Ms. Banez began her career in workers’ compensation as a State Compensation Insurance Fund (SCIF) adjuster for six years.  After passing the California State Bar, she worked as in-house counsel for Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and has practiced workers’ compensation defense exclusively since 1998. Ms. Banez has represented third-party administrators, insurance carriers, and self-insured employers by handling a wide range of claims of varying complexity, including 132a discrimination claims and subrogation matters. With over two decades of experience, she has built a reputation for her thorough and strategic approach to workers’ compensation litigation.

Ms. Banez earned her Juris Doctor from the University of the Philippines College of Law after obtaining her Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service with a minor in Political Science from the University of the Philippines. She is licensed to practice in all California state courts and the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Ms. Banez is also admitted to the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States and the Philippine Bar. As a dedicated legal professional, she is an active member of the Beverly Hills Bar Association, reflecting her strong ties to the local legal community.

Fluent in English and Tagalog, Barbara also speaks conversational Spanish, Japanese, Indonesian, German and Korean. Outside the office, she enjoys playing multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) such as World of Warcraft and traveling throughout Europe and Asia.