About Us

Selected 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 four years running, and was voted a nominated finalist for SFTLA's Trial Lawyer of the Year award.  In the last five years alone, Rich has successfully tried or resolved 30 different cases with results of at least one million dollars.

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 cases in Federal Court, the state of Oregon and 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 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.

Rich is experienced in a wide variety of case types including traumatic brain injury, paralysis, 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.

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

Year Joined Organization

• 1987

Areas of Practice

• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Paralysis
• Medical Malpractice
• Product Liability
• Government Liability
• Aviation Disasters
• Wrongful Death Claims

Litigation Percentage

• 100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Bar Admissions

• California, 1985

Education

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

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

Classes/Seminars Taught

• 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

Honors and Awards

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

Professional Associations and Memberships

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

Past Employment Positions

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

Birth Information

• 1960