Joseph W. Cotchett

A founding partner of Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP, Joseph W. Cotchett has fought for the rights of his clients against powerful entities and individuals. He has done so for more than five decades from his office in San Francisco, California. Widely recognized across the nation, Mr. Cotchett's legal practice is divided between the areas of business litigation, civil rights and consumer law.

Mr. Cotchett was first licensed to practice law in 1965 when he graduated with his Juris Doctor from the University of California Hastings College of the Law. He has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America directory every year since it was first published. As a trial litigator, Mr. Cotchett has been recognized as a top attorney in Northern California and among the 10 best in the state. He holds an AV Preeminent* rating from his peers through Martindale-Hubbell.

Over his long career, Mr. Cotchett has litigated more than one hundred cases through trial and has negotiated favorable settlements in hundreds more. In the 1980s, Mr. Cotchett made a name for himself by winning numerous complex cases with verdicts and settlements in the hundreds of millions of dollars for his clients. The Los Angeles | San Francisco Daily Journal characterized him as one of the top trial strategists in California. He has represented investors in white collar and antitrust actions, securing major awards and settlements against multiple Wall Street hedge funds and investment firms. His firm has been involved in many major corporate scandals, fighting for the rights of underdogs and winning for them. He is dedicated to giving back and his dedicated himself to pro bono representation. This includes representing 7,600 Amerasian children who were left behind in the Philippines after a military base closure.

*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license 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 Rating™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.