Top Personal Injury Lawyers in Walnut Creek | 33 available

Firm: Casper, Meadows, Schwartz & Cook

2121 North California Boulevard , Walnut Creek , California 94596

Practice Areas: Personal Injury

Attorney Larry Cook has been a partner at Casper, Meadows, Schwartz & Cook for more than 30 years. As a skilled trial lawyer, Attorney Cook regularly represents clients in severe personal injury cases. He is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell®, the highest rating obtainable for ethical standards and legal ability by a prestigious rating organization.. Practice Areas. Attorney Cook has represented clients in a wide variety of catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases resulting from medical malpractice, elder abuse, construction accidents, automobile accidents, products liability, spinal cord injuries, and more. He has been successful both at trial and in settlement negotiation.. Memberships & Associations. In the Bay Area legal community, Attorney Cook has been recognized as a leader in both litigation and in his contributions to the local bar association and other trial lawyers associations. He is a past President of both the Contra Costa Barristers Association and the Contra Costa County Bar Association. In addition, Attorney Cook is a former board member of the Contra Costa County Legal Services Foundation, now Bay Area Legal Aid. The superior court regularly appoints him to act as a settlement mentor and discovery facilitator in civil cases. He is proud to represent the injured and their loved ones.

Firm: Venardi Zurada, LLP

101 Ygnacio Valley Road , Walnut Creek , California 94596

Practice Areas: Admiralty & Maritime, Employment & Labor , Insurance , Personal Injury, Personal Injury, Personal Injury

