Stephen Dane Counts

PRO

Stephen Dane Counts

also known as Steve Counts

5.0
Rating: 9.4

Licensed for 21 years

Employment and labor Lawyer at Santa Ana, CA
Practice Areas: Employment & Labor, Personal Injury

2114 North Broadway, Second Floor, Santa Ana, CA

Free Consultation

About Stephen

Biography

I am an experienced Employment and Personal Injury Litigation Attorney with a passion for helping individuals obtain justice.

Practice Areas

2

Practice Areas

Employment and Labor 80%

80%
Personal Injury 20%

20%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Free Consultation

$0 first 30 minutes

Contingency

33%-40%

Licenses

Licensed in California for 21 years

State: California

Acquired: 2004

Active

No misconduct found

Location

Smaili & Associates, PC

2114 North Broadway, Second Floor, Santa Ana, CA, 92706

smaililaw.com

Stephen Dane Counts's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

5.0 /5.0

9 Client Reviews

5 star (9)
4 star (0)
3 star (0)
2 star (0)
1 star (0)

Posted by Danny | February 5, 2026 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Stephen Counts - Excellent Employment Attorney

After my case was successfully completed—with a winning outcome and a smile on my face—I felt compelled to share my experience with my attorney, Stephen Counts. I found Stephen through Avvo and presented him with the details of my situation, and he immediately recognized the wrongdoing by my former e...mployer. From our very first phone conversation, Stephen demonstrated a high level of professionalism, confidence, and legal expertise. Throughout the entire process, he was consistent, responsive, and reassuring. Most importantly, he believed in my case from day one. Stephen has an exceptional ability to simplify complex legal terms and procedures, making everything easy to understand. He kept me informed with timely communication and clear explanations, which made a stressful situation much more manageable. I highly recommend Stephen Counts to anyone seeking outstanding representation for an employment or labor matter. He is truly a dedicated, knowledgeable, and effective attorney.

Posted by Sue | November 20, 2024 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Steve Counts

almost 2 years ago my three grandchildren and I were walking through crosswalk and Brea. the Car that was speeding came through the crosswalk and hit my grandson who was 17 at the time, he was thrown numerous feet. and received a severed ACL and a traumatic brain injury in the prefrontal cortex. This... incident changed everything with e and my grandchildren as their mother got involved. i have been their legal guardian for 15 years. She did not cooperate with what was going on and made it more difficult. Steve Counts encouraged me every step of the way. And when it looked like nothing was gonna happen, at the last minute it all turned around. I am so thankful that i never gave up trusted Steve with my grandson’s injuries and my granddaughter’s turmoil. Steve was able to make the insurance company that would not own a thing Do 100% turnaround. I would never hesitate recommending Steve Counts with Smali And Associates. The team Steve has that works with him was more than efficient and encouraged me as well. I can’t say enough about him, thank you Steve!

Posted by Robert De La Huerta | November 17, 2017 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

One of the best!

From the very beinging, Steve Counts made me feel he was concerned about my future and especially about my health after being rear ended in a automobile accident, so I knew I had hired the One. Steve and his team are very professional, polite, kept me in the lope with updates about my case and were q...uick with all my doctor appointments. I couldn't be more pleased. Thank you Mr. Counts and his team, Rory and Jeniffer.

Posted by Joseph | June 5, 2017 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

You can't go wrong with Stephen Counts

Stephen Counts is a very professional, honest and reliable lawyer. Rory, Aldo and the rest of Stephen's staff gave me the care and attention that I needed at a bad time in my life. Stephen was able to settle my case higher then what I expected. He truly fights for you. I highly recommend this law... firm.

Posted by Edward | June 3, 2017 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

My Review of my Personal Injury Lawsuit

My Attorney and his Paralegal were terrific in handling my complicated Personal Injury Lawsuit and the final results certainly prove that they not only spent a great deal of their time, effort, and interest on it, but of great importance to me is that they were both always available to me and kept me... completely informed throughout the entire case --- I could not have asked for anything more!

See All Client Reviews

Stephen Dane Counts's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Stephen
Charles Jerry Homiller Jr. headshot
Charles Homiller

Personal injury lawyer | May 11

Relationship: Opposing Counsel on matter

"Steve is a good guy and a great attorney. He handles his clients with care and is a top notch attorney."

