Donald W. Hitzeman, with over 36 years practicing as a California attorney, joined Reid and Hellyer, APC, in May 2019. He has been licensed to practice law in California since 1983 and is also admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Central and Southern Districts of California, the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (formerly the United States Court of Military Appeals), the United States Army Court of Military Review, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the United States Tax Court.

Mr. Hitzeman is a graduate of Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington (B.A., cum laude, 1980) and of Whittier College School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 1983). He served as the Executive Editor and was a contributing author of the Whittier Law Review.

As an experienced litigator, Donald W Hitzeman provides his clients with sound and well-reasoned advice related to employment law and transactional matters, knowing how contract issues will likely play out in court, mediation, or arbitration. This advice helps his clients to navigate day-to-day operational business decisions, including contract development and fulfillment, employee discipline and termination, human resources documentation, and policy planning and enforcement.

Mr. Hitzeman was previously a co-president and founder of Hitzeman & Evenson, APC, overseeing its very active business litigation and transactional practice, as well as office manager of that firm, located in Old Town Temecula. He was lead counsel for most of the litigation undertaken by Hitzeman & Evenson, APC, and successfully represented clients equally when they have had to bring the action as a plaintiff or defend them as a defendant.

Mr. Hitzeman’s experience also includes over eleven years with Parker & Irwin, APC, in San Bernardino, California, where he was a shareholder and member of the Board of Directors. His practice focused on employment law and workers’ compensation insurance defense, as well as appellate practice before the California Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal. Prior to that, Mr. Hitzeman served over eight years as an officer and attorney in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, practicing criminal law at the trial and appellate levels. During that period, he tried over fifty jury and bench trials in military courts-martial. He also drafted and filed briefs before the military appellate courts and the United States Supreme Court, as well as arguing cases before the military appellate courts.

In his civil appellate practice, Mr. Hitzeman has briefed and argued many cases before the California appellate courts. Several of these cases resulted in published opinions of the California Courts of Appeal, including

Mr. Hitzeman has been an instructor and lecturer locally and nationally on such subjects as California Workers’ Compensation Law, employment discrimination, leave policies, criminal trial advocacy, and methods in child abuse prosecution. He was also published in The Army Lawyer during his tenure in the U.S. Army JAG Corps.