Peter Timewell

I am a life-long resident of the Santa Clara Valley. I attended school in Santa Clara and San Jose. My first career was established in law enforcement. Promoting quickly, I served as a supervisor and watch commander in field operations, as a detective in the investigations division, and in the department's administration. I worked directly out of the office of the chief of police, handling both sensitive personnel investigations, employee selection, grant writing, and budgeting matters. During this time, I also served the as the legal-liaison between the department, the district attorney's office, and the city attorney's office.

I became active on a local and statewide basis in both advocacy and policy making for law enforcement and government employer-employee relations. I served on a number of statewide committees, having been appointed by the governor, by the Peace Officers Research Association, and by the commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. I participated in a number of local and statewide political campaigns for individual candidates, in support of or in opposition to bills introduced in the legislature, and in several cases involving the initiative process. It was during this time that I became increasingly interested in the practice of law.

Graduating from law school in the top five percent of my class, I began my second career. As a new lawyer I worked as an associate for a mid-sized firm in San Jose handling cases involving probate, family law, small business organization, criminal defense, public-employee labor, general civil litigation, and personal injury. Shortly, my work was devoted primarily to the litigation of personal injury and insurance cases. I then began practice as a partner in a firm that concentrated its work on personal injury litigation. I served the court for many years as an arbitrator, hearing and deciding cases brought and defended by other lawyers.

I have litigated personal injury cases throughout California, and have associated on injury cases in many other states. Joining the Habbas Firm in 2010, I continue to represent people injured by the negligence and wrongdoing of others. In addition to being a member of the State Bar, I am a member of the Consumer Attorneys of California (formerly the California Trial Lawyers Association) and the Capitol City Trial Lawyers Association. I continue to serve as an active mentor to newer lawyers practicing in the personal injury field.

My interests include music, golf, water and snow skiing, boating, wood-working, and reading.