


MANAGING PARTNER
GARY J. SHEFFIELD
Ten years prior to Sheffield & Richards LLP, Gary started off working as a law clerk at Nguyen Gribble in 2013. He was also attending law school at Western State at the same time. He graduated magna cum laude and passed the bar in 2014. Gary worked his way up at Nguyen Gribble to becoming a partner in 2020. Sheffield & Richards LLP was started in 2024 after the retirement of Brad Gribble and Thu Nguyen. Gary particularly excels in the trial and appellate area, including having filed Petitions and Answers for Writ of Review to the Fourth District California Court of Appeals. Gary is also a NITA trained attorney. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three children.

MANAGING PARTNER
JAKE A. RICHARDS
Jake earned both his bachelor’s degree and juris doctorate from University of La Verne. While in law school, he actively competed in moot court competitions and engaged in experiential learning. Through externships Jake worked as a judicial clerk with the EEOC and worked in ADA compliance and disability discrimination. Jake joined Nguyen Gribble, APC in 2014 before becoming a partner in 2020. The firm would go on to be renamed Nguyen Gribble Sheffield Richards, before Sheffield & Richards LLP was founded. As an attorney, Jake has practiced both as an applicant and defense attorney. He has trial experience, has taken over 1,000 depositions, defended 132(a) along with serious and willful claims, prepared appellate briefs, and aggressively followed the medical-legal process in all of his cases through to completion. In setting matters up for QME and AME evaluations, Jake writes substantive, well-crafted position statements to ensure that each report is substantive to avoid the increased cost and delay of repeated supplemental reporting and cross-examinations, where possible. Jake’s greatest loves are hearing himself talk, his wife, and his two children (not necessarily in that order).

ASSOCIATE
TIFFANY N. TRAN
Tiffany was born and raised in Houston, TX. She obtained her JD from Trinity Law School in Santa Ana, CA. She finds joy in Workers’ Compensation as it provides the opportunity for work-life balance. Outside of work, Tiffany is a loving wife to her husband, Patrick, who has been her unwavering support throughout her career. Tiffany and Patrick are parents to two very energetic boys, so their weekends are filled with kids’ parties, amusement parks or traveling to various destinations. One of Tiffany’s greatest passions is travel. Her goal is to take her sons to a different country each year so they can interact with different people and be educated with different cultures and their ideology. She believes that traveling is the best education.
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ASSOCIATE
KARINA G. TAPIA
Karina was born and raised in the Inland Empire and over time felt a calling to help her fellow Latino community. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Political Science, International Affairs, from the University of California, Riverside in 2018 and started working in an immigration firm as a legal assistant soon after. In 2020, she began law school at the University of La Verne—College of Law and graduated in 2024. While attending, Karina became a board member of the Latino Law Student Association and organized and participated in multiple events and food drives. Since graduating, Karina worked at an employment law firm representing plaintiffs as a law clerk while simultaneously studying for the bar exam. After passing the exam in 2025, Karina went on to join Sheffield and Richards LLP that same year. Karina hopes her strong sense of empathy and kindness will continue to help her thrive in her legal career. Karina speaks Spanish fluently and loves everything Disney. If not out shopping, she is usually found at home relaxing with her loved ones, including her beloved fiancé and dog.

ASSOCIATE
WILLIAM W. KHALAF
William was born and raised in the Inland Empire, specifically Rancho Cucamonga. He earned his bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of California, Riverside in 2021 and graduated magna cum laude. In 2022, he pursued his dream of becoming an attorney and attended law school at Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law in Orange, CA. During his time in law school, William worked as a law clerk at various law firms in the fields of plaintiff-side personal injury/sexual abuse and family law. William was admitted to the California State Bar in November 2025 upon passing the California Bar Exam on his first attempt. William shortly thereafter jointed Sheffield and Richards LLP, expressing an interest in adding to the legal field in Rancho Cucamonga. William speaks Arabic and, when time permits, loves playing video games, hitting up the mall, and trying out new restaurants.

