Jonathan P. Bitz

A native of the Bay Area, Jonathan Bitz had planned on pursuing a career somewhere in the political arena, but after graduating—Phi Beta Kappa-- from University of California Riverside with a degree in political science he says he "went left" and returned to his home town of Oakland, California, to enroll at Golden Gate University School of Law to pursue a more intellectually challenging career.

"I was looking for a career path with a solid future and I always liked the dynamics of law, plus by that time I wanted to get back to my family and friends at home."

After graduating with a Certificate in Litigation from GGU in 2007, Jonathan once again found himself on the move.

"I had made a lot of friends and connections going to school in Southern California and I accepted a job with a law firm specializing in business and civil litigation in Newport Beach."

During the next five years Jonathan honed his skills in civil litigation and found that he excelled at preparing motions and arguing cases before the court. Along the way, he took on several personal injury cases and saw a career path in Workers' Compensation law.

"I learned a lot about working with people and building strong cases, and I soon found that my skills were better suited for the defense side of Workers' Comp. Plus, I felt comfortable working with institutional clients."

Today Jonathan is part of the team at the Walnut Creek office of Benthale, McKibbin and McKnight.

"When the opportunity came up in Walnut Creek I saw a chance to rejoin my family and friends in the Bay Area and join a firm with exceptional prescience in Workers' Comp Defense. From my first interview with Ed Benthale I realized that they take a hands-on personal approach with their clients. The environment is very professional and importantly there's a lot of support. Every day there are new intellectual challenges but It's not sink-or-swim type of organization. Everyone works together and I enjoy that."

Away from the office Jonathan is an "avid" golfer and also enjoys swimming for both fun and exercise, and he likes to ski. His favorite ski area is Squaw Valley, one of the most challenging ski areas in the United States and home to the 1960 Winter Olympics. Jonathan also enjoys watching old movies especially "political thrillers," and is "a huge 49ers fan."

"Whether I'm working or playing I enjoy challenges. Every day I try to challenge myself intellectually and my greatest joy is when I can come up with a solution that satisfies both the rule of the law and the best interest of my clients. If I hadn't become an attorney I would probably be involved in the political spectrum, but I'm very happy as an attorney and look forward to work every day."