Profile
Richard H. Schoenberger is one of the most highly respected personal injury trial lawyers in California. A partner at the San Francisco-based law firm of Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger, Richard's experience encompasses a wide range of injuries and causes, including traumatic brain injury, paralysis, workplace accidents, vehicular and bicycle negligence, medical malpractice, product liability, government liability, aviation disasters and wrongful death claims. In the past seven years alone, he has achieved trial or pre-trial results of greater than $1 million in more than 40 cases.
Richard's skills and record of success have not gone unnoticed. His professional honors include a Trial Lawyer of the Year award from the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, inclusion in several editions of The Best Lawyers in America publication and an AV Preeminent* peer review rating through Martindale-Hubbell. Richard is an invited member of some of the world's most prestigious trial lawyer organizations, including the American College of Trial Lawyers, the International Society of Barristers and the American Board of Trial Advocates. He is an adjunct professor at the University of California Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall) and has taught trial advocacy on a national and international level since the early 1990s.
*AV Preeminent and BV Distinguished are certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell peer review ratings fall into two categories: legal ability and general ethical standards.
About Richard Schoenberger
Law School: University of California Hastings College of the Law
Languages Spoken: English, Italian
Admitted: 1985, California
Professional Webpage: www.walkuplawoffice.com/bio/RichardSchoenberger.asp
Honors and Awards:
- Nominated Finalist, SFTLA's Trial Lawyer of the Year Award, 2001 - 2001
- Presidential Award of Merit, CAOC, 2001 - 2001
- Elected as one of Northern California's Super Lawyers since 2004, Richard H. Schoenberger is one of Northern California's top trial lawyers. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, has been named one of The Best Lawyers In America for six years running, is a nominated Fellow of the International Society of Barristers and the American College of Trial Lawyers, two of the most pretigious legal honor societies in the country, and was twice voted a nominated finalist for SFTLA's Trial Lawyer of the Year award.
Bar/Professional Activity:
- Member, American Board of Trial Advocates
- Board Member, San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association
- 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 Midwestern Regional, Western Regional, Pacific Regional and National 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 hand-selected attorneys whose government had only recently allowed its citizens the right to a jury trial. In 2005, he was invited to lead a similar program in Sarajevo.
- California, 1985
Pro bono/Community Service:
- Rich has coached approximately 25 youth sports teams in the last 10 years, including basketball, baseball, soccer and softball. For years he was the CYO Athletic Director for St. Patrick School in Larkspur, California and the Twin Cities Little League's Minor League representative.
Scholarly Lectures and Writings:
- Member of Faculty, National Institute of Trial Advocacy
- Invited Speaker, Direct Examination, San Francisco Public Defender's Office
- Faculty Member, Judicial Studies Program, California Judicial Council
- San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association
- Consumer Attorneys of California
Verdicts and Settlements:
- Exemplar Verdicts and Settlements Goodloe v. Bell Sports, Inc. -Jury verdict – defective consumer product - $17,000,000;Liou v. State of California - Jury verdict - $12,200,000; Loh v. County of Alameda ;Settlement –bicycle accident - $9,500,000;Perry v. Budget-Jury verdict – automobile accident - $8,765,000;Wrongful Death Heirs v. Car Company-Settlement – negligent operation of a vehicle - $6,500,000;Minor v. Valley Unified School District -Settlement – negligent school supervision - $4,500,000;Machinist v. Industrial Machine Design-Settlement – product liability - $4,000,000;Thornburgh v. City of Auburn-Settlement – dangerous condition of public property - $3,000,000;Perez v. CCSF-Settlement – public transit liability - $3,000,000;Quackenbush v. CSAA-Jury verdict – general negligence - $2,500,000;Lown v. Mildenberger-Jury verdict – premises liability - $1,072,000;Chu v. BACS-Jury verdict- psychiatirc malpractice- $1,000,000;O’Cain v. Basu-Jury verdict – medical malpractice - $995,000;Bertram v. City and County of San Francisco-Jury verdict – public transit liability - $567,000
Representative Clients:
- Perez v. CCSF
- Thornburgh v. City of Auburn
- Machinist v. Industrial Machine Design
- Minor v. Valley Unified School District
- Window Contractor v. Scaffolding Company
- Wrongful Death Heirs v. Car Company
- Chu v. Bay Area Community Services
- Beltram v. City and County of San Francisco
- O'Cain v. Basu
- Lown v. Mildenberger
- Quackenbush v. CSAA
- Perry v. Budget
- Loh v. County of Alameda
- Goodloe v. Bell Sports, Inc.
- Liou v. State of California
Educational Background:
- Santa Clara University, 1982
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