ASSOCIATE
KALEY B. RIVANIS
Kaley Rivanis was born and raised in the Inland Empire. From a young age, Kaley knew she wanted to be an attorney, as she was inspired by her mother who earned her paralegal's certificate while pregnant with Kaley and worked as a hearing representative for an applicant worker's compensation firm during Kaley's youth. As a teenager, Kaley worked part-time as an assistant at the same worker's compensation firm her mother worked at. By 2020, Kaley graduated from the University of La Verne with a bachelor's degree in Legal Studies, while also working at a boutique family law and estate planning firm. In 2025, Kaley graduated Cum Laude from Loyola Law School. While in law school, Kaley clerked for Inland Counties Legal Services, working on guardianship cases for those in need, and later on clerked at Lewis Brisbois, working on employment defense cases. After passing the bar, Kaley continued to work on employment defense cases representing employers in a wide range of litigation matters, including for harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and various wage claims. By 2026, Kaley joined Sheffield and Richards. In her free time, Kaley loves to watch horror movies, read horror books, play video games, send her friends 5+ minute voice notes, travel, go to the gym, calling her mom every hour (she is obviously very close to her since this is the third time she has been mentioned), and spending time with her loved ones.

ASSOCIATE
MUROOJ A. TAHIR
Murooj was born in Baghdad, Iraq, and later lived in Cairo, Egypt, before moving to San Diego, California. A few years later, she relocated to California's Inland Empire, where she has since established her professional career. Murooj earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, with a minor in Arabic, from the University of California, Riverside. She later received her Juris Doctor from the University of La Verne College of Law. Murooj's journey to law school began unexpectedly when a friend invited her to attend an LSAT preparation event. Although she attended simply to support her friend, the experience sparked an interest that stayed with her. Years later, she drew upon what she learned at that event to prepare for the LSAT, ultimately leading her to pursue a career in law.

ASSOCIATE
STARLA A. SEALE
A Southern California native with a litigation background spanning civil defense, probate, and workers’ compensation, Starla brings a well-rounded perspective to her practice at Sheffield & Richards LLP. Prior to joining Sheffield & Richards, Starla practiced civil litigation, representing governmental entities, school districts, and major retail and hospitality clients in matters involving premises liability, negligence, and transportation. She also spent time in probate, trust and estate litigation, handling breach of trust claims, trustee defense, trust administrations, and conservatorship matters. This diverse experience gave her a broad litigation foundation across multiple areas of law. Starla received her Juris Doctor degree from Trinity Law School. While in law school, she participated in a legal internship at the Orange County Rescue Mission where she provided legal assistance, advice, and counseling to individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Her work at the Rescue Mission focused on giving people a second chance and included the resolution of legal disputes involving family law, child custody, child support, divorce, domestic violence, workplace sexual harassment, criminal record expungements, bankruptcy, and debt collection. Her experience at the Rescue Mission demonstrates her awareness and commitment to any client’s needs. When she’s able to take time for herself, Starla can be found in the mountains snowboarding, on a river wakeboarding, and running at the beach. She’s also ice skated competitively for over 18 years, and continues to skate to this day. Her dedication, energy, and confidence in competitive sports carry over to her role as an advocate for all her clients.
Our
Story
Gary Sheffield and Jake Richards met while working at Nguyen Gribble APC in 2014. Both men became partners of that firm in 2020, leading to the formation of Nguyen Gribble Sheffield & Richards LLP. Following the retirement of their partners, Brad Gribble and Thu Nguyen, Gary and Jake formed Sheffield & Richards LLP.
Both founding partners have a unique insight into workers' compensation, with Gary formerly acting as a judicial clerk for a Workers' Compensation Judge and Jake working as an applicant attorney.
LITIGATION
At Sheffield & Richards LLP, we specialize in all aspects of workers' compensation law. We know how to defend your claims, and how to do so in the most cost-effective manner possible.

LIENS
We make every effort to limit lien exposure both during the case in chief and after the case has settled.

DISCOVERY
We take great care to ensure all of our discovery efforts are worth their time and cost, setting the case up for trial or settlement.

RESOLUTION
Whether by way of trial or settlement, we are always pushing claims to closure.


WORKERS' COMPENSATION APPEALS BOARDS
WHERE WE EXCEL

POMONA

SAN BERNARDINO

ANAHEIM

OXNARD

LOS ANGELES

VAN NUYS

MARINA DEL REY

SANTA BARBARA

RIVERSIDE

SANTA ANA

LONG BEACH

SAN DIEGO

CONTACT SHEFFIELD & RICHARDS LLP
