Donald W. Hitzeman


Donald W. Hitzeman, co-president of Rosenstein & Hitzeman, An Association of Professional Law Corporations, has been licensed to practice law in the State of California since 1983. Mr. Hitzeman is licensed to practice before the United States District Court, Central District of California, as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (formerly the United States Court of Military Appeals) and the United States Army Court of Military Review.

Mr. Hitzeman is a graduate of Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington (B.A., cum laude, 1980) and of Whittier College School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 1983). He served as the Executive Editor and was a contributing author of the Whittier Law Review.

Mr. Hitzeman’s experience includes over eleven years with Parker & Irwin, A Professional Corp., in San Bernardino, California, where he was a shareholder and member of the Board of Directors. His practice focused on employment law and workers’ compensation insurance defense, as well as appellate practice before the California Court of Appeals. Prior to that, Mr. Hitzeman served over 8 years as an officer and attorney in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, practicing criminal law at the trial and appellate levels. During that period, he tried over 50 jury and bench trials in court-martial. He also drafted and filed briefs before the military appellate courts and the United States Supreme Court, as well as arguing cases before the military appellate courts.

In his civil appellate practice, Mr. Hitzeman has briefed and argued many cases before the California appellate courts. Several of these cases resulted in published opinions of the California Court of Appeals, including Southern California Edison Company v. Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board (Tate), 58 Cal. App. 4th 766, 68 Cal. Rptr. 2d 265 (C.A. 2d Dist. 1997), rev. denied, 1998 Cal. LEXIS 512 (Cal. 1998).

Mr. Hitzeman has been an instructor and lecturer locally and nationally on such subjects as California Workers’ Compensation law, employment discrimination, leave policies, criminal trial advocacy and methods in child abuse prosecution. He also published articles in The Army Lawyer during his tenure in the U.S. Army JAG Corps.

Mr. Hitzeman and his wife of over 25 years, Mary, have been raising their five children in the Temecula Valley since 1992. They are very involved in their Church and in Worldwide Marriage Encounter and have served in the local PTA. As an active member of our growing community, Mr. Hitzeman’s goal is to bring high quality, competent and, most importantly, ethical legal services to those businesses and individuals living in and serving our community.