Bio

Dan schaar

Dan is a trial lawyer who specializes in representing people in catastrophic injury and wrongful death matters. He only represents people. He does not represent corporations. He does not represent insurance companies. Raised in Rapid City, South Dakota, he left home and attended San Jose State University as a Division I soccer player.

After college, but before deciding to attend law school, Dan spent several years living and working on the island of Grand Cayman. During that time, he was a PADI Master SCUBA Instructor and also earned his USCG 50 Ton Master Captain’s License, logging over 5,000 SCUBA dives and over 4,500 hours at sea.

After returning stateside, he earned his JD from Santa Clara University, where he served as President of the Student Bar Association and was also a member of the school’s Trial Team, which was limited to ten members. During law school, Dan had the opportunity to intern with the Santa Clara County Office of the Public Defender. Taking on the challenge of representing real clients, real human beings, in a courtroom was a turning point for him, helping him realize his true purpose and calling in this profession.

With almost twenty years of courtroom experience, Dan’s results speak for themselves. He’s racked up numerous six-, seven-, and eight-figure verdicts and settlements. In his home county of Santa Cruz, California, of the five largest plaintiffs’ verdicts in the county’s history, Dan was lead trial counsel on three of them, including one of the largest verdicts in California history for an injured bicyclist ($6.7 million). Dan’s practice extends beyond the Santa Cruz area. In 2024, he was part of a trial team that secured a massive $15 million verdict in Dallas, Texas, for an undocumented worker who suffered third-degree burns over 40% of his body. He was also trial counsel on an $18.5 million settlement for a nursing home abuse survivor in California. Dan always takes a personalized, empathetic approach to each of his clients; he gets to know their stories personally, which helps him convey their losses in court and pursue the justice they deserve.

Dan thrives on a challenge. He’s often sought out for consultations on personal injury cases across the country, known for turning “unwinnable” cases into success stories. He travels the country with Nick and Courtney Rowley as an instructor with Trial By Human.

A huge advocate of maintaining a proper work-life balance so he can provide the best representation for his clients, Dan loves spending time outdoors in the Santa Cruz area with his wife and kids when he’s not at work. You’ll often find him in the water with his kids surfing or out riding bikes during the summer months, and up in the mountains snowboarding and skiing during the winter.

Bio

Eva Silva

Bay Area native Eva Silva brings over 11 years of legal experience to her role at Schaar & Silva LLP. After earning her undergraduate degree from California State University, Hayward (now California State University, East Bay), Eva earned her JD from Santa Clara University School of Law, where she was an active participant in the school’s Moot Court and Law Review. During a summer clerkship at the personal injury law firm of Van Der Walde & Associates (now Caputo & Van Der Walde), Eva discovered her passion for personal injury law. Contrary to the negative stereotypes that many people have about personal injury practices, Eva was moved by her clients’ stories of their lives having changed—sometimes forever—in a second, due to someone else’s negligence. Feeling a strong desire to help people who had been harmed, Eva committed to practicing personal injury law, and she still feels that same drive and commitment today.

After graduating from law school, Eva stayed with Caputo & Van Der Walde for 13 years, before co-founding Schaar & Silva LLP with fellow attorney Dan Schaar in 2017. In her role as Managing Attorney, Eva combines her experience second-chairing cases, coordinating a legal research and writing department, and opposing countless Motions for Summary Judgment. Eva is a member of Consumer Attorneys of California, the Santa Clara County Trial Lawyers Association, and the Santa Clara County Bar Association. For the past several years, she has been recognized as a Super Lawyers Rising Star – an honor reserved for 2.5% of attorneys who are under 40 or who have been in practice for less than 10 years. In 2016, Eva and her partner Dan Schaar were nominated for the Santa Clara County Trial Lawyers’ Association’s Trial Lawyer of the Year award.

When not at the office or in court, Eva enjoys spending time with her husband and two young daughters. Her interests include snowboarding and hiking, and she enjoys getting to know every one of Schaar & Silva’s clients as a person with a unique story.

Bio

Laura Thompson

Laura was born and raised right in beautiful Northeast Iowa.  She earned her bachelor of arts degree at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, with a major in English with a Writing Emphasis and a minor in Classical Studies.  In 2016, Laura moved from Iowa out to Los Angeles, California, where she began to work on Nick Rowley’s Special Ops Team while also attending Pepperdine School of Law in Malibu, California.  Laura received her Juris Doctorate from Pepperdine in 2019, passed the California Bar, and continued to practice on the Special Ops Team.  In Summer 2020, Laura returned home to Northeast Iowa, became an Iowa attorney, and has enjoyed every moment being back.

