WHO WE ARE
Price, Postel & Parma LLP has been a presence in Santa Barbara and surrounding communities for over 165 years and is Santa Barbara’s preeminent law firm. The firm’s longevity is testament to an unwavering commitment to understanding our clients’ needs, mastering and navigating the ever-changing legal and regulatory environment, and providing unparalleled service that exceeds the expectations of even the most discerning clients. From advocating the land use and water rights of Santa Barbara County property, to negotiating complex business litigation cases, to sophisticated business transactions, to helping a family gain peace of mind in estate planning, we are a full-service civil law firm. Our deep roots in the community are evident, as well, in our attorneys’ dedicated service as directors and trustees of local charitable, philanthropic, and service organizations. We are proud of our local presence and our global capabilities, and we look forward to a future shaped by our commitment to lasting client relationships.
OUR HISTORY
– 1848
January. James Marshall discovers placer gold in the tailrace of Sutter’s Mill on the American River near Coloma, California.
December. U.S. President James K. Polk delivers his famous message to Congress announcing the California gold strike. Gold fever spreads across the nation.
– 1849
New England law student Charles Fernald sails from New York to San Francisco to “strike it rich” in California. The dangerous journey takes five months and claims the lives of thousands of “Forty-Niners” in the disease-ridden isthmus of Panama.
– 1850
Fernald spends eighteen months in various mining camps throughout the Mother Lode. Finding no gold, Fernald returns to San Francisco and completes his legal studies. He earns money by writing articles for the San Francisco Alta.
– 1851
Major fires sweep through San Francisco in May and June, destroying Fernald’s precious law library, which he had shipped from Maine. Relying on borrowed books, Fernald passes the bar examination and practices law for the next year in San Francisco.