Bio“Every day I think about where I’m from and how it has felt in my own life to have people care, so I am committed to helping people from all walks of life receive justice for their injuries.”. Mark Venardi, the senior founding member of the Venardi Zurada Law firm, was born in 1962 in Seattle, Washington but was raised in Peoria, Illinois; a Midwest blue-collar town in a hardworking Italian family of 3 boys. After high school Mark followed his passion for service and the sea and enlisted in the United States Coast Guard, where he proudly served our country from 1980 to 1985.. Life at SeaDuring his military career at sea, Mark was assigned an incredible variety of challenging tours. From working on a sea-going tug performing search and rescue and marine law enforcement to sailing the Eastern seaboard in boats ranging from 37 to 205 feet. His early years were spent sailing from the Grand Banks to the Windward Passage on the famed Coast Guard Cutter Tamaroa, the Cutter that later performed the rescue in the movie “The Perfect Storm.” From the Tamaroa he then sailed the seas of Southeast Alaska aboard the Coast Guard cutter Planetree, a 180-buoy tender, a tour that also included a round trip voyage from Alaska to Hawaii. Mark’s final year in the Coast Guard was spent back in search and rescue at Group Seattle and it is from there that he received an honorable discharge in 1985 from the USCG as an E-5.. Law SchoolAfter serving our country and a short stint on an oil platform, Mark decided to pursue a career in law. He earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley in 1991 and his JD from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 1994. During law school, Mark was the Co-Chairperson of the Moot Court Competition Committee, a recipient of the Snodgrass Competition Outstanding Oral Argument Award, a member of the University of San Francisco Maritime Law Review, and served as a Judicial Extern to the Honorable Charles Legge, United States District Court Northern District of California. Mark was admitted to the California Bar in December 1994.. CareerAfter graduating law school Mark worked as an associate at Cox Wootton, Griffin & Hansen before joining Haight, Gardner, Holland & Knight in 1998. Mark made partner at the end of his 6th year of practice at Holland & Knight LLP, a multinational law firm with over 1,000 attorneys. In his first years of practice, one of the managing partners regularly shared his short mantra, “Be somebody.” Those words stuck with Mark and while he loved his early years of practice, he found himself wanting to do more. In 2004 he struck out on his own, deciding to serve people instead of corporations. Even with the huge move to the other side, there was no hiccup in Mark’s rapid rise to the top, and he has been serving members of the community with compassion and dogged determination ever since.. Areas of PracticeAuto AccidentsMotorcycle AccidentsBoating AccidentsTrucking AccidentsPersonal InjuryWrongful DeathMaritime Personal InjuryEmployment LawHarassmentDiscriminationWhistleblower Protection CasesRetaliationWage and HourSeverance AgreementsEmployment AgreementsExecutive CompensationInsurance Bad FaithSelect Commercial and Intellectual Property Disputes on Contingency Fee. Honors and AwardsNorthern California Superlawyers, 2009-2024National Trial Lawyers Top 100, 2013-2023Best Attorneys in California, 2012-20232023 California Top 100 Verdicts“AV” rating from Martindale-Hubbell, 2001-2024Top 10 Best of the Best Attorneys for Personal Injury, 2022America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigator, Northern California, 2017, 2021Lawyer of Distinction, Personal Injury Law, 202010 Best Attorneys as Published By the American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys, 2019National Trial Lawyers Top 25 Brain Injury Trial Lawyers, 2019Million and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Lifetime Member since 2007America’s Top 100 Attorneys Lifetime AchievementRecipient, Outstanding Oral Argument Award, Snodgrass Competition, 1993. RecognitionsMark is one of the select few graduates of Gerry Spence’s Trial Lawyer’s College, the most demanding and prestigious trial lawyer program in the country.. National Trial Lawyers, an invitation-only organization has recognized Mark as a Top 100 Trial Attorney from 2013-2024, in 2012 and 2013 his peers recognized him as one of the Best Attorneys in California as featured in the San Francisco Chronicle and the Wall Street Journal. From 2009-2024 Super Lawyers magazine selected and recognized Mark with the prestigious Super Lawyers award for Northern California (only the top 5 percent of attorneys are selected).. From 2004-2024, his peers have awarded him with a Martindale Hubbell “AV” Preeminent Rating.. Throughout his career, Mark has also tried multiple cases to verdict and received multiple verdicts more than $1,000,000, entitling him to be a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an organization made up of less than 1 percent of US lawyers.. What Drives HimWhen you ask Mark where he gets his drive from, he is quick to cite the example of his mother who was struck with illness at an early age and has lived her life without complaint. Her strength is one of the reasons he believes in being self-disciplined, dedicated, and above all positive. Mark is passionate about caring for people and does much of what he does to ensure that he will create a legacy of working for justice. Mark knows that the people who seek his counsel are living through the worst times of their lives, and it matters to him that those he helps have faith in him and know he can be trusted. Mark will take risks for you, he will fight for you, and he won’t give up until you are satisfied.. Mark is most proud of how he has helped clients in need, his friendships, the dedication he and his employees have to each other, and his family. Together, they enjoy anything waterborne including power boating, surfing, sailing, wake surfing, wakeboarding, fishing, and scuba diving. They also love camping, road biking, mountain biking, and his most competitive sport of all, Scrabble, which he regularly (and happily) loses to his wife, Shelley, who has lit his way for over 30 years.. Bar AdmissionsCalifornia, 1994All State Courts within CaliforniaU.S. Court of Appeals 9th CircuitU.S. District Court Northern District of CaliforniaU.S. District Court Central District of CaliforniaU.S. District Court Southern District of CaliforniaMark has also litigated cases “pro hac vice” or as a guest attorney in New Hampshire, Arizona, Minnesota, Washington, Oregon, and Hawaii.. EducationGerry Spence’s Trial Lawyers College, studied trial skills over a 5 year period and graduated from the Trial Lawyers College in August, 2013Pepperdine University, Strauss Institute for Dispute Resolution, became a certified mediator upon completion of required coursework in 2012University of San Francisco, patent law class. Earned an A in class.University of California, Hastings College of the Law, San Francisco, CaliforniaJ.D. – 1994Honors: Snodgrass Award for Best Oral ArgumentHonors: Chairman, Moot Court Competition CommitteeLaw Review: University of San Francisco Maritime Law Review, Member, 1994University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CaliforniaB.A. – 1991Major: Political Science. Published WorksAuthor, “To Arbitrate or Not”, Silicon Valley Business Weekly, 2001. Classes/SeminarsSpeaker, “A Primer on Maritime Law”, Young Barristers’ Division Admiralty Committee, 1995“Investigating Personal Injury Claims”, California Association of Private Investigators, 1996“California Lawyer Roundtable Discussion on Employment Law”, 2002“Employment Related Records in California”, Lorman Education Services, 2003“Employment Related Records in California”, Lorman Education Services, 2004. Professional Associations and MembershipsConsumer Attorneys of CaliforniaAmerican Association of JusticeSan Francisco Trial Lawyers AssociationNational Employment Lawyers AssociationCalifornia Employment Lawyers AssociationContra Costa County Bar Association, Board Member Employment Law Section 2011, 2012, 2013American Bar Associations, MemberState Bar of California, Member. Past Employment PositionsCox Wootton, Griffin & Hansen LLP, Associate 1994-1998Haight, Gardner Holland & Knight LLP, Associate 1998-2000Holland & Knight LLP, Partner 2001-2004. VeteranUnited States Coast Guard, 1980-1985