Barry Lane Bobbitt headshot
Barry Bobbitt

Personal injury lawyer | Apr 24

Relationship: Opposing Counsel on matter

"Great guy and attorney. I highly recommend Stephen to anyone in need of an accident attorney in Orange County."

George Samuel Baseluos headshot
George Baseluos

Personal injury lawyer | May 09

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Stephen Counts is one of the few attorneys that I go to when I have questions or concerns regarding personal injury. His integrity and knowledge are unmatched. He is widely respected in Orange County as one of the finest personal injury trial attorneys there are. On a personal level, Stephen is an active and committed Christian - I trust his pursuit of justice and his commitment to serving every one of his clients."

Vanessa Catherine Cardinale headshot
Vanessa Cardinale

Personal injury lawyer | May 08

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I endorse this lawyer. Having worked firsthand with Steve, I can say that he is extremely knowledgeable, highly respected, and is very responsive to his client's needs. Steve took a case that most would not, zealously defended it, and obtained a million+ settlement, which far exceeded anyone’s expectations. Steve puts the client’s interests first in every case he handles, whether it be a smaller simple matter or a complex multi-million-dollar litigation case. He takes great care of each of his clients, which is paramount. When joining forces with Steve I know that my clients are in competent hands. He is very aggressive in regards to settling and litigating cases and will stop at nothing to ensure that the clients receive the maximum settlement possible."

Jorge Fonseca Ramirez headshot
Jorge Ramirez

Car accident lawyer | May 05

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I endorse this lawyer."

Christopher E. Russell headshot
Christopher Russell

Personal injury lawyer | Feb 16

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"If you are looking for that rare combination of street fighter and intellectual in an attorney to handle a serious or catosptrophic injury claim, Stephen Counts is that attorney. Stephen's first personal injury jury trial fresh out of law school went for $250,000 when Allstate was offering only $100,000 to his seriously injured, 70 year old, client. Personal injury litigation is all Steve has ever done. On the intellectual side, Steve has published opinions on topics ranging from health insurance reimbursement issues to apportionement of liability for construction site accidents. However, the most important thing about Stephen is his passion to get the best possible result for his clients. Stephen is one of just a handful of attorneys I would trust with my serious or catostrophic, personal injury claim and that is why I strongly endorse Stephen on this AVVO site."

View All Endorsements
Stuart Sandweiss headshot
Stuart Sandweiss

Business lawyer

Vanessa Catherine Cardinale headshot
Vanessa Cardinale

Personal injury lawyer

Experience

Rating:  9.4 (Superb)

Honors

2016

Graduate - Plaintiff Trial Academy, Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles

2016

Graduate - Trojan Horse Trial Academy, Trojan Horse Method

Associations

2004 - Present

Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles (CAALA)

Member

2004 - Present

Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC)

Member

2004 - Present

Orange County Bar Association

Member

Sample of Legal Cases

Orrante v. Lira

$250,000 settlement at medation

Moon v. Plew

$150,000

Bueschel vs. Barrington

$250,000 settlement

Tranell Brown v. Pelayo

$1,250,000 Settlement

Margaret Olsen v. Reid

$250,000 jury verdict

See More Legal Cases

Education

2003

Loyola Law School

JD - Juris Doctor

2000

University of California - Los Angeles

BA - Bachelor of Arts

Speaking Engagements

2009

Biannual Speaking Engagement

Safety Trends and Personal Injury

Publications

2017

James Publishing publication DED

2016

James Publishing publication Personal Injury Handbook

2007

Daily Journal Notable Verdicts: Olsen v. Reid (OCSC Case No. 05CC09061)

2007

Verdict Search Olsen v. Reid (OCSC Case No. 05CC09061)

2007

Lexis Nexis - Verdicts Olsen v. Reid (OCSC Case No. 05CC09061)

2007

AAJ Press Notable Verdicts: Olsen v. Reid (OCSC Case No. 05CC09061)

2006

State Constitutional Law Contributing Editor

2003

Loyola of Los Angeles Entertainment Law Review Editorial Board

Languages

English

Activity

Avvo Rating

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Avvo Rating Levels
10.0 - 9.0 Superb8.9 - 8.0 Excellent7.9 - 7.0 Very Good6.9 - 6.0 Good5.9 - 5.0 Average4.9 - 4.0 Concern3.9 - 3.0 Caution2.9 - 2.0 Strong Caution1.9 - 1.0 Extreme Caution