Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver

California's premier full-service law firm with an emphasis on the representation of peace officers in disciplinary, criminal, labor, workers' compensation, personal injury and other civil matters.

  • About Us
  • Practice Areas
    • Labor Representation
    • Civil Litigation
    • Personal Injury
      • Example of Case Results
    • Workers’ Compensation
    • DOE Security Clearance Hearings
    • Peace Officers
    • Firefighters
    • EMS Agency Investigations
    • Criminal Defense
    • CalPERS Appeals
  • Our Team
  • Classes
  • Media
    • Bulletins
    • RLS in the News
  • Resources
    • Links
    • Resources
    • Newsletters
  • Clients
  • Contact Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
Partner
Justin E. Buffington
Pleasant Hill
P: 925.609.1699
F: 925.609.1690
JBuffington@RLSLawyers.com
Partner
Justin E. Buffington
Pleasant Hill
P: 925.609.1699
F: 925.609.1690
JBuffington@RLSLawyers.com

Justin Buffington is a Partner in the Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver, PC (“RLS”) Legal Defense Group. Justin represents peace officers in administrative investigations and disciplinary matters. Justin has earned a reputation as an aggressive advocate for the firm’s clients and has secured a number of memorable victories. Notably, Justin successfully arbitrated a high profile termination case involving the fatal shooting of an unarmed suspect by an Oakland police officer, who was ultimately reinstated with full back-pay and benefits. He and Doug Foley were also successful in winning back the stripes of a demoted Oakland sergeant who was accused of neglect of duty and failure to supervise. Justin successfully overturned the demotion and 30-day suspension of a BART police sergeant accused of improper Taser use.

Most recently, Justin earned a remarkable victory that garnered extensive media coverage, returning a highly respected and decorated Oakland Police officer and military veteran back to work with full back-pay and benefits after he was terminated as a result of a use of force involving Occupy Oakland protester Scott Olsen.  In that case, the officer went back to work in record time, waiting less than a year for the case to come to fruition.

Prior to joining RLS, Justin worked as a Deputy District Attorney in Contra Costa County where he tried nearly a dozen misdemeanor cases and litigated scores of motions. He also worked at a civil litigation firm.

Justin graduated from Humboldt State, where he played football. He earned his law degree at Golden Gate University. Justin is a member of the adjunct faculty of Napa Valley College, where he teaches criminal procedure. He is certified by the Force Science Institute as a Force Science Analyst and also is a member of the Association for Conflict Resolution and the California Teachers’ Association.

He is licensed to practice in California and the U.S. District Court for the Northern and Central Districts of California.

Disclaimer: Any results set forth herein are based upon the facts of that particular case and do not represent a promise or guarantee.

Education

• B.A., Humboldt State University
• J.D., Golden Gate University

Bulletins & Publications:
  • Post-Interrogations Discovery Rights
  • RLS Partners Mike Rains and Justin Buffington Win Complete Acquittal of Rocklin Officer in Felony Use of Force Trial
  • Another Citizen or Above the Law?
  • Justin E. Buffington Named Partner
  • Kensington Sergeant Exonerated After Investigation of Claim of Unlawful Car Stop
  • Oakland Police Internal Affairs Gets Schooled in 4th Amendment Jurisprudence by Arbitrator
  • San Joaquin County Probation Officers Association Staying Involved with Members
  • BART Police Sergeant’s 30 Day Suspension Overturned with Full Back Pay Awarded
  • California Court of Appeal Rules that in Most Circumstances, a Law Enforcement Agency May Not Resist a California Public Records Act Request for the Disclosure of the Names of Officers Involved in On-Duty Shootings
  • Oakland Police Officer Involved in Shooting Reinstated With Full Back-Pay and Benefits
News & Press:
  • Oakland police sergeant faced no charges for domestic violence arrest despite video evidence
  • Kensington: Mud flies as probe finds police sergeant did not harass board member
  • Activist gathering promotes “MobileJusticeCA” app
  • Man shot dead by Oakland officer had violent past
  • Police body cameras and store security caught fatal Oakland cop shooting
  • Cop’s Reno gun-theft scandal gets Kensington police chief fired
  • California Police Chief Fired Over Stolen Gun Scandal
  • Kensington police sergeant disciplined in Reno gun-theft scandal
  • Exclusive: Campaign contributions under scrutiny in California police probe
  • Legal fight over Oakland officers who win discipline cases
  • Oakland officer fired over Occupy is reinstated
  • Oakland cop fired in Scott Olsen case gets job back
  • Occupy protester wounded by Oakland police gets $4.5 million
  • BART cop cleared after firing Taser at boy
  • Reinstated Oakland police officer to return within two weeks
  • Oakland must rehire cop who shot suspect in back
  • Humboldt County correctional officer accused of battery on inmate
  • Oakland cop fired after second killing
  • Fatal shooting results in Oakland officer’s firing
Upcoming Classes & Speaking Engagements:
Past Classes:
  • June 21st, 2018 – “Protecting Cops in the 21st Century” Symposium (Costa Mesa, CA)
  • More Past Classes

Justin Buffington

Rated by Super Lawyers

loading …

Consultation Form

Offices across California to serve you.
Contact us now to schedule a consultation.
Contact form not loading? Click here!
Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver, PC publishes this website as a service to our clients and other friends for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for specific legal advice or opinions, and the transmission of information through this website is not intended to create an attorney-client relationship between sender and receiver. Internet subscribers and online readers should not act upon this information without seeking professional counsel. By providing a telephone number and submitting the form you are consenting to be contacted by SMS text message. Message & data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out of further messaging.

© 2025 Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver, PC. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer

Click here for our privacy policy. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Read our privacy policy for more details.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie settingsACCEPTREJECT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

Please read our full privacy policy by clicking here.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.

Please see our privacy policy for more information.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
  • Contact Us

  • News Alerts

  • Privacy Policy

Official logo for Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver
Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver Logo
  • About Us
  • Practice Areas
    ▼
    • Labor Representation
    • Civil Litigation
    • Personal Injury
      ▼
      • Example of Case Results
    • Workers’ Compensation
    • DOE Security Clearance Hearings
    • Peace Officers
    • Firefighters
    • EMS Agency Investigations
    • Criminal Defense
    • CalPERS Appeals
  • Our Team
  • Classes
  • Media
    ▼
    • Bulletins
    • RLS in the News
  • Resources
    ▼
    • Links
    • Resources
    • Newsletters
  • Clients
  • Contact Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
Hotline phone numbers. Northern California: 925-609-1699. Southern California: 310-393-1486.