Robert Cartwright

Legal Commentary: Rob is occasionally featured as a legal commentator for FOX National News.

Areas of Experience: Rob has extensive experience in personal injury and products liability actions and successfully tried dozens of such cases over the last several decades. Rob is currently heading the Vioxx Litigation and Helios Air Disaster Litigation and is a member of Plaintiff’s Steering Committee for the California Consolidated Vioxx actions. He also has considerable expertise in the areas of personal injury, auto accidents, wrongful death, premises liability, toxic torts, business/contract actions, wills and trust disputes and Jones Act related suits.

Affiliations: In addition to being a member in good standing with the California Bar Association, Rob is active with the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association (SFTLA), Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC), American Association for Justice (AAJ), and the Western Trial Lawyers Association.

Current Positions: Rob is a member of the Boards of Governors with the American Association for Justice (AAJ), is a member of the Board of Governors with the Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC), and is on the Board of Directors with San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association (SFTLA). Rob also has served as the Honorary Consul General of Iceland since 1996.

Past Positions of Note: Rob has served as the President of the Western Trial Lawyers Association (2006), Rob has served as the President of the Consumer Attorneys of California (2002), President Barristers Club of San Francisco (1990) and served on the Faculty at The University of San Francisco, School of Law in the Intensive Advocacy Workshop Program (1996).

Other Honors: Rob was selected as a “Northern California Super Lawyer” in 2005; Rob received recognition as Finalist for National Trial Lawyer of the Year (2002); Rob received recognition as a Finalist for California Trial Lawyer of the Year (2003); Rob received recognition as Finalist for San Francisco Trial Lawyer of the Year (2003, 2004, 2005); Rob received the ORT Jurisprudence Award (2002); Rob received the National “Joe Tonahill” Award (2004). Rob is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), which is the foremost respected group in America for trial experience. He also recently received the “Robert E. Cartwright Sr.” Award for trial advocacy and teaching trial advocacy to fellow lawyers.

Personal: Rob was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. Rob began his legal career as a trial lawyer at his father’s law firm of, Cartwright, Slobodin, Bokelman, Borowsky, Wartnick, Moore & Harris, Inc. He founded his own practice in 1996, and The Cartwright Law Firm, Inc., as it currently exists, has been together since 2001. Through out Rob’s life he has been extremely athletic and adventurous. Rob is a former marathoner and accomplished tri-athlete that completed the Alcatraz Tri-Athelon and ran his best marathon in 2hrs 53min. Rob also was a Formula Ford and Formula Mazda race car driver, and set the track and qualifying record at Thunder Hill Race Track in Northern California (these records were never broken until the track was recently reconfigured). Additionally, Rob finished 2nd and 3rd in the SCCA Regional Championships in 1995 and 1996, respectively. Rob is also a motorcycle enthusiast and owns three Triumphs. Rob enjoys water recreational sports, and is an avid boater and jet skier. He is an experienced mountaineer and has trekked extensively throughout the Himalayas, including Mt. Everest.

Areas of Practice

• Personal Injury
• Products Liability Actions
• Auto Accidents
• Wrongful Death
• Premises Liability
• Toxic Torts
• Business/Contract Actions
• Wills and Trust Disputes
• Jones Act

Bar Admissions

• California, 1982

Education

• Golden Gate University School of Law, San Francisco, California
  • J.D. – 1982
  • Honors: Research Coordinator Editor, California Tort Reporter, 1981 and 1982
• University of Puget Sound
  • B.A. – 1979
  • Honors: Member, Theta Chi fraternity
  • Major: Psychology

Published Works

• Editor-in-Chief, Consumer Attorneys of California Forum Magazine, 1996
• “Economically Processing the Personal Injury Law Suit”
• “Response to Attorney General Meese’s Comments to Changes to the Tort System,”, (Co-Author), San Francisco Barrister Law Journal
• “How to Prepare for, Take and Use a Deposition”, (Co-Author with Robert E. Benson and John C. Tredennick, Jr., , TRIAL MAGAZINE, 1991
• “Strategies and Techniques for Successful Discovery – Informal Discovery”
• “Adverse Party Depositions: Strategies that Make a Difference”

Classes/Seminars

• Lecturer, USF School of Law 1996 Intensive Advocacy Workshop Program
• Speaker, “Trends in Sports Tort; Which Way is the Ball Bouncing”, CAOC Annual Convention (1996) “Wide World of Sports Torts” Program, 1996
• Invited Speaker, “Demonstrative Evidence”, AAJ/CAOC Program at Golden Gate University School of Law, San Francisco
• Invited Speaker, “Wrongful Death of a Child”, Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association, 1998

Honors and Awards

• Who’s Who in the World, Twelfth Edition, 1995 – 1996
• International Who’s Who, 1994
• Who’s Who in American Law, 10th Edition, 1998 – 1999
• National Registry of Who’s Who, 2000 Edition, 2000
• Membership, Million Dollar Advocates Forum, 1999
• 2002 Jurisprudence Award Honoree, awarded by American ORT, 2002
• Finalist for “Trial Lawyer of the Year Award 2001” Awarded by the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
• “Presidential Award of Merit” from Consumer Attorneys of California, 2001
• “F. Scott Baldwin Award for Trial Advocacy” from the New Lawyers Division of AAJ , 2001
• American Bar Association, YLD Award of Achievement for Outstanding Activities and Accomplishments, 1989 – 1990
• Presidents Award for Outstanding Dedication and Service as AAJ Board of Governor, 1991 – 1992
• Consumer Attorneys of California Presidents Award, 1995 – 1996
• Northern California Super Lawyer, 2005
• Finalist for National Trial Lawyer of the Year, 2002
• Finalist for California Trial Lawyer of the Year, 2003
• Finalist for San Francisco Trial Lawyer of the Year, 2003 – 2005
• ORT Jurisprudence Award, 2002
• National “Joe Tonahill” Award, 2004
• Received the “Robert E. Cartwright Sr.” Award for Trial Advocacy and Teaching Trial Advocacy to Fellow Lawyers
• Proclamation of Robert E. Cartwright, Jr. Day
• Statute of Limitations Extended