Firm: Appel Law Firm LLP

One Walnut Creek Center 100 Pringle Avenue Suite 730 , Walnut Creek , California 94596

Practice Areas: Personal Injury

For more than 30 years, Mike Appel has devoted his practice exclusively to personal injury and wrongful death cases. He represents clients throughout California, both in State and Federal courts. Born and raised in Redondo Beach, Mike attended St. Mary’s College of California, Moraga, California, where he majored in English. He was an editor of the college’s literary magazine, "The Phoenix." He also played rugby for the Gaels, and was a member of the team that went on the first annual rugby tour of the East Coast. Mike received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1970. At graduation he also received the Alumni Medal for English. In 1973, Mike received his Juris Doctorate from Golden Gate University School of Law, San Francisco, California. He was admitted to the United States Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Federal District Courts for the Northern, Eastern, Central, and Southern Districts of California, the United States Court of Federal Claims, and the California Supreme Court. Mike is also a part-time teacher at De La Salle High School in Concord, California. He teaches American Studies: The Law and AP Government & Politics.

Firm: Bjork Lawrence

2540 Camino Diablo, Suite 201 , Walnut Creek , California 94597

Practice Areas: Business , Criminal Defense , Employment & Labor , Medical Malpractice, Personal Injury

Firm: The Herman Firm

800 S. Broadway, Suite 207 , Walnut Creek , California 94596

Practice Areas: Personal Injury

Firm: Casper, Meadows, Schwartz & Cook, A Professional Corporation

2121212212California Plaza , Walnut Creek , California 94596

Practice Areas: Personal Injury

Michael Meadows is a trial lawyer with over 30 years of experience in complex litigation.  Mr. Meadows specializes in litigating serious injury cases. He acted as co-lead counsel in a toxic tort case which resulted in an $80 million settlement. A graduate of the University of California, Hastings College of Law in 1974, Mr. Meadows was admitted to the Bar in the same year. He served on the Board of Governors of the Alameda/Contra Costa Trial Lawyers Association and the Consumer Attorneys of California. Mr. Meadows has been selected to the Northern California Super Lawyers since 2004.  He is a continuing legal education lecturer.

Firm: SumnerLaw

1299 Newell Hill Place, Suite 202 , Walnut Creek , California 94596

Practice Areas: Civil , Construction , Federal , Government Agencies, Head and Spinal Injuries, Insurance , Legal Malpractice, Personal Injury, Premises Liability, Products Liability, Wrongful Death, Car Accidents

In addition to my law practice, I am a husband and family man, an avid cyclist (both mountain-biking and road cycling), a runner and a musician.

