About

DENNIS E. WAGNER

Dennis E. Wagner has been practicing law since 1981 and has extensive experience in a wide range of legal areas. Dennis served as Interim County Counsel for the County of San Bernardino Office of County Counsel in 2006 at the request of the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors.  Dennis oversaw the attorneys and support staff while the County of San Bernardino conducted a search for a permanent replacement.  Dennis was sworn in as acting County Counsel on May 3, 2006 and oversaw a budget of $9,500,000 and a staff of approximately 104 of which 49 were attorneys.  As County Counsel he directed advice to the Board of Supervisors and to all Elected Officials and Department Heads for the County of San Bernardino. 

 Prior to forming the firm of Wagner & Pelayes, LLP, he was a Deputy County Counsel for the County of San Bernardino for 10 years. He has represented many of the County departments, department heads and their employees during that time including the representation of the Superior Court for the County of San Bernardino and members of the Judicial Bench.  During this time he tried a number of cases and has regularly appeared before the State Appellate Courts, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the California Supreme Court.

 Prior to joining the Office of County Counsel for San Bernardino County he worked for the law firm of Roberts & Morgan and was involved in handling insurance defense matters and the defense of public entities and their employees. His work for public entities has included the City of Riverside, City of Corona and the County of Riverside. He has handled insurance defense cases for both personal and commercial lines for a wide range of companies including Farmers, Ohio Casualty, Aetna, Fireman’s Fund, Home and others.

 Dennis is also licensed to practice law in the States of Nevada and Texas. During a portion of the 1980’s Dennis resided in Nevada and worked on the MGM fire litigation and represented a number of business clients on corporate issues and related business litigation. Dennis is a member of the Inland Empire Chapter of ABOTA.  Dennis is on the Board of Directors for the Inland Empire Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, which covers Riverside and San Bernardino for attorneys who regularly practice in federal courts and is Chapter President for the 2011 year. Dennis is a mediator for the US District Court for the Central District in California. Dennis participates at seminars as a presenter on a wide range of topics.  Dennis is on staff at the San Bernardino Sheriffs Academy and teaches Civil Liabilities to law enforcement officers and supervisors.  Dennis has also appeared on television and radio to discuss legal topics of interest.

TRISTAN G. PELAYES

Prior to forming Wagner & Pelayes LLP, Tristan Pelayes was a Deputy County Counsel for the County of San Bernardino for almost five years. Due to his extensive law enforcement background, Tristan was assigned to the county’s litigation unit, representing the County of San Bernardino’s Sheriff’s Department and its deputies in all aspects of civil litigation. This included the defense of excessive force, wrongful arrest and wrongful prosecution allegations, officer-involved shootings, and other types of police misconduct. Tristan has also represented other county departments such as the District Attorney’s Office and Probation Department against allegations of civil rights violations and other related state torts. Before that, Tristan was an associate at Kinkle, Rodiger and Spriggs in Riverside, focusing primarily on insurance defense. Tristan has extensive jury trial experience in both state and the federal courts.

 Before becoming an attorney, Tristan was a deputy sheriff for the County of San Bernardino for over fourteen years. His assignments included corrections, patrol, narcotics, SWAT, homicide and the department’s civil liabilities division. He was also an investigator for the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office.

In 2001, the Inland Empire Latino Lawyers Association named Tristan the Latino Lawyer of the Year. He was also twice the recipient of the Wiley Manuel Award from the California State Bar for his pro bono work within the Inland Empire.

 Tristan was a council member and the mayor of the City of Adelanto from 2000 to 2003, where he was instrumental in replacing its troubled police department with contract services from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. Tristan has served in the United States Army as an ammunition and explosives expert, receiving an Honorable Discharge in 1987.

 Tristan is on staff at the San Bernardino Sheriffs Academy and teaches Civil Liabilities to law enforcement officers and supervisors.  Tristan has also appeared on television and radio to discuss legal topics of interest.