Meet Our Attorneys & Staff
JOSEPH PLUTA, ATTORNEY AT LAW
A native of Trenton, New Jersey, Mr. Pluta completed his undergraduate education at Brown University in 1971 and graduated from law school at the University of San Diego in 1978. He was admitted to practice law in California in the same year and has since been admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Southern and Eastern districts of California. He focuses primarily on Workers’ Compensation law with additional interests in Social Security Disability and Personal Injury law.Mr. Pluta is a certified specialist in Workers’ Compensation law by The State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization and is one of only a few attorneys in the Bakersfield area to hold this distinction.
To date, Mr. Pluta has helped over 5,000 injured workers get their Workers’ Compensation benefits. In the past 37 years, he has gone before the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board to represent clients in approximately 1,500 administrative hearings and trials. He has also successfully represented clients in Social Security Disability and Personal Injury matters.
Reach our Law Office at (661) 395-1031 for your free consultation.
Appellate Victories
Western Growers Insurance Company v. Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board
Joe Pluta, Associate Attorney
Joe attended East Bakersfield High School where he played football, soccer and track and field. He graduated with Honors from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2007. In 2013, Joe earned his Juris Doctor from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law with a concentration in Taxation and was admitted to the California Bar.
Joe worked for a human rights organization in Nicaragua during law school where he helped counsel take depositions, worked on presentations made to USAID and the Swiss Embassy in Nicaragua and conducted inspections of prisons and jails to evaluate human rights conditions. He is still working on his Spanish fluency one dubbed movie at a time but is conversational in Spanish. Se habla Español.
Joe worked for a human rights organization in Nicaragua during law school where he helped counsel take depositions, worked on presentations made to USAID and the Swiss Embassy in Nicaragua and conducted inspections of prisons and jails to evaluate human rights conditions. He is still working on his Spanish fluency one dubbed movie at a time but is conversational in Spanish. Se habla Español.
STAFF PROFILES
Sandy, Office Manager
Sandy is a skillful Legal Support Specialist with more than 14 years experience in Workers’ Compensation law. She prepares legal documents and handles correspondence with clients, physicians’ offices, insurance companies and opposing counsel, schedules appointments and gets necessary records. She’s the glue that keeps everything together in the office. Se habla Español.
Alicia, Case Specialist
Alicia has been working in the Workers’ Compensation field in the Bakersfield area for more than 13 years. She understands the Workers’ Compensation process thoroughly and is an excellent resource for answers to your questions. She assists in drafting court documents and replies to all incoming mail. Se habla Español.
Christian, File Clerk
Christian manages the office’s file system and is the best person to ask where to eat in Bakersfield.
Call Today For Your Free Initial Consultation At 661-395-1031
Making a false or fraudulent workers’ compensation claim is a felony subject to up to five years in prison or a fine of up to $50,000 or double the value of the fraud, whichever is greater, or by both imprisonment and fine.