Business & Professional

Best Accountant

Jerome Spector believes the results of your tax return should not come as a surprise. His placing first in the best accountant in the South Bay category is no surprise either.


Twenty-six years ago he founded Spector and Associates, a firm he now runs with his son, Michael. With 39 years of experience in accounting, Spector commits himself to what he calls accessible, high-quality service that focuses on the individual. “It’s service you’d expect in a small firm but with experience you would get in the largest,” he says.

First Place

South Bay/Peninsula

Jerome Spector
Spector and Associates LLP
Palo Alto
(650) 331-7501
www.spectorandassociates.com

Best Lawyer

Though some may joke that lawyers are cold, all three winners for best lawyer think a highlight of their profession is helping people. J. readers picked Neil Taxy for San Francisco, Wayne A. Lampert for the East Bay and Nora Rousso for the South Bay.


Taxy prefers to be called a counselor-at-law. “The term suggests that you are advising and assisting people in their problems,” he says. As a partner at Leland, Parachini, Steinberg, Matzger & Melnick, he specializes in business transactions, contracts and intellectual property work — and likes connecting Jewish ethics with his legal expertise.


Lampert keeps his clients in touch with their mortality. He is a sole practitioner who focuses on estate planning, but stresses that his work doesn’t feel like a “death practice.” “What keeps me going month after month is knowing that I’m making an impact on individual’s lives,” he says.


Rousso created a niche for herself and her husband/law partner, Jonathan Jackel, in wage law at their firm in San Jose. “I’ve never seen anybody cross-examine a witness the way she does. It’s just a work of art,” Jackel says.


In second place were Anthony Lowenstein for San Francisco, and Bette Epstein for the East Bay.

First Place

San Francisco

Neil E. Taxy
Leland, Parachini, Steinberg, Matzger & Melnick LLP
(415) 957-1800
www.lpslaw.com

East Bay

Wayne A. Lampert
Law Offices of Wayne A. Lampert
Oakland
(510) 844-3420

South Bay/Peninsula

Nora Rousso
Rousso & Jackel Inc.
San Jose
(408) 287-3100
www.roussojackel.com

Second Place

San Francisco

Anthony Lowenstein
Burlingame
(650) 579-6680
www.lowensteinlaw.com

East Bay

Bette Epstein
Reed Smith LLP
Oakland
(510) 466-6845
www.reedsmith.com

Best Money Manager

Money may not grow on trees, but it can sprout fortunes if well managed. J. readers picked Keith Goodman of San Francisco and David Gould of the East Bay as the best money managers to help your assets do just that.


Goodman has been interested in the stock market since high school. He’s now a financial adviser at Smith Barney in San Mateo. And he goes beyond straight financial advice: “I have one client who had a stroke in his late 30s. He’s now in his 50s. I meet with him for breakfast every Saturday morning. We’ve become friends,” Goodman notes.


As “president, research analyst and janitor” of Gould Financial Resources in Piedmont, Gould labels his business a one-man shop. “I really try to educate people ... I want them to understand the why of the what that they’re doing,” he says.

First Place

San Francisco

Keith L. Goodman
Smith Barney
San Mateo
(650) 358-1823
www.smithbarney.com

East Bay


David Gould
Gould Financial Resources
Piedmont
(510) 547-4692

Best Real Estate Agent

Deborah Lopez didn’t spend her childhood digging for hidden gold, but as a real estate agent, she says, her adult life has become a “treasure hunt.” J. readers seem to agree; they voted her the best real estate agent in all four regions of the Bay Area.


The president of San Francisco Chapter Hadassah credits her very broad network as the reason for her success. With 30 years of experience, she has sold luxury houses for $16 million, Tenancies in Common for $350,000, and everything in between. “I am an absolute matchmaker,” she says with a laugh, “a real-estate yenta.”


Ron Abta came in second for San Francisco and Marin/Sonoma. Dana Cohen, and Gene Millstein tied for second place in the East Bay.

First Place

Bay Area

Deborah Lopez
Paragon Real Estate Group
San Francisco
(415) 738-7084
www.paragon-re.com

Second Place

San Francisco and Marin/Sonoma

Ron Abta
Prudential California Realty
San Francisco
(415) 664-9400 ext. 217
www.ronabta.com

East Bay

Dana Cohen
The Grubb Company
Oakland
(510) 339-0400 ext. 348
www.danacohen.com

Gene Millstein
Millstein & Associates
Berkeley
(510) 527-8822
www.millsteinassociates.com

Best Mortgage Broker

Rachel Alexander likes to be a part of milestones in people’s lives — though she has no plans to crash your wedding or your son’s bar mitzvah. Instead, she helps people buy homes. J. readers apparently are grateful: They voted her best mortgage broker in all four regions of the Bay Area.

Alexander’s diligence and communication skills appeal to her clients throughout California — and ease what can be an overwhelming task of buying a house. “Once [people] come to me for a mortgage the first time, I consider them to be my clients for life,” she says. “They never need to think about their mortgage again.”

Allison Sofnas won second place for San Francisco, and Bob Routt took second in the East Bay.

First Place

Bay Area

Rachel Alexander
Pacific Guarantee Mortgage
Foster City
(650) 570-3838
www.pacificguarantee.com

Second Place

San Francisco

Allison Sofnas
First Capital Group Inc.
(415) 440-5626
www.fcgmortgage.com

East Bay

Bob Routt
Union Trust Mortgage Service Inc.
Danville
(925) 820-5676
www.utms.com

Best Bank

Similar to selecting a marriage partner, choosing a bank may involve commitment, trust and background checks. Apparently, First Republic Bank is the perfect match for j. readers — it won as best bank in the Bay Area.


With 17 regional branches, spokesman Greg Berardi believes, its service distinguishes the bank from others. “First Republic has always been committed to delivering exceptional client service,” he says. “We have great people, and our clients recognize that.”


Washington Mutual came in second in the Bay Area.

First Place

Bay Area

First Republic Bank
(415) 392-1400
www.firstrepublic.com

Second Place

Bay Area

Washington Mutual
(415) 703-0443
www.wamu.com