Selected as a SuperLawyer for the 14th year in a row!

Founding partner of the Cartwright Law Firm, Inc., Rob received his J.D. in 1982 and began his career as a trial lawyer at the former Cartwright, Sucherman, Slobobin, Bokelman, Borowsky, Wartnick, Moore, Harris, Alexander & Gruen firm in San Francisco.  He has dedicated his practice to representation of plaintiffs.

Rob was National Trial Lawyers for Public Justice finalist for “Trial Lawyer of the Year” in connection with a successful verdict against a product manufacturer resulting in a products recall.  He is also a SFTLA’s Trial Lawyer of the Year finalist in 2003, 2004, and 2005, and for CAOC in 2003.

He served as President of The Consumer Attorneys of California in 2002, spearheading that organization’s most successful legislative year in the organization’s history.  This included a successful effort to elect 12 consumer-friendly legislators to the Assembly and multiple pieces of consumer-friendly legislation being passed, including extending opposition to summary judgment from 28 days to 75 days, and extending the one year statute of limitations to two years.  There were several other bills passed related to construction defect, a one-year window was re-opened for victims of clergy sexual abuse to file a claim, as well as five bills curtailing mandatory pre-dispute binding arbitration.

He is a former President of the San Francisco Barristers Club, former President of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association 2019, and the Past President of Western Trial Lawyers Association 2005.  He has served on numerous boards and committees, including the Board of Governors of AAJ, Education Chair of the Western Trial Lawyers Association.  He has served as an Editor of the California Tort Reporter, the Editor-in-Chief of the Barrister Law Journal, Editor of The Brief, an ABA publication, a consulting editor for Trial Magazine and Editor-in-Chief of the CAOC Forum Magazine.

He is a member of ABOTA and recipient of the “Robert E. Cartwright, Sr.” Award for trial advocacy in teaching trial advocacy to fellow lawyers.

He is the recipient of the 2026 “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association which honors attorneys who have dedicated their careers to personal injury advocacy and protecting victims’ rights. It recognizes exceptional trial skills, long-term dedication to the civil justice system, and commitment to mentoring young attorneys.

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Education: Rob received his J.D., in 1982 from Golden Gate University, School of Law. While at Golden Gate Law School, Rob served as the Research Coordinator Editor for the California Tort Reporter for two years. Rob graduated from the University of Puget Sound in 1979 and received a B.A. in Psychology. Rob was also a member of Theta Chi fraternity.

Legal Commentary: Rob is occasionally featured as a legal commentator for FOX National News.

Areas of Experience: Rob has extensive experience in personal injury and products liability actions and successfully tried dozens of such cases over the last several decades. Rob is currently heading the Vioxx Litigation and Helios Air Disaster Litigation and is a member of Plaintiff’s Steering Committee for the California Consolidated Vioxx actions. He also has considerable expertise in the areas of personal injury, auto accidents, wrongful death, premises liability, toxic torts, business/contract actions, wills and trust disputes and Jones Act related suits.

Affiliations: Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC), American Association for Justice (AAJ), and the Western Trial Lawyers Association.

Current Positions: Rob is currently President of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association (SFTLA). He sits on the Board of Governors for both the American Association for Justice (AAJ) and the Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC). Rob has also been serving as the Honorary Consul General of Iceland since 1996.

Past Positions of Note: Rob has served as the President of the Western Trial Lawyers Association (2006), Rob has served as the President of the Consumer Attorneys of California (2002), President Barristers Club of San Francisco (1990) and served on the Faculty at The University of San Francisco, School of Law in the Intensive Advocacy Workshop Program (1996).

Other Honors: Rob was selected as a “Northern California Super Lawyer” for 14 years in a row; Rob received recognition as Finalist for National Trial Lawyer of the Year (2002); Rob received recognition as a Finalist for California Trial Lawyer of the Year (2003); Rob received recognition as Finalist for San Francisco Trial Lawyer of the Year (2003, 2004, 2005); Rob received the ORT Jurisprudence Award (2002); Rob received the National “Joe Tonahill” Award (2004). Rob is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), which is the foremost respected group in America for trial experience. He also recently received the “Robert E. Cartwright Sr.” Award for trial advocacy and teaching trial advocacy to fellow lawyers.

Published Works

• Editor-in-Chief, Consumer Attorneys of California Forum Magazine, 1996
• “Economically Processing the Personal Injury Law Suit”
• “Response to Attorney General Meese’s Comments to Changes to the Tort System,”, (Co-Author), San Francisco Barrister Law Journal
• “How to Prepare for, Take and Use a Deposition”, (Co-Author with Robert E. Benson and John C. Tredennick, Jr., TRIAL MAGAZINE, 1991
• “Strategies and Techniques for Successful Discovery – Informal Discovery”
• “Adverse Party Depositions: Strategies that Make a Difference”

Classes/Seminars

• Lecturer, USF School of Law 1996 Intensive Advocacy Workshop Program
• Speaker, “Trends in Sports Tort; Which Way is the Ball Bouncing”, CAOC Annual Convention (1996) “Wide World of Sports Torts” Program, 1996
• Invited Speaker, “Demonstrative Evidence”, AAJ/CAOC Program at Golden Gate University School of Law, San Francisco
• Invited Speaker, “Wrongful Death of a Child”, Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association, 1998

Professional Associations and
Memberships

• Consumer Attorneys of California, President, 2001 – 2002
• Barristers Club of San Francisco, President, 1989 – 1990
• State Bar of California, Member
• American Bar Association, Member
• San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, Member
• California Trial Lawyers Association, Member
• American Association for Justice, Member
• San Francisco Lawyers Club, Member
• American Association for Justice (AAJ), Member, Board of Governors
• California Trial Lawyers Association, Member, Board of Governors
• San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, Member, Board of Governors
• Bar Association of San Francisco, Member, Judicial Review Committee, 1989
• San Francisco American Inn of Court, Member, 1989
• AAJ Products Liability Advisory Committee, Member, 1989 – 1990
• AAJ Membership Committee, Member
• AAJ State Support Committee, Member, 1989 – 1990
• Products Liability and Consumer Law Committee of the Tort, Vice-Chairperson
• American Bar Association, Insurance Practice Section, Vice-Chairperson
• Minorities in the Profession Committee of the ABA Young Lawyers Division, Member, Executive Committee
• The State Bar of California for the Bar Association of San Francisco, Chair of the Subcommittee on Evidence for the Conference of Delegates, 1990
• Legal Frontiers and Issues on Appeal for the Annual CTLA Convention 1990, Chair/Moderator, 1990
• Barristers Club of San Francisco, Chair, Nominating Committee – Board of Directors, 1990
• AAJ Ambassadors Committee, Member, 1990 – 1991
• AAJ California Project Committee, Member, 1990 – 1991
• BASF on Judicial Evaluation Committee, Chair, Member of Committee
• 1991 Program – Young Lawyers into the ’90s – CTLA Tahoe Convention, Moderator
• Bar Association of San Francisco Delegation to the State Bar of California Conference of Delegates, Member, Executive Committee
• California Trial Lawyers Association, San Francisco Board, Member, Recognition of Experienced Program Committee
• CTLA to the AAJ Liaison Committee, Chair, 1992
• TIPS Committee on Membership, Chair-Elect, 1992 – 1993
• AAJ Public Relations Committee, Member, 1992 – 1993
• AAJ, Member, Key Person Committee, 1992 – Present
• AAJ, Member, Joint Membership Development Committee