Schoenberger, Richard H.

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Updated 10/23/2009

Summary

Year Joined Organization: 1987

Lawyer Overview

Richard H. Schoenberger is one of Northern California's top trial lawyers. He is an invited member of the most prestigious trial lawyer organizations in the country: the American College of Trial Lawyers, a fellowship extended only to a select group of experienced trial lawyers who have mastered the art of advocacy and whose professional careers have been marked by the highest standards of ethical conduct, professionalism, civility and collegiality; the International Society of Barristers, an honor society of trial lawyers chosen by their peers on the basis of excellence and integrity in advocacy; and, the American Board of Trial Advocates, where he serves on the Executive Committee and chaired the San Francisco Chapter's 2009 Masters In Trial program.

He has been named one of The Best Lawyers In America for the past six years , a Super Lawyer every year since 2004 and is "AV" peer review rated by Martindale-Hubble.

Among his many trial successes, Rich has obtained seven or eight figure jury verdicts for his clients on seven different occasions. In the past five years alone, Rich has achieved trial or pre-trial results of greater than one million dollars in more than 30 different cases.

After graduating from Santa Clara University in 1982, Rich attended the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. He began practice in 1985 as a Deputy District Attorney in the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, where he prosecuted serious felonies. He joined the Walkup office in August of 1987 and became a partner in 1995. With Walkup, he has tried dozens of cases in more than ten counties throughout the state of California.

Rich has taught trial advocacy on a national and international level since the early 1990's. In California, he is a frequent speaker for the Consumer Attorneys of California and the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association. He has also served as a faculty member for the Judicial Council of California's Judicial Studies Program. As a highly rated member of the faculty for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy, Rich has been invited to teach advocacy at NITA's rigorous National, Midwestern, Northwestern, Western and Pacific Regional programs; as well as for private firms throughout the country. Rich has also served as a team leader at Emory Law School's renowned Kessler-Eidson Trial Techniques Program in Atlanta, Georgia.

In June of 2004, The American Bar Association, in concert with the Department of Justice's Central European Eurasian Law Initiative, invited Rich to the Republic of Georgia where he taught advocacy to 24 selected attorneys whose government had only recently allowed the right to a jury trial. In 2005, he was invited to lead a similar program in Sarajevo.

Rich is experienced in a wide variety of case types including traumatic brain injury, paralysis, workplace accidents, vehicular and bicycle negligence, medical malpractice, product liability, government liability, aviation disasters and wrongful death claims. In an article printed in the Los Angeles Daily Journal, an opponent was quoted as follows:

"Schoenberger is everything that a good plaintiff's lawyer should be: ethical, professional and smart, and he works hard."

When not practicing law, Rich is usually found on some field or court coaching any one of his three kids' teams. He also serves as CYO Athletic Director at his 6th grader's school, St. Patrick's in Larkspur.

Defective Products
Aviation Accidents
Government Liability
Medical Malpractice
Brain Injury
Causes of Brain Injury
Closed Head Injury
Brain Stem Injury

Areas of Practice

  • Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Paralysis
  • Medical Malpractice
  • Product Liability
  • Government Liability
  • Aviation Disasters
  • Wrongful Death Claims
100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Representative Cases

  • Goodloe v. Bell Sports, Inc.
  • Loh v. County of Alameda
  • Perry v. Budget
  • Quackenbush v. CSAA
  • Lown v. Mildenberger
  • O'Cain v. Basu
  • Beltram v. City and County of San Francisco

West Practice Categories

Personal Injury -- Defense, Wrongful Death -- Defense, Personal Injury -- Plaintiff, Products Liability Law, Medical Malpractice, Municipal Liability, Transportation Law

Next: Qualifications

Qualifications

Bar Admissions

  • California, 1985

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association (Board Member)
  • American Board of Trial Advocates (Member)

Honors and Awards

  • Presidential Award of Merit, CAOC, 2001
  • Nominated Finalist, SFTLA's Trial Lawyer of the Year Award, 2001

Classes and Seminars

  • Consumer Attorneys of California
  • San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association
  • Faculty Member, Judicial Studies Program, California Judicial Council
  • Invited Speaker, Direct Examination, San Francisco Public Defender's Office
  • Member of Faculty, National Institute of Trial Advocacy

Past Employment Positions

  • Alameda County District Attorney's Office, Deputy District Attorney

Education

  • University of California, Hastings College of the Law, San Francisco, California
  • Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA, USA, 1982
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