Richard Alexander

Bar / Professional Activity

• Michigan, 1969
• California, 1971
• U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 1974
• U.S. District Court Northern District of California, 1972
• Santa Clara County Criminal Justice Advisory Board, Chair, 1978 to 1980 
• California Attorneys for Criminal Justice, Founding Member
• California Trial Lawyers Association, Recognized Experience in Trial, Trial Law, Personal Injury and Product Liability 
• California Consumer Attorneys, Governor and Vice President
• Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Member 
• California Trial Lawyers Association, Executive Committee, Member, 1991 
• California Trial Lawyers Association, Vice President, 1995 to 1996 
• California Trial Lawyers Association, Board of Governors, Member, 1990 – 1994, 1997 – 1999 
• State Bar of California, Vice President, 1987 to 1988 
• State Bar of California, Board of Governors, Member, 1985 to 1988 
• State Bar of California, Committee on Professional Ethics, Member, 1977 to 1981 
• Santa Clara County Bar Association, President, 1984 to 1984 
• Santa Clara County Bar Association, Trustee, 1979 to 1981 
• State Bar of California, Governor
• Santa Clara County Bar Association, Member 
• National Association of Consumer Advocates, Founding Member 
• American Arbitration Association, Panel of Arbitrators, Member 
• California Lawyers’ PAC, Board of Directors, Member, 1989 
• National Plaintiff’s Management Committee, Bausch & Lomb Contact Lenses, Class Certified by the U.S.D.C. of Georgia, Member, 1994 to 1994
• Richmond Toxic Cloud Class Action, Executive Committee, Member 
• Allstate Neighborhood Agents Class Action, Executive Committee, Member 
• National Plaintiff’s Attorneys’ Committee, General Motors’ Pickup, Saddle Bag Gas Tanks Class Action, Phila. U.S.D.C., E.D. Pennsylvania, Member 
• National Plaintiff’s Attorneys’ Committee, General Electric Energy, Choice Light Bulb Fraud Class Action, U.S.D.C., N.D. Cal., Member 
• National Plaintiff’s Attorneys’ Committee, Sears Automotive Fraud, Class Action, Concluded, Member, 1992 to 1992 
• Southern Pacific R.R. Sacramento River Spill, Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee, Member, 1991 to 1991 
• PSA Air Disaster, Plaintiff’s Steering Committee, Member, 1987 to 1987 
• Santa Clara County Law Library Foundation, Founding Director, 1985 
• Superior Court Arbitration Administration Committee, Co-Chair, 1979 to 1982 

Verdicts / Settlements (Case Results)

• $79,860,000 trial verdict for defective surgical stapler. Largest defective product verdict in California.
• $200,000,000 first U.S. “buy back” of defective Nissan minivans from 33,000 owners
• $8,132,000 jury verdict for brain injury caused by a big rig
• $2,250,000 recovery for an intoxicated bicyclist whose arm was crushed by a VTA bus.
• $3,000,000 for multiple fractures by a pedestrian struck by a truck
• $1,100,000 mild traumatic brain injury caused by collision

Special Licenses / Certifications

• Civil Trial Advocate, National Board of Trial Advocacy

Pro bono / Community Service

• Roscoe Pound Foundation, Member

Educational Background

• Ohio Wesleyan University, B.A., Majors: Economics and Political Science, Honors: Phi Sigma Alpha, 1996

