Ed Dudensing

As the founder and lead counsel at Dudensing Law, Edward P. Dudensing specializes in representing plaintiffs in elder abuse cases, with a particular focus on neglect and abuse that takes place in assisted living facilities and nursing homes. He is widely recognized as one of the nation’s most successful and knowledgeable elder abuse attorneys.  

Based in California, Mr. Dudensing serves clients in Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and throughout the state.  

Ed’s ability to navigate the intricacies of elder law and his relentless pursuit of justice have solidified his standing as a leader in the field. During his 20+ year career solely dedicated to the cause of representing victims of elder abuse, Mr. Dudensing has successfully brought cases against some of California’s largest assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and healthcare conglomerates, securing well over $100,000,000 in recoveries on behalf of his clients. He has achieved multiple significant elder abuse jury verdicts, including a $29.1 million verdict in 2010, a $42.5 million verdict in 2019, and a $30.9 million verdict in 2023. The $42.5 million verdict is the largest elder abuse verdict against an assisted living facility in United States history. The recent $30.9 million verdict is the largest skilled nursing verdict in the history of the Sacramento and Greater San Francisco Bay Area region, surpassing Mr. Dudensing’s prior record of $29.1 million for that region. In addition, Mr. Dudensing has served as lead counsel in appellate cases that have set key legal precedents in elder law.  

His legal expertise extends beyond the courtroom, where he has earned a reputation for his tenacious advocacy and has a deep understanding of the complexities surrounding elder abuse cases. Mr. Dudensing is a vocal advocate for policy reform and better enforcement of elder care regulations. In 2010, he worked alongside The Sacramento Bee to explain the labyrinthine corporate structure of nursing homes that has led to an increase in elder abuse and neglect cases. Mr. Dudensing’s commentary can be found in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Sacramento Bee, The Mercury News, ABC7 San Francisco, CalMatters, Healthcare Dive, and more. He frequently publishes blogs for attorneys and clients on his website, ensuring consistent and valuable information reaches the legal community and those seeking answers for family members.  

Mr. Dudensing is also a frequent speaker at California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR), the state’s largest nursing home advocacy organization. He is an adjunct professor at the UC Law San Francisco (formerly Hastings), where he teaches law students about elder abuse litigation. Starting in 2025, Ed will be the sole author of the Rutter Group’s treatise addressing elder abuse litigation. Ed is a member of CANHR, the National Consumer Voice for Long-Term Care, the American Association of Justice’s Nursing Home Litigation Group, the Sacramento County Bar Association, and the State Bar of California.  

In recognition of his work, Mr. Dudensing has been selected as a Super Lawyer from 2011 to 2024 and was awarded Advocate of the Year by the Capital City Trial Attorneys in 2023. Dudensing Law has been recognized with several prestigious awards in 2024, including being named among the Top Boutique Law Firms by the Daily Journal, acknowledged as Top Lawyers in Sacramento by Sactown Magazine, and honored with the Distinguished Leader Award by The Recorder and Law.com. 

After graduating from law school and passing the bar in 1994, Mr. Dudensing clerked for the Honorable Robert C. Broomfield, Chief Judge of the Federal District Court in Arizona, for two years. From 1996 to 1999, Ed was a litigation associate at the international law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. From 1999 to 2003, Mr. Dudensing was a Deputy District Attorney in Sacramento County. In that role, Mr. Dudensing first-chaired more than 50 trials to verdict. As a prosecutor, Mr. Dudensing tried cases of murder, attempted murder, rape, child molestation, and gang crimes, among many others. He also handled financial elder abuse cases, which sparked his passion for advocating for this vulnerable population. 

At the University of California, Berkeley, Mr. Dudensing earned his undergraduate degree in political science, then attended law school at the University of California, Davis School of Law. At UC Davis School of Law, Mr. Dudensing graduated in the top 3% of his class and was inducted into the Order of the Coif for academic excellence. Mr. Dudensing also served as the Executive Editor of the UC Davis Law Review. Mr. Dudensing was also elected to the Order of the Barrister for his skills in oral advocacy, which included his membership on the law school’s traveling mock trial team. Following graduation, Mr. Dudensing coached the UC Davis traveling mock trial teams for many years.