Joel Siegal

More About Attorney Joel Siegal

For 35 years, I have represented people who don't always have the resources to take on litigation against the big powerful institutions of our society: big corporations, insurance companies and governments. I have the experience, the brains, the chutzpah, the resources and the desire to fight on your behalf. I have represented people in many of California's counties, and I have spent my life in public service because I believe in it. I am passionate about it.

I began to learn in earnest in 1983 as an apprentice to noted labor and civil rights lawyer Jerry Garchik. No sooner had I been admitted to The State Bar of California than I found myself working on one of the most significant civil rights cases ever to affect the Chinese community in America: the Henry Liu wrongful death case. We represented the family of Chinese journalist Henry Liu, who was assassinated at his home in Daly City, California, by agents of the DIB, the Taiwanese equivalent of the CIA. The case, which was ultimately heard before the U.S. Supreme Court (Liu v. Republic of China, 892 F.2d 1419 (9th Cir. 1989) cert. denied 497 U.S. 1058 (1990), was also profiled on the CBS news show "60 Minutes."

Like other immigrant communities in America, the Chinese community is fascinating and multifaceted. Working with the Chinese community in Northern California reminded me very much of the significant work I had done with the Irish community in New York City when I worked for the former president of the New York City Council, Paul O'Dwyer, and his son, New York attorney Brian O'Dwyer.

Aside from the significant work of having our cases heard before the U.S. Supreme Court, my working with Jerry Garchik was also a lot of fun. Jerry's wife Leah Garchik is a noted gossip columnist with the San Francisco Chronicle. Dinner parties at their home were always very interesting. One night I met one of Jerry's Harvard Law classmates and author of The Paper Chase, John Osborn, who told me that one of the characters in that novel is modeled after Jerry. I still share office space with Jerry and several other top-rated lawyers. We are friends and colleagues and have developed a wonderful network of excellent and caring professionals.

Early in my legal career, while an adjunct professor at San Francisco Law School, the daughter of one of my students was sexually molested at the Presidio Army Base Day Care Center. I ended up representing several families whose children were sexually assaulted and abused there by an army colonel with ties to the Church of Satan. I was one of several plaintiffs' lawyers in the case, which involved 66 children. A plaintiffs' lawyers committee was formed that included noted San Francisco attorney Melvin Belli. The experience gave me the opportunity to work with and befriend some of the best lawyers in Northern California.

Sexual and fiduciary abuse has become an area of law that I have litigated about frequently in recent years. I successfully represented a woman who was sexually assaulted by her physician at a prominent San Francisco teaching hospital.

I also successfully represented a young woman who had recently immigrated to America from Africa. She had been sexually assaulted by her parish priest, also a recent African immigrant. Through pretrial discovery, research and the use of expert witnesses (including a prominent former priest and Vatican historian), we were able to establish that although celibacy is a tenet of the church in Europe and in America, it is not so in Africa, and that upon his arrival in the United States, the priest was not properly trained. We obtained a significant victory.

Not all cases I take on are high-profile. In fact, many cases I accept are the kind of cases that you don't read about in the newspapers but truly affect people's lives. For example, I successfully represented a family whose young baby was severely burned by a fireplace in a hotel room. I also represented a young woman whose mother was tragically killed in a vehicle accident caused by a tire service truck. In addition, I have successfully represented clients in environmental accidents, such as exposures to chemicals and toxins. I represented several victims of serious personal injuries when their van was struck by an 18-wheeler along the Grapevine in California. I have also represented motorcycle accident victims who were struck by various types of trucks.

Some of my cases have become matters of public record because the verdicts and settlements are significant.

I have been a member of The State Bar of California for more than 35 years. I am a tireless advocate on behalf of anyone in need of justice. My practice focuses on the areas of personal injury, labor and employment law, medical malpractice, elder abuse, dangerous or defective products, mass tort litigation, and family law mediation.