Firm: Milanfar Law Firm, PC

1777 Oakland Blvd. , Walnut Creek , California 94596

Practice Areas: Personal Injury

Shahrad Milanfar is a trial attorney, mediator, and founder of Milanfer Law, PC, who has focused his career on serious personal injury, automotive, asbestos and other types of product liability, transportation/ trucking, and habitability cases. Since the beginning of his career, Shahrad has worked on catastrophic injury cases such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), serious orthopedic injuries, including quadriplegia and paraplegia.. Shahrad gained his trial and courtroom experience while working with the district attorney’s office and as a civil trial attorney. He has handled cases form inception to verdict as the primary trial attorney. Over the past 20+ years, Shahrad has managed serious personal injury and product liability cases involving cars, tires, motorcycles, trucks, big rigs, buses, ATVs, household and industrial products. He also has extensive experience as the primary trial attorney in these types of cases.. He has been at the forefront for the use of technology and iPads in trial presentations. He has utilized his research and understanding of human decision making and technology to effectively tell his clients’ stories in trial and mediation. Shahrad developed one of the first comprehensive courses on how to effectively utilize and iPad in trial. He has tried numerous cases to verdict utilizing an iPad with significant results. His ability to tell his clients’ stories in a compelling and human way have distinguished his approach from other attorneys.. Shahrad has designed strategies to minimize risk and maximize the chances for his clients’ success through comprehensive planning and preparation. Shahrad has significant experience advising clients on crisis management and emergency response to catastrophic events.. Shahrad is also an experienced mediator who has effectively mediated over 100 cases involving personal injury, product liability, family, guardianship, property, business and community disputes. His trial and mediation experience make Shahrad a very effective advocate who can see the case from many angles. This provides him with a significant advantage against his opponents because it allows for a much more effective approach in presenting his clients’ cases.. Shahrad was an adjunct professor at Golden Gate University School of Law between 2001-2014, where he taught trial skills and coached the Golden Gate trial teams. He is also an instructor with National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA) teaching in NITA’s trial and deposition training programs. Shahrad has taught mediation skills to attorneys, mediators, human resources, psychologists and other professionals. He has also taught in training programs for Rosenberg Mediation, Center for Human Development, and the University of San Francisco School of Law.

Firm: Casper, Meadows, Schwartz & Cook, A Professional Corporation

California Plaza , Walnut Creek , California 94596

Practice Areas: Personal Injury

Firm: O'Connor, Runckel & O'Malley LLP

1196 Boulevard Way , Walnut Creek , California 94595

Practice Areas: Personal Injury

Thomas M. O’Connor is a founding partner of the firm and currently focuses his practice on Criminal Defense and Personal Injury. As a partner in O’Connor, Runckel & O'Malley LLP, Mr. O’Connor regularly litigates personal injury and wrongful death actions and defends clients in all misdemeanor and felony matters.. At O'Connor, Runckel & O'Malley LLP, we are committed to the zealous representation of our clients in a wide array of criminal and civil matters.Criminal Defense: We draw upon our vast experience prosecuting misdemeanor and felony cases during our combined 35 years as deputy district attorneys. The cornerstone of our law firm’s success is the extensive criminal law experience of Tom O’Connor, Jason Runckel and Dan O'Malley. We have negotiated thousands of criminal cases and successfully tried hundreds of high profile felony and misdemeanor cases; including, murder, arson, residential burglary, torture, three strikes cases, domestic violence, driving under the influence, sex crimes, vehicular manslaughter, assault with deadly weapon, robbery, and juvenile. We have extensive dealings with state and federal judges, hundreds of prosecutors, and virtually every law enforcement agency in the bay area. In summary, our trial ability and negotiating skills are unsurpassed.Personal Injury: We represent plaintiffs in serious personal injury claims. Our firm’s goal is to bring justice to those who have been harmed by the wrongdoing of others. Our mission is to seek justice for our clients and rebuild their lives by seeking full compensation for their losses. We retain the finest experts, engineers, and physicians to obtain the highest possible recoveries. We are proud to play a role in keeping the justice system strong by protecting the rights of the individual. We are results driven attorneys who bring a strong combination of education, experience and practical knowledge to the representation of our clients.

Firm: O'Connor, Runckel & O'Malley LLP

1277 Treat Blvd Ste 810 , Walnut Creek , California 94597

Practice Areas: Animal Bites, Assault & Battery, Legal Malpractice, Medical Malpractice, Premises Liability, Professional Malpractice, Wrongful Death, Personal Injury

