Meet Our Attorneys

Founding Attorney
Licensed to practice in California, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, and Utah. Also licensed in several other state federal courts.

Mathew Higbee founded Higbee & Associates in 2006. Prior to attending law school, he gained 15 years of diverse professional and business experience that included working as a senior campaign consultant to dozens of political campaigns, a legislative analyst during the 104th Congress and a software publisher.
He is admitted to practice law in 10 states and in federal court federal courts. He has won nearly a dozen published appeals, served as an expert witness to legislative bodies, litigated hundreds of cases in state and federal court, and assisted in the negotiation of international content distribution agreements with multinational media corporations.
He earned his juris doctor from the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah, where he served as president of the student body (SBA) and earned a nomination as a finalist for the American Bar Associations President of the Year honor. Other honors included being a member of one of the two national moot-court teams (Intellectual Property), and receiving numerous scholarships, awards, and fellowships, including an invitation to participate in the prestigious United States Presidential Management Fellowship.
Higbee later served as a member of the Board of Trustees for the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law. He was also honored as the young alumnus of the year.
He received the University of Utah and Utah State Supreme Court’s award for outstanding commitment to pro bono service. The Mayor of Los Angeles honored him with a certificate of merit for his work on behalf of veterans.
PERSONAL
Higbee is a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation— the 15th largest federally recognized Native American tribe. His favorite pastimes including running, watching college football (preferably the Utah Utes) and riding horses or his Vespa Rally 200
. He is a talented photographer who has won numerous awards— including a Best of Show.
PUBLISHED APPEALS (Partial List)
People v. McLernon (2009) 174 Cal.App.4th 569
Law Offices of Mathew Higbee v. Expungement Assistance Services (2013) 214 Cal. App. 4th 544
People v. Marinelli (2014) Cal. Ct. App. 2014

Senior Associate Attorney
Licensed to practice in Arizona, California, Florida, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Utah

Ms. Melissa Clark has extensive experience in civil litigation and criminal defense matters, particularly post-conviction relief. She has successfully represented clients in multi-million dollar litigation. She joined Higbee & Associates in 2010.
A native of Utah, she graduated from the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law. She ranked in the top ten percent of her class, earning her the Order of the Coif. She was a member of the Utah Law Review and served on the Student Bar Association. Clark was a member of the Moot Court Team that represented her school at the national competition in New York.
After law school, she clerked for the Honorable Daniel A. Barker of the Arizona Court of Appeals. There she gained a valuable behind-the-scenes perspective on how the Arizona Courts operate. Ms. Clark also clerked for the Honorable Judith A. Boulden of the Utah Bankruptcy Court.
Ms. Clark joined Higbee & Associates after working for one of Utah’s most prestigious law firms, Jones Waldo Holbrook & McDonough. At Jones Waldo, Ms. Clark represented clients involved in multi-million dollar civil cases.
Ms. Clark is a certified SCUBA diver and an avid writer.

After spending several years in the business sector, he made the decision to apply his J.D. to the direct practice of law. George Binnicker III graduated from the Charleston School of Law in 2009.

Originally specializing in full-service estate and probate issues to include the financial planning elements of the same, he quickly branched out to include litigation and debt defense matters. Currently the primary focus of Mr. Binnicker’s practice is working with clients through financial workouts to avoid bankruptcy/debt litigation but with the ability to defend such actions if required.

Mr. Binnicker resides in Charleston, SC and is married with five-year old twins who are too much like him and drive him crazy but in the best possible way.

When not working he may be found supporting Clemson Tiger athletics and enjoying the great outdoors of the Carolinas to include hunting and boating.

Mr. Binnicker is a lifelong resident of South Carolina and as the son of a farming family has a unique understanding of the needs of the people of the Palmetto State to which he has dedicated himself to attending.

Jayma Leath is an Associate Attorney in the Copyright Division and represents photographers in copyright infringement and other intellectual property law matters.