Scholarly Lectures / Writings

• Breast Implants, L-Tryptophan and Utility Pick-up Trucks, Ethics in Business Forum, May 1992 
• A New and Developing Tort: Adoption Fraud, California Trial Lawyers Association Tahoe Convention Handbook, March, 1993
• Fraud by Adoption Agencies, 23 California Trial Lawyers Association Forum 27, March, 1993 
• Cutting Edge Litigation: Computer Simulation and Animation in the Courtroom – The New Wave, California Trial Lawyers Association, San Francisco Convention Handbook, November, 1993 
• Traumatic Brain Injury – Proving a Lifetime Disability, California Trial Lawyers Association, San Francisco Convention Handbook, November, 1994 
• Proving Chemically Induced Asthma Symptoms: Reactive Airways Dysfunction Syndrome, A New Medical Development, 22 California Trial Lawyers Association Forum 13, July/Aug, 1992 
• Product Liability: Preventing Deaths From Tire Explosions Caused by Known Design Defects, 22 California Trial Lawyers Association Forum 17, September, 1992 
• Preparing the Defective Product Case, 47 The California Legal Secretary 34, February, 1993 
• Cancer War Needs an Informed Public: Known Carcinogens to be Avoided, 22 California Trial Lawyers Association Forum 13, 1992 
• A Protocol for Increasing Client Communication and Successful Case Outcomes: Replicating the Medical Model of Service Delivery in a Remedial Practice, 21 California Trial Lawyers Association Forum 357, 1991 
• Ending Secrecy in Defective Product Litigation: New Federal Reporting Rule for Consumer Products, 21 California Trial Lawyers Association Forum 103, 1991 
• A Developing Toxic Tort: Lumber Mills, Log Cabins, Leukemia, Lymphomas and Soft Tissue Sarcomas: The Case against Pentachlorophenol (Co-Authored with Robert Bohn), 21 California Trial Lawyers Association Forum 195, 1991 
• Aviation Litigation: Protecting Government From Liability – FAA Approach to Flight Safety, 21 California Trial Lawyers Association Forum 67, 1991 
• Ending Secrecy in Defective Product Litigation, 21 California Trial Lawyers Association Forum 133, 1991 
• Limiting the Application of Proposition 51 in Cases of Liability Based on Public Policy, 20 California Trial Lawyers Association Forum 299, 1990 
• Proving a National Real Estate Franchisor’s Joint Venture Tort Liability, 20 California Trial Lawyers Association Forum 221, 1990 
• New Directions in Product Liability Warning Cases (Co-Authored with Robert Bohn), 18 California Trial Lawyers Association Forum 123, 1988 
• Civil Litigation Specialist–Time for Comment, 17 California Trial Lawyers Association Forum 173, 1987 
• The Effect of Inflation or Damages for Future Losses, 16 California Trial Lawyers Association Forum 173, 1986 
• The Litigation Explosion Myth and the Confusion About Court Congestion, 15 California Trial Lawyers Association Forum 290, 1985 
• It’s Time for the Bar to Meet the Press, 15 California Trial Lawyers Association Forum 234, 1985 
• Attorney’s Fees for Pro Bono Services, 15 California Trial Lawyers Association Forum 60, 1985 
• Ethical Considerations: Organized Labor Actions by District Attorneys and Public Defenders, 21 In Brief 35, 1984 
• Punitive Damages: Corporate Liability for the Acts of Agents and Employees (Co-Authored with Robert Bohn), 13 California Trial Lawyers Association Forum 338, 1983 
• Admiralty, Federalism and the New York Direct Action Statute: Seamen’s Rights to Enforce Jones Act Judgments, 49 Brook. L. Rev. 179, 1983 
• Product Liability Cases: A Game Plan for Success, 12 California Trial Lawyers Association Forum 95, 1982 
• Admissibility of Experimental Evidence, 12 California Trial Lawyers Association Forum 190, 1982 
• Complex Litigation: How to Harness the Information Explosion, 15 Trial 74, 1982 
• Grand Jury Indictment Versus Prosecution by Information–An Equal Protection–Due Process Issue (Co-Authored with Sheldon Portman), 25 Hastings L.J. 977 (Adopted, Hawkins v. Superior Court, 22 C.3d 584, 1974), 1978 
• Arrest Record Expungement in California: The Polishing of Sterling (Co-Authored with Kathleen Walz), 9 U.S.F. L. Rev. 299, 1974 
• Privacy, Banking and the Supreme Court; A Before and After Look at Miller (Co-Author with Roberta Spurgeon), 10 Sw. U. L. Rev. 13, 1978 
• The Right to Privacy and Arrest Record Retention of the Innocent, California Attorneys for Criminal Justice Forum, May, 1974 
• Videotape in the Courtroom, 14 In Brief 50, 1978 
• Consumers’ Rights in the Legal Marketplace, 54 Cal. St. B.J. 314, 1979 
• Products Liability: Proving the Plaintiff’s Case, 18 In Brief 22, 1981 
• Advanced Litigation Support: Computerized Information Sources for Trial Attorneys, 12 California Trial Lawyers Association Forum 54, 1982 
• Habeas Corpus and Mandamus as Remedies for Denial of Administrative Discharges, Chicago Military Conference, 1970 to 1970
• Constitutional Developments: The Fourth Amendment, California Trial Lawyers Association, Newport Beach, 1973 to 1973
• Moderator, Search and Seizure and Eyewitness Identification, School of Law, University of Puget Sound, Continuing Legal Education of the Bar, 1985 to 1985
• Products Liability, Preparation and Proof of the Plaintiff’s Case, California Trial Lawyers Association, San Francisco/Los Angeles, 1978 to 1978
• Developments in Product Liability Law, Bay Area Legal Secretaries Forum, Sunnyvale, 1980 to 1980
• Products Liability, an Overview, San Francisco, 1981 to 1981
• Creative Approaches to Discovery, Redwood Empire Trial Lawyers Association, 1981 to 1981 
• Computerized Discovery and the Information Explosion, Ventura County Trial Lawyers Association, 1981 to 1981
• Advanced Discovery Techniques: Modern Information Sources, Santa Clara County Trial Lawyers Association, 1982 to 1982
• Anatomy of an $8.5 Million Settlement, Throop v. Conrail, Georgetown University Law Center, Continuing Legal Education Division, Washington, District of Columbia, 1981 to 1981
