Audie J. de Castro, Esq.
Shareholder
With over 25 years of experience, Audie de Castro has built a very successful commercial practice, representing companies in various industries, including biotech, hospitality, health care, real estate, and services. His litigation experience encompasses business, corporate, employment, real estate and investment matters, including issues involving fraud or misrepresentation, fiduciary duty, securities, franchise disputes, accounting, corporate governance, and breach of contract claims. He has achieved significant success at various levels, from obtaining large settlements to winning trials, including the following:
- Won at trial on a $20 million counterclaim for breach of fiduciary duty, fraud and securities law violations.
- Won at trial on a Motion for Judgment for defense on $70 million claim.
- Won at trial on a breach of contract claim for plaintiffs for a six-figure judgment.
- Won on a motion for summary judgment based on specific performance, resulting in an award of title to commercial real property.
- Won a large six-figure settlement for an investor in a chain of restaurants.
- Successfully defended and favorably resolved class action wage and hour/PAGA lawsuits.
- Successfully defended and favorably resolved wrongful termination/employment discrimination lawsuits.
- Won $1.5 million settlement in an out-of-state fraud claim.
- Represented voters in enforcing Voting Rights Act against the City of National City, resulting in the City transitioning its election system to district voting.
Audie has received recognition as a Super Lawyer (Business Litigation) by Super Lawyer Magazine in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026.
Audie’s experience as a businessman and former CPA has been an asset to his successful transactional practice. He has closed complex and multimillion-dollar transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, franchising and licensing, commercial real estate, and international deals. He has represented public and private companies, investors and entrepreneurs. He has also served as outside General Counsel for several companies.
He is admitted to practice in all California state courts, the U.S. District Courts in the Northern, Southern and Central Districts, and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. He has also been admitted pro hac vice in Delaware in cases involving mergers and acquisitions.
He is a member of the San Diego County Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the American Health Lawyers Association. Audie previously taught Business Associations at Thomas Jefferson School of Law.
Audie graduated cum laude from the University of San Francisco School of Law. He was a senior staff member of the University of San Francisco Law Review and McAuliffe Honor Society (top 10%). He received a business degree from the University of San Diego and obtained a CPA license (inactive).
Since 2014, Audie has served as the official government representative of the Republic of the Philippines, for San Diego County. He is the country’s Honorary Consul and overseas a jurisdiction of over 200,000 constituents. He previously served on the Board of Governors for the San Diego Foundation. He is also past President of the Asian Business Association of San Diego and the Filipino American Lawyers of San Diego. He is a graduate of LEAD San Diego (2003).
He enjoys spending time with his wife and two boys, exercising, and cooking. He speaks Tagalog and English.
- Email:adecastro@decastropc.com
Jonathan J. Elia, Esq.
Attorney
Jonathan received his B.A. in Criminal Justice from San Diego State University in 2015 and received his Juris Doctorate from the University of San Diego in 2018 with a concentration on business and corporate law. He passed the bar in 2018, is admitted to practice in all California state courts, the U.S. Southern District Court, and is a member of the San Diego County Bar Association. He also speaks Romanian.
He spends his free time, traveling, trying new foods, and watching e-sports with friends.
- Email:jelia@decastropc.com
John R. Mayer, Esq.
Of Counsel
John received his B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1994 and graduated cum laude from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 1998, where he was a member of the Thomas Jefferson Law Review. After passing the California bar exam, he practiced with the mid-sized law firm Hayes Simpson Greene LLP until late 2001, when he started his own practice. Since then, he has practiced with a partner and as a solo practitioner, and he established John R. Mayer, A Professional Law Corporation in 2005.
John has been active in the community for many years, having served as president and a board member of San Diego Teen Court, a non-profit peer sentencing program for first-time juvenile offenders, and on the board of directors for Outdoor Education Foundation, a non-profit fundraiser for Sixth Grade Camp at Cuyamaca. John is also a licensed California real estate broker.
John is married, to wife Vanessa, and they have two young boys (Jordan and Nash).
Will Strater
Post-Bar Law Clerk
Will is a post-bar law clerk originally from Doylestown, Pennsylvania. They began their legal career with internships at the University of San Diego School of Law’s Civil Clinic and Consumer Protection Policy Center, as well as at CalTrans.
Will earned a B.A. in English from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2022. They earned their Juris Doctor from the University of San Diego School of Law in 2025, where they took several courses on civil rights law and environmental law. They sat for the California Bar Exam in July 2025.
In their free time, Will enjoys drawing, hiking, and playing Dungeons and Dragons with friends.
Jessica Esnara
Law Clerk
Jessica Esnara is a licensed attorney from the Philippines. Her legal career began with litigation work at a law firm in the Philippines, where she specialized in civil law, family law, and criminal law. In addition to that, she also spent a year working at a law firm in Houston, Texas, where she focused on commercial law, transactional law, and real estate law. This unique combination of experiences has equipped her with a broad perspective on legal issues in the U.S. and the Philippines.
Jessica earned her degree in Accounting from the University of the Cordilleras in the Philippines in 2017, which provided her with a strong foundation in analytical thinking and financial skills. She furthered her education by obtaining her Juris Doctor degree in 2023 from San Beda College, one of the top law schools in the Philippines. She passed the Philippine Bar exam in 2023 and is an active member of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines. She speaks English, Tagalog and Ilocano.
Outside of her legal career, Jessica enjoys reading novels, traveling, and exploring new cafes and restaurants. She also likes boxing and working out.
- Email:jesnara@decastropc.com
Kateryna Borge
Office Manager/Paralegal
Ms. Borge is a multilingual translator and interpreter. Fluent in four languages, she speaks Russian, Ukrainian, English and French. She graduated from Kyiv National Linguistic University and received a certification from the University of Geneva and a private French school in Nice, France. Participated in Model United Nations and European Youth Parliament sessions.
Ms. Borge has a background in law, business and finance and is the firm’s paralegal. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Borge held a legal internship in the San Diego Superior Court and worked in a personal injury law firm. She is a member of the NALA Paralegal Association. Ms. Borge is a volunteer translator and interpreter for a local non-profit law center that provides services to victims of human and civil rights violations and is a Special Recognition Awardee of the 2022 La Mancha Awards. With her strong international background, she also handles consular matters for the Philippine Consulate, San Diego. She is also the firm's Office Manager.
In her free time, Ms. Borge enjoys reading, hiking and photography.
- Email:kborge@decastropc.com