Director of Law Firm operations

Licensed to practice in California and Indiana

Ms. Sarega joined the firm in 2014. She was named a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers in 2019, 2020, and 2021. She oversees the law firm’s copyright and consumer advocacy divisions.
Ms. Sarega handles all aspects of copyright law, but primarily represents photographers and all creative professionals by helping them enforce their copyrights and protect their creative works.
Ms. Sarega has litigated more than 200 copyright cases and helped her clients recover millions of dollars through copyright enforcement efforts, as well as multiple success appeals. She is a member of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Copyright Society of the US. She has been a featured speaker on various panels on copyright law, including those hosted by CEPIC and The Digital Media Licensing Association (DMLA).
Ms. Sarega earned her Juris Doctor degree from Whittier Law School. While in law school she interned for Judge Ramirez helping with small claims mediation, and also for the Orange County District Attorney’s office as a Certified Law Clerk. While at Whittier, she received a CALI Award in Evidence.
Prior to attending law school, Ms. Sarega attended UCLA where she graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and was a member of the women’s gymnastics team her freshman year before retiring from her athletic career.
Ms. Sarega is licensed to practice law in the State of California and the State of Indiana, as well as federal courts in several additional states.
Her favorite pastimes include traveling and hiking with her two dogs, Rocky and Rambo.

Associate Attorney
Licensed to practice in Massachusetts and New York

Taryn Murray is an Associate Attorney in our Copyright Division. Ms. Murray works as an advocate for clients’ intellectual property rights.
Ms. Murray earned her Juris Doctor degree at Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio. While in law school, Ms. Murray served as the Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Law, Technology, and the Internet. Ms. Murray attended Stony Brook University on Long Island, NY, where she earned a Bachelor of the Arts in Sociology.
Ms. Murray is licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and New York.

Theodore “Ted” Sell
Colorado

A veteran of the US Navy and the Army National Guard, Ted received his Bachelor’s Degree, with honors, from the Metropolitan State University of Denver. He then moved to Las Vegas, Nevada and earned his Juris Doctorate from the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada Las Vegas while also working full time to support his family. Ted fulfilled a long-time dream of practicing law when he obtained his license to practice law in the State of Colorado.
Prior to joining the firm, Ted’s legal career was wide-ranging from family law and bankruptcy to real estate, insurance defense, and contract writing.

Tony LaCroix is a proven leader in litigation in both state and federal courts in Missouri and Kansas. Serving small and large businesses, as well as individuals. He has extensive experienced representation in business litigation, contract disputes, employee claims, civil rights issues, and class action lawsuits. Mr. LaCroix graduated magna cum laude from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law in 2008.

Publications
Author of legal articles published in the Dartmouth Law Journal, the Brigham Young University Education & Law Journal, Michigan State University’s Animal Legal & Historical Web Center, and the Urban Lawyer.

Awards
Selected for inclusion in SuperLawyers, Missouri & Kansas Rising Stars, 2012-2018.

Aaron K. Wills handles civil and criminal matters. He is licensed to practice law in the state and federal courts of Hawaii. and Criminal sections of law and licensed to practice in both State and Federal Courts in Hawaii. 

Before relocating to Hawaii and attending the William S. Richardson School of Law, Aaron attended the University of Nebraska on a full athletic football scholarship graduating in 1999 and obtaining a bachelor’s degree in psychology.

Aaron’s focus happily maintains a diverse client base, but his kuleana compels him to serve the Native Hawaiian community.  Aaron successfully represented, pro bono, over 100 kia’i (protectors) arrested on Mauna Kea, Hunananiho, Kahuku, and Kalealoa, seeing their cases through from 2018 to 2020.  When Aaron’s not in the courtroom or in the office, he enjoys spending time with his beautiful ‘ohana, staying fit, and keeping up on sports.

Frank Pipitone is based in Bozeman, Montana.  He has extensive experience helping consumers out of debt through bankruptcy and debt settlement.

Originally from Long Island, New York, He graduated from Hofstra University earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Computer Information Systems. Mr. Pipitone then graduated Cum Laude from Touro College, Jacob D. Fuschberg Law Center earning his Juris Doctor degree.

Mr. Pipitone is admitted to practice law in Montana and New York.  In addition, I am admitted to practice before the United States Federal Courts for the District of Montana, Eastern District of New York and the Southern District of New York.
He enjoys hiking in the mountains, Crossfit and is the proud father of two sons.