Over the past five years, Laura has honed her practice by getting countless cases worked up and ready for trial.  From the initial client meeting to the reading of the jury verdict and beyond, there is an incredible amount of effort that goes into building a rock-solid case – and Laura is prepared for every step of the way.  She has been fighting for injured plaintiffs since day one and her experience lies in personal injury and medical malpractice.  Presently, Laura is licensed to practice in California and Iowa in both state and federal court.

When not in the office, Laura enjoys spending time with her family and hiking the many bluffs of Decorah with her papillon, Bella.

Bio

Brian Ward

Brian Ward is a trial lawyer specializing in catastrophic injury, wrongful death, and toxic exposure cases.  Born and raised in South Bend, Indiana, he left the Midwest to attend film school at the University of Southern California.  It was during this time that he developed and fostered a passion for storytelling.

In his first year at Loyola Law School, Brian discovered trial advocacy and decided to audition for the nationally recognized Byrne Trial Team.  Brian competed on the team for two years and won a National Championship at the National Trial Competition.  On the team, he met and became friends with Courtney Rowley and Erin Powers.

Thirteen years ago, Brian became a victim of negligence that left him permanently injured and disabled. Because Brian spent his childhood as a gymnast and then a pole-vaulter, this injury was truly devastating.  After struggling through constant pain and trying to navigate these new challenges, Brian decided to take a break from law. He sold his home and purchased an Airstream trailer.  Together with his wife and dog, they spent the next eighteen months traveling the nation, taking in the natural beauty and wonder while recalibrating what mattered most to them.

Out on the road, he received a call from Nick Rowley with a life-changing offer to join the firm that he couldn’t refuse.  Brian is a primary instructor at Trial by Human and he tries cases nationwide.  He has discovered his experience and disability is not a limitation but a superpower in assisting and representing permanently injured and disabled clients.  The lessons he gained through his experience stay with him always.

These lessons and experiences have recently led to results like:

• $63 million verdict against Chevron Corporation for leaving poison in the ground and causing his client to develop multiple myeloma in California.
• $26 million settlement on behalf of a toddler who sustained permanent scarring due to illegally high chlorine levels at a Myrtle Beach resort.
• $18.5 million confidential medical malpractice settlement in Oregon.
• $15 million dram-shop wrongful death settlement in Indiana.
• $110.8 million verdict for wrongful death road rage incident in San Bernardino, CA.
• $25 million post-verdict confidential settlement.

“Nothing feels better than obtaining justice for these kinds of clients when they are facing off against the most powerful corporations in the world.  In the courtroom, we are still all equal,”  Ward says.

As a former USC yell leader, Brian remains a dedicated Trojan and football fan.  In the fall, you can find him parked, every Saturday, in front of the TV, catching all the games.  Fight On!

Listen to podcasts featuring Brian below:

Structure, Speed, and Story in Rebuttal | Best Practices with Kenny Berger

Trying the Lie with Trial Lawyers for Justice

David v. Goliath – A $63 Million Verdict

The Crazy Goat

Recent Articles:

Daily Journal

Brian Ward secures $110M verdict in fatal crash case covered by IE Law

Bio

Grayson Yoder

Grayson Yoder is a dedicated California-based attorney, deeply committed to justice and compassion. A lifelong local Californian, he’s not only a trusted legal advocate but also an incredible father and husband, balancing his professional life with devotion to his family.

Grayson earned a Bachelor’s degree in English, honing his critical thinking, communication, and analytical skills before transitioning to law. His path was shaped in 2017 when he met his mentor, Nick Rowley, whose guidance ignited Grayson’s passion for advocacy and unwavering commitment to fighting for victims.
 
Grayson was the recipient of the 2023 Trial Lawyer of the Year award for a case he tried with Henry Peacor in Ventura County.  The case was a disputed liability mTBI case. After 10 days of trial, the jury deliberated only a single afternoon and awarded more than 3 million dollars to our client.
 
Grayson was an integral part of the trial team in 2025 that brought in a $50,000,000.00 verdict against Starbucks for a man burned by an improperly placed drink in a drink tray.
 
Driven by a heartfelt desire to support those who have suffered injustice, Grayson blends his literary-rooted clarity with rigorous legal expertise. He stands out for his ability to craft compelling arguments and offer meaningful support to clients navigating difficult moments.