Dan O'Malley (Judge Ret.) was born and raised in the East Bay. He comes from a family of eleven, all of whom settled in the Bay Area. His practice focuses on Criminal Defense, including White Collar crime and Cal OSHA defense, Government Relations and Personal Injury. He also specializes in Mediation and Arbitration of complex and simple civil actions. He has litigated, mediated, presided over and supervised thousands of cases in these areas. Dan grew up in Contra Costa County, attended De La Salle High School and local college. He has been practicing law for the past 22 years, both as a Litigator and a Judge. Many of his family members are involved in the practice of law. His father, Bill O'Malley was the elected District Attorney, a Superior Court Judge and a Public Defender. His sister Nancy is the Chief Assistant District Attorney for Alameda County. His wife, Judge MaryAnn O'Malley is a former Deputy District Attorney and now a Judge with the Contra Costa County Superior Court. The couple was recently featured in Diablo Magazine as one of the East Bays' Power Couples.. As a Deputy District Attorney, Dan's assignments included the following: Homicide trial lawyer, Three Strikes trial lawyer, Juvenile trial lawyer as well as supervisor, Felony trial team lawyer, Misdemeanor and Felony charging deputy, Misdemeanor trial deputy as well as Supervisor, Law and Motion lawyer, Homicide Watch Search Warrant lawyer, Preliminary Hearing lawyer and supervisor, Special Operations (White Collar Crime, Civil Litigation, Environmental Crime, Consumer Fraud, Cal Osha Violations). As a Deputy District Attorney, Dan was regarded as a fierce trial lawyer. He tried many hundreds of cases including close to one hundred jury trials. He also evaluated and supervised thousands of cases, both criminal and civil. As a Judge, Department 13 (Dan's Department) presided over many civil and criminal trials. He personally mediated and settled hundreds of civil and criminal cases. He attended many educational classes with the California Judges Association as well as the Administrative Office of the Courts, California Judicial Education and Research, and the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution (Pepperdine University). In 2005 he was one of nineteen appointed to the California Judges Association Ethics Committee.. Dan was an instructor for the California District Attorneys Association statewide homicide investigators as well as local investigators. He annually taught Coping with Defenses in Homicide Cases, Evidence and Direct and Cross Examination as well as being published in the CDAA manual. Dan was Senior Instructor for the Los Medanos Criminal Justice Training Center (Police Academy) from 1988-2000. His topics included Laws of Arrest, Criminal Law, Laws of Evidence, Search and Seizure, Homicide, Crimes of Property and Persons, Miranda and Police Ethics. Dan was also an Instructor at Los Medanos, Diablo Valley and Contra Costa Colleges in the areas of civil and criminal law. Currently, he teaches Statewide Police Officers in the Institute of Criminal Investigation in Sacramento California.. In March 2000, Dan O'Malley was elected Judge of the Superior Court in Contra Costa County. Judge O'Malley's assignments included Supervising Judge of the Pittsburg Branch, Trial and Law and Motion, Proposition 36 Drug Court Supervisor. Dan then transferred to the Martinez Branch where he became the Criminal Calendar Supervisor. He handled all felony Dan's duties and accomplishments include Supervising Judge of the Pittsburg Branch of the Superior Court, Proposition 36 Supervisor, Trial and Law and Motion Judge, Criminal Felony Calendar and Trial Judge for the Martinez Branch and Civil Calendar and Trial Judge in Martinez. Judge O'Malley was a well respected by his colleagues on the bench as well as the litigants. He was honored by Recovery Happens for his outstanding work in helping litigants struggle through the Prop 36 and Drug Court litigation. Dan's extensive and unique experience has made him an invaluable representative for his clients. He understands the value of his client's cases. His credibility with Judges, Civil Litigators and Prosecutors affords his clients the best opportunity for justice. He is completely committed to giving the best representation to his clients.

2890 North Main Street , Walnut Creek , California 94597

Practice Areas: Personal Injury

I was born in New Jersey, raised in Florida, and moved to California to go to law school.. I have been practicing in the personal injury field for over 15 years now. I enjoy personal injury cases because of the wide varierty of cases you see. I have handled everything from car accident cases to construction site accident cases.. As to my hobbies, I love the outdoors and am an avid surfer, snowboarder, and mountain biker.

Firm: Casper, Meadows, Schwartz & Cook

2121 North California Boulevard , Walnut Creek , California 94596

Practice Areas: Personal Injury, Employment Discrimination, Harassment, Civil Rights Litigation, Elder Abuse, Products Liability, Wrongful Death, Accidents, Animal Attacks, Automobile Accidents and Injuries, Bodily Injury, Brain Injury, Bus Accidents, Dog Bites, Head Injury, Motor Vehicle Accidents and Injuries, Motorcycle Accidents, Pedestrian Injuries, Plaintiffs Personal Injury, Spinal Injury, Premises Liability, Catastrophic Injury, Bicycle Accidents, Severe Burns