• A Multimillion Dollar Judgment, From Beginning the Settlement, Georgetown University Law Center, Continuing Legal Education Division, Washington, District of Columbia, 1982 to 1982
• Tort Damages for Child Abuse, Georgetown University Law Center, Continuing Legal Education Division, Washington, District of Columbia, 1984 to 1984
• Representing the Victim of Sexual Assault, Santa Clara County Bar Association, 1984 to 1984
• Epilogue to Amelia, San Francisco Women in Criminal Justice, 1984 to 1984
• Bad Faith Litigation, Establishing Insurance Coverage in Child Molestation Cases, California Trial Lawyers Association, San Diego, 1984 to 1984
• Increasing Professional Visibility Through the Media, State Bar of California Conference of Bar Leaders, San Jose, 1985 to 1985
• Remedies for Victims of Crimes While Avoiding the Intentional Tort Insurance Exclusion, San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, 1985 to 1985
• Civil Remedies for Victims of Crime, Santa Clara County Victim Witness Assistance Center, 1985 to 1985
• Child Abuse and the Law, Child Advocacy Council, Redwood City, 1985 to 1985
• New Developments in Providing Compensation for Victims of Crime – The Molested Child, Joint Meeting of the Certified Family Law Specialists and the Palo Alto Bar Association, 1985 to 1985
• Medical Malpractice and Today’s Insurance Environment, Western Section Radiologists Educational Seminar, San Francisco, 1986 to 1986
• A Day in Court, California Trial Lawyers Association, San Jose, July 1986 
• Advanced Advocacy College – Demonstrative Evidence, California Trial Lawyers Association, Los Angeles, May 1986 
• Direct Evidence in Civil Trial Practice, California Trial Lawyers Association, Annual State Convention, Newport Beach, 1986 to 1986
• Meeting the Challenge of the Child Sexual Abuse Case, Redwood Empire Trial Lawyers Association, Santa Rosa, 1986 to 1986
• State Bar Board of Governors’ Report, Santa Cruz County Bar Association, October 1986 
• Recovering Damages for Child Abuse, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Northern California Chapter, San Francisco, January 1987 
• Effective Investigation – A Special Case Study, Central Coast Claims Association, San Jose, February 1987 
• Prescription for Recovery of the Abused Child: An Inter-Disciplinary Approach, Children’s Hospital Mental Health Symposium, San Francisco, February 1987 
• Trial Skills Workshop, University of California Continuing Education of the Bar, San Jose, June 1987 
• Settling Personal Injury Cases with Your Eyes Open – Settlement Law and Practice, The Rutter Group and the Santa Clara County Bar Association, San Jose, July 1987 
• Update on Mandatory Legal Malpractice Insurance, The State Bar of California, Los Angeles, September 1987 
• 1988 Update: Personal Injury Litigation/1987 Reform Legislation, The Rutter Group and the Santa Clara County Bar Association, San Jose, January 1988 
• Malpractice and Professional Liability, National Association of Social Workers, San Jose, 1988 to 1988 
• 1989 Update Program: Personal Injury Litigation, The Rutter Group and the Santa Clara County Bar Association, San Jose, February 1989 
• Sharpening Your Basic Trial Skills, University of California Continuing Education of the Bar 
• Liens on Personal Injury Recoveries, Sunnyvale, September 1989, Monterey, August 1989, Fresno, August 1989 
• Fundamentals of Personal Injury Litigation, 24 Hour Course, San Jose, November 1989, November 1987, December 1985, November 1981-1984 
• Demonstrative Evidence in Products Liability Cases, California Trial Lawyers Association, Lake Tahoe, March 1990 
• Maximizing Recoveries for Victims of Personal Injuries, Central Coast Trial Lawyers Association, San Luis Obispo, May 1990 
• Joint and Several Liability Revisited, University of California Continuing Education of the Bar, San Jose, August 1990 
• 7th Annual Advocacy College – Trial Skills by the Masters, California Trial Lawyers Association, San Francisco, September 1990 
• Proposition 51 Complications in Cases of Employer Negligence, California Trial Lawyers Association, San Diego, November 1990 
• Proving Defective Design in Defective Automobile Cases, California Trial Lawyers Association, San Diego, November 1990 
• Products Liability: Ending Secrecy in Defective Product Litigation – New Federal Reporting Rule for Consumer Products, California Trial Lawyers Association, Lake Tahoe, March 1991 
• Professor John J. Montgomery of Santa Clara County College v. Wilbur and Orville Wright of Dayton, Ohio, A Paternity Suit to Determine the True Father of American Aviation, Santa Clara University/Santa Clara County Historical Society Court of Historical Review, March 1991 
• Legal and Financial Issues for Head Injury Survivors and Their Families, Brain Injury Task Force of Santa Clara County and the Family Survival Project, May 1991 
• Torts of Abuse, California Trial Lawyers Association, San Francisco, November 1991 
• The Mac in the Law Office: A Research Tool in Toxic Tort Injury Cases, MacWorld Exposition, San Francisco, 1992 to 1992 
• Traumatic Brain Injury and the Legal System, Brain Injury Rehabilitation Conference, San Jose, 1992 to 1992 
• Lecturer, Traumatic Brain Injury – Proving a Lifetime Disability, California Trial Lawyers Association, San Francisco, November 1994 
• Computer Simulation and Animation in the Courtroom, CTLA Annual Convention, San Francisco, November 1993 
• Adjunct Faculty, Advocacy Skills Workshop: Closing Argument and Trial, Stanford University School of Law, January 14-15, 1994 
• Lecturer, Consumer Class Actions: A Primer for P.I. Attorneys, California Trial Lawyers Association, Lake Tahoe, April 1994 
• Lecturer, Bridging the Gap: A Program for New Attorneys – Developing Your Talents, Santa Clara County Bar Association, February 1994 
• Lecturer, Creative Advocacy Training Trial Skills Workshop, San Francisco Bar Association, May 1994 
• Lecturer, Anatomy of a Crisis when a Medical Device Product Fails — Plaintiff’s Perspective, 1994 Medical Device CEO Summit, Pebble Beach, September 1994 

