Mr. Gaines graduated from UCLA in 1966 with a B.S. in Business Administration. There, his studies focused on real estate and finance. He then obtained his J.D. degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. At Hastings, Mr. Gaines was both a participant and a member of the Editorial Board of the Hastings Law Journal, a recipient of two scholarships and a Board of Directors merit grant for academic excellence, and the American Jurisprudence award for his coursework.

Since his admission to the California Bar in January 1971, Mr. Gaines has specialized in real estate - both transactions and litigation - including residential, apartment houses, commercial, and industrial. Because of his vast expertise, he often consults with other attorneys, he has testified as an expert witness and he has served as special real estate counsel to bankruptcy trustees by appointment of the United States Bankruptcy Court.

In the real estate arena, he has extensive knowledge of purchase and sale transactions; broker rights and liabilities; financing, including the rights of borrowers and lenders; foreclosures – both non-judicial and judicial, including rights to a deficiency judgment; landlord/tenant disputes; title issues, including title insurance litigation; neighbor disputes; problems with trees and shrubs; easements, enforcement of CC&R’s; homeowner’s associations; construction disputes; fraud relating to real estate transactions and has special expertise in the area of remedies.

From 1973 until 1978 he was an Adjunct Professor of Law at Mid-Valley College of Law (since merged with University of San Fernando Valley) where he taught Real Property, Secured Real Estate Transactions, Modern Real Estate Transactions and Trusts.

Mr. Gaines is also the author of How to Sell (and Buy) Your Home Without a Broker published by Coward, McCann and Geoghegian (G.P. Putnam & Sons). This work was described as "outstanding" by Money Magazine and "an absolute necessity for the novice" by Kirkus Reviews.

Mr. Gaines has participated in countless mediations, both as the mediator and as the attorney for the parties. As a practicing attorney with an active litigation practice, he has personal, firsthand knowledge of the benefits, burdens, costs and expenses of litigating real estate disputes and therefore has a high degree of credibility in making recommendations and evaluations. While serving as a mediator, he is not reluctant to express his opinion as to probable outcomes if litigation is pursued and to suggest alternative measures of resolution.

Mr. Gaines graduated with a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2007. There, his coursework focused on real estate and tax. He was the receipient of the Lacy Amour Scholarship, honoring academic excellence.

Prior to attending law school, Mr. Gaines graduated cum laude with a B.S. in Business Administration from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. At Berkeley, Mr. Gaines focused his studies on Finance and Economics, and taught an introductory class on the stock market. He also spent a semester abroad at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, one of Asia's most highly regarded business schools.

Mr. Gaines has worked in the legal field as a legal assistant and law clerk since 2003. Prior to joining his father at Gaines & Gaines, he spent a summer working as a law clerk at one of New York's largest and most prestigious law firms, where his work focused on high profile corporate litigation.

Among Mr. Gaines' passions are travel and fine dining. He is recently married to his partner of five years (and assistant), Desiree.