

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Meet Nicole Hornick

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Known by family and friends as “Kiki,” Nicole is a skilled attorney with a passion for helping others. Nicole holds a bachelor’s degree in English from UC Santa Barbara and a Juris Doctorate from Santa Barbara Colleges of Law. She is a second-generation litigation attorney and has been working in the legal field for more than a decade. 

Before joining Trusted Legal, Nicole worked as a civil litigation attorney and practiced in the areas of personal injury, first amendment rights, real property, government entities, premises liability, and contract law. In 2020, Nicole joined Trusted Legal, focusing on civil litigation and estate planning. Her background allows her to represent clients in disputes that arise in employment, business, or estate planning matters.

Presently, Nicole is a founding board member and acting Treasurer of the newly established Northern Santa Barbara County Women Lawyer’s Association, whose mission is to promote legal excellence through education, advocacy, scholarships, and pro bono support. Previously, Nicole has sat on the board for Santa Barbara Women Lawyers and has volunteered at Santa Barbara High School’s Mock Trial. 

Nicole enjoys spending time in her hometown of Santa Ynez Valley with her husband, French bulldog, and two young children.

Nicole is a member of Santa Barbara Women Lawyers, California Women Lawyers, Santa Barbara County Bar Association, the Business Law Section of the California Lawyer Association, and a past member of the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel and Toastmasters. She is the recipient of two consecutive Legal Writing Witkin Awards and is contributor to the Santa Barbara Lawyer Magazine.

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Meet Brandi Redman

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A legal expert with a passion for advocating for her clients with integrity, empathy, and precision. Brandi has an impressive background in family law and civil litigation, and she currently supports our team with her expertise in legal research and estate planning.

After receiving her Juris Doctor degree from UC Hastings College of the Law, Brandi founded a family law firm in San Francisco that specialized in representing domestic violence survivors and their children. She later moved to Santa Barbara, where she worked as a managing attorney for the Santa Barbara County Legal Resource Center Program, assisting individuals with various civil law matters. Brandi is also a certified mediator, and she served as a mediator and advisor for the Rental Housing Mediation Program in Isla Vista Community Services District.



Brandi is a proud advocate for various local organizations, including Domestic Violence Solutions, California Women Lawyers, Santa Barbara Women Lawyers and the Santa Barbara County Bar Foundation. When she isn’t working, Brandi loves spending time with her loved ones, singing, cooking, and reading. Her ultimate joy is traveling with her daughter and stepdaughter.

With Brandi on our team, we know that our clients are in great hands. Her passion for law, combined with her dedication to her clients, makes her an invaluable member of our team.


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Meet the Team

Naomi Dewey


Elke Kane


Brandi Redman

Grace Miles 

George Dewey

Brooke Darnall

Brooke Darnall

George Dewey

Our team is ready to provide personalized and attentive service to ensure your legal needs are met with the utmost care.

21 E Carrillo St, Suite 130
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

address:

 info@trusted.legal

email:

(805) 979-5160

phone:

We are excited to hear from you and help with any legal inquiries you may have. 

@TRUSTED.LEGAL

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