Honors

• Top 100 California Lawyers, American Trial Lawyers Association
• Who’s Who in American Law
• Who’s Who in California
• First molested child verdict in Santa Clara County 1984
• Santa Clara County Trial Lawyer of the Year
• Recognized Trial Lawyer by Consumer Attorneys of California
• Million Dollar Advocates Forum Roundtable
• Pro Bono Award Santa Clara Center for Occupational Safety
• Owens-Illinois Scholar, Ohio Wesleyan University
• Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition Award for Community Service
• First “Man of the Year” by The Women’s Fund
• Distinguished Humanitarian Award, Bnai Zion Foundation
• Santa Clara School of Law Community Law Center Award
• Leading Lawyer, San Jose Magazine
• Northern California “Super Lawyer”
• Esteemed Lawyers of America, a peer selected honor
• National Recognition New York Times Power Lawyers of Distinction
• Best Lawyers – national recognition
• Author of 1,300 articles and blogs, including 5 peer reviewed law review articles.
• First Recipient, Pro Bono Award for Advocacy & Service on Behalf of Persons Injured in the Workplace, Santa Clara Ctr for OSHA, August
• Phi Delta Phi
• Awardee, Full-Tuition National Honor Scholarship, University of Chicago Law School
• Super Lawyer, Northern California Super Lawyers
• Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America, American Trial Lawyers Association
• Highest Rating, Martindale-Hubbell
• Rated “Superb” by AVVO
• Best Personal Injury Lawyer, San Jose Magazine
• Nominee, Statewide Street Fighter of the Year, Consumer Attorneys of California
• Trial Lawyer of the Year, Santa Clara County Trial Lawyers Association
• Outstanding Young Men of America
• Santa Clara County Youth Commission Medal
• Mayor’s Commendation for Distinguished Service

Awards

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Avvo Top Contributor: This award is granted to attorneys who have significantly contributed to Avvo.com by answering questions in the Q&A forum, publishing legal guides, or other meaningful contributions to the Avvo community.

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Avvo Client's Choice Award: This award is granted to attorneys with at least 5 reviews with 4+ stars in a given year on Avvo.com

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AV Preeminent®: This elite award is granted to attorneys who have been recognized by their peers for their very high ethical standards, with an average peer review score of 4.5 or higher.