Current firm name: LINNEMAN, BURGESS, TELLES, VAN ATTA, VIERRA, RATHMANN, WHITEHURST & KEENE

 

Current Partners: Diane V. Rathmann and Thomas J. Keene (Dos Palos Office); Eugene J. Vierra and Alfred W. Whitehurst (Los Banos Office)

 

Associate:  Phillip R. McMurray (Los Banos Office)

 

Of Counsel: James E. Linneman (Merced Office)

 

Founded: 1932 by L. M. “Tip” Linneman; Office located at southwest corner of Center and Marguerite, Dos Palos (now Camelot).

 

In 1940's Dos Palos office moved across street to “Bank of America Building”at Center and Marguerite Street (now Stocking & Cozzi Insurance Agency, Inc.).

 

Located at 1820 Marguerite in 1950's until present.

 

Tip was joined by Joseph B. Burgess in 1942 and then by Jess P. Telles, Jr., who was resident in the first Los Banos Office.

 

C. E. Van Atta became a partner of the firm in 1955.

 

James E. Linneman became a partner in 1964, resident in the Merced office at 312 West 19^th Street.

 

Eugene J. Vierra became a partner in 1974, also resident in the Los Banos office, by which time Jess Telles had retired from the firm to pursue his farming business.

 

Joe Burgess retired in approximately 1980 and passed away in 1990.

 

Tip Linneman passed away in 1983.

 

Diane V. Rathmann became a partner in 1986, in the Dos Palos Office.

 

Alfred L. Whitehurst became a partner in 1992, in the Los Banos Office.

 

C. E. Van Atta passed away in 1997.

 

Thomas J. Keene became a partner in 2000, in the Dos Palos Office.

 

Jess P. Telles, Jr., passed away on December 16, 2004.

 

Phillip R. McMurray became an associate attorney in 2006, in the Los Banos Office.

 

Some of activities in Dos Palos area: Formed and represented the Dos Palos Hospital & Community Medical Center, Inc., predecessor to the Dos Palos Memorial Hospital, Inc.; formed Dos Palos Memorial Hospital, Inc.; formed St. Joseph’s Community Hospital (predecessor to Memorial Hospital in Los Banos); Dos Palos City Counsel for many years; formed and served as general counsel to San Luis Water District; formed and currently general counsel to Charleston Drainage District, Panoche Water District, Panoche Drainage District, Oro Loma, Eagle Field and Pacheco Water Districts; currently general counsel to San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority; South Dos Palos County Water District; Mid-Way Community Services District; Dos Palos Water Quality Improvements Joint Powers Authority; Dos Palos Wastewater Disposal Joint Powers Authority.

 

Current practice areas include: general civil and criminal law; personal injury; probate and trusts; public agency law; federal Reclamation law; agricultural, water and real property law.

 

Interesting facts: 3 of the original partners came to Dos Palos as teachers, then went to law school and returned to Dos Palos to practice law; 2 coached football (but had better win-loss records practicing law); 1 holds 5 world records for catching striped bass on fly rods; 5 partners attended Stanford University for their undergraduate or law degrees; 5 attended branches of the University of California for their undergraduate or law degrees; 1 is a retired infantry officer who also performed legal service on weekends for the Judge Advocate General at the San Francisco Presidio.