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Consumer Attorneys of California, President, 2001 – 2002
• Barristers Club of San Francisco, President, 1989 – 1990
• State Bar of California, Member
• American Bar Association, Member
• San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, Member
• California Trial Lawyers Association, Member
• American Association for Justice, Member
• San Francisco Lawyers Club , Member
• American Association for Justice (AAJ), Member, Board of Governors
• California Trial Lawyers Association, Member, Board of Governors
• San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, Member, Board of Governors
• Bar Association of San Francisco, Member, Judicial Review Committee, 1989
• San Francisco American Inn of Court, Member, 1989
• AAJ Products Liability Advisory Committee, Member, 1989 – 1990
• AAJ Membership Committee, Member
• AAJ State Support Committee, Member, 1989 – 1990
• Products Liability and Consumer Law Committee of the Tort, Vice-Chairperson
• American Bar Association, Insurance Practice Section, Vice-Chairperson
• Minorities in the Profession Committee of the ABA Young Lawyers Division, Member, Executive Committee
• The State Bar of California for the Bar Association of San Francisco, Chair of the Subcommittee on Evidence for the Conference of Delegates, 1990
• Legal Frontiers and Issues on Appeal for the Annual CTLA Convention 1990, Chair/Moderator, 1990
• Barristers Club of San Francisco, Chair, Nominating Committee – Board of Directors, 1990
• AAJ Ambassadors Committee, Member, 1990 – 1991
• AAJ California Project Committee, Member, 1990 – 1991
• BASF on Judicial Evaluation Committee, Chair, Member of Committee
• 1991 Program – Young Lawyers into the 90’s – CTLA Tahoe Convention, Moderator
• Bar Association of San Francisco Delegation to the State Bar of California Conference of Delegates, Member, Executive Committee
• California Trial Lawyers Association, San Francisco Board, Member, Recognition of Experienced Program Committee
• CTLA to the AAJ Liaison Committee, Chair, 1992
• TIPS Committee on Membership, Chair-Elect, 1992 – 1993
• AAJ Public Relations Committee, Member, 1992 – 1993
• AAJ, Member, Key Person Committee, 1992 – Present
• AAJ, Member, Joint Membership Development Committee
• AAJ, Member, NCA Foundation Board Committee, 1992 – 1993
• Balmoral Capital Corporation, Board of Directors, 1995
• AAJ Civil Justice Foundation, Trustee, 1995 – 1996
• Expert Witness Certificate Program at Cal State Long Beach, Advisory Board Member, 1997
• TLPJ Foundation, Membership Committee, 1997 – 1998
• World Affairs Council of Northern California, Member, 1998
• Diversity of Law Foundation, Member, Board of Directors, 1998
• CAOC Diversity in Law Committee, Member and Secretary, 1998
• Western Trial Lawyers Association, Board Member, 1998 – 1999
• Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, Member, 1985 – Present
• Professor Thomas F. Lambert, Jr. Chair, Member
• American Bar Association, Tort and Insurance Practice Section, Member, Editorial Board of The Brief, 1989 – 1990
• Barrister Law Journal, a Publication of the Barristers Club of San Francisco, Immediate Past Editor-in-Chief/Current Editor
• Syllabus Editor, California Trial Lawyers l987 Midwinter Convention at Lake Tahoe
• ABA, Product, General Liability and Consumer Law Division of the Tort and Insurance Practice Section, Vice Chairperson, 1987
• ABA, Professional Independence and Responsibility of the Lawyer Division of the Tort and Insurance Practice Section, Vice Chairperson, 1987
• San Francisco Barrister Law Journal, Managing Editor, 1988
• AAJ, Chairperson, Law Student Committee, 1987 – 1988
• 1987 AAJ Annual Convention, Co-Chairperson
• AAJ, Chairperson, Young Lawyer Recruitment Committee, 1987
• At-Large of the AAJ Amicus Curiae Committee, Member, 1986 – 1987
• PAC-Drive Participant, 1987 – 1988
• PAC-Drive Participant, 1989
• AAJ, Member, Historical Committee, 1988 – 1989

Past Employment Positions

• Western Trial Lawyers Association, President, 2006
• Consumer Attorneys of California, President, 2002
• Barristers Club of San Francisco, President, 1990
• The University of San Francisco, School of Law in the Intensive Advocacy Workshop Program, Faculty, 1996

Pro Bono Activities

• Member of Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
• Member of the Professor Thomas F. Lambert, Jr. Chair
• Syllabus Editor for the California Trial Lawyers l987 Midwinter Convention at Lake Tahoe
• Vice Chairperson of the Product, General Liability and Consumer Law Division of the Tort and Insurance Practice Section of the ABA
• Vice Chairperson of the Professional Independence and Responsibility of the Lawyer Division of the Tort and Insurance Practice Section of the ABA
• Managing Editor of the San Francisco Barrister Law Journal
• Chairperson of AAJ Law Student Committee, 1987 – 1988
• Co-Chairperson 1987 AAJ Annual convention
• Chairperson of AAJ Young Lawyer Recruitment Committee
• Member-At-Large of the AAJ Amicus Curiae Committee, 1986 – 1987
• PAC-drive participant , 1987 – 1989
• Member of the AAJ Historical Committee

Fraternities/Sororities

• Theta Chi