Richard Bridgford

Richard Bridgford is the founding partner of Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian in Newport Beach, California, and a seasoned trial attorney whose four-decade career has secured countless seven- and eight-figure recoveries for clients in jury trials, bench trials, arbitrations, mediations, appeals and negotiated settlements. His litigation practice spans complex business disputes – including class actions, partnership conflicts, breach of contract claims, commercial fraud, construction defects and delays – as well as high-stakes personal injury matters, wrongful death suits and real estate and broker/finder disputes. 

In addition to his core practice areas, Mr. Bridgford has represented individuals and corporate clients in insurance bad-faith and coverage litigation, high-value estate and trust disputes, unfair competition and trade-secret cases, employment-related wrongs and catastrophic automobile accidents. Over the years, he has navigated liability exposures ranging from half a million dollars to $13.5 billion. 

An academic standout, Mr. Bridgford graduated summa cum laude from Stanford University in 1982 with a B.A. in economics and a perfect grade-point average, then earned his J.D. from Stanford Law School in 1985. While in law school, he served as an extern to the White House Office of Legal Counsel in Washington, D.C., and, upon graduation, practiced in both Los Angeles and Orange County before establishing his Newport Beach firm. 

Beyond the courtroom, Mr. Bridgford is deeply committed to legal education and civic engagement. He serves as president of the University of California, Irvine Law Dean’s Advisory Board, is a founding member and board member of the Civil Justice Research Institute, and sits on the UCI Foundation Board of Trustees. His past charitable leadership includes board roles with Second Harvest Food Bank, the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation and other nonprofit organizations. 

Mr. Bridgford’s professional excellence has been recognized with a “Superb” score on Avvo and a Distinguished* peer-review rating through Martindale-Hubbell. His honors include the National Philanthropy Day Award (2009), the American Diabetes Association’s Father of the Year Award (2011), the Boy Scouts of America’s Man of Character Award (2014) and listings in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Lawyers (2022–2023).

*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 Ratings™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.