Personal Nominations
Personal nominations are for lawyers who are not nationally renowned,
but are lawyers who personally have helped someone
and is nominated to be a part of the Hall of Fame.
Norma Perez Casstillanos At the start of the fall months, in 1996 I went to court in defense of a very unusual case. The court was State of California Superior Court of Tulare County located in Visaila, California, presiding was the honorable Judge Brett R. Alldredge. I had recently filed for child custody for my youngest of three children. Santino Lumbereas was eight years old at that time. What made this unusual was that I was filing for custody of my son against his mother.
One day after filing my papers with the court I received in the mail a response, but not only was this response from his mother, also from a man I'd never met or even knew existed. This man wanted to establish that he was the true father of my son. Judge Alldredge asked why this man came forward eight years after the fact. "Why now after all this time do you decide come forward", was a question that he repeatedly asked this stranger. Then Judge Alldredge informed me that I really needed to retain a lawyer because this was a very unusual case and also very delicate.
I then retained unknown to me at that moment one of Tulare countys best lawyers, NORMA PEREZ CASSTEALLNOS. She went to my aide and that of my son for a full year, we fought in court and finally came out ahead. I will not say winning because in this case there are no winners.
At the end of my case she was made a Judge of Child Support Commissioner Of Tulare County California.
Now as a Judge she is even doing a much more excellent job. She helps as many of the so called deadbeat fathers to find not only work but also training for those who are unskilled. One year after our case closed my son was skating on his roller blades without a helmet, when he ran into a parked chevy pick-up. He left his face imprinted on the tailgate. He was comatose for three weeks afterward he awoke only to start learning all his motor skills. To this moment August 3, 2001 almost three years later, my baby boy cannot walk yet. But I do think that Judge NORMA PEREZ CASSTILLANOS deserves to be on the hall of fame for lawyers.
Nominated by Jose Manuel Lumbreras of Dinuba, CA.
If you would like to nominate a lawyer who has helped you out, and you feel should be part of the Hall of Fame, please forward your story to lawyershalloffame@yahoo.com