The longtime Scotts Valley law firm of Dawson, Passafuime, Bowden and Martinez has another name to add to its sign — Christopher M. Wolcott.
For Wolcott, a Santa Cruz native and a 2001 graduate of Santa Cruz High School, working for the firm is a homecoming.
During a February visit to his parents in Santa Cruz with his wife, the Los Angeles resident told his parents he needed a change from the take-no-prisoners attitude of legal life in Los Angeles.
Soon, he was face-to-face with Dale Dawson, one of the partners who founded the Scotts Valley firm in 1972.
“I just by happenstance found out they were looking for someone,” Wolcott said. “I didn’t even have any dress clothes with me.”
Wolcott, who specializes in bankruptcy and family law, said he was invited to meet the rest of the partners and offered the chance to join.
The firm practices many forms of law, dealing with wills, trusts and probate, personal injury, homeowner associations, criminal cases, family law, bankruptcy, public agencies and construction.
Dawson was impressed with the young lawyer’s sense of ethics and confident that Wolcott will fit the firm’s values.
“We all believe that we have to stand behind what we do and who we are ethically,” Dawson said. “We wanted to fill (the position) with the right kind of person. … We believe he can do it.”
Wolcott, who graduated from California Western School of Law, is excited to work in Santa Cruz County.
“It’s more like a community (than Los Angeles),” he said. “In Los Angeles, you may meet an attorney once and never see them again.”
Dawson said the community would benefit from Wolcott’s experience.
“We have to deliver the same level of skill (in Santa Cruz County) as anywhere,” he said. “For the right young man, Scotts Valley is a real opportunity.”
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