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Fighting for victims of catastrophic personal injury and women’s rights in the San Francisco Bay Area

We fight for survivors of catastrophic personal injuries in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Welcome to The Law Office of Scott R. Herndon. As a nationally recognized boutique law firm serving communities throughout California, we have helped our clients and their families survive the devastating effects of serious injuries resulting from the intentional, reckless or negligent actions of others. We also handle high-profile employment law matters. We represent an elite base of clients, who value their dignity and roles in their communities. We handle high-profile cases deftly and effectively to ensure that our clients’ lives, reputations, and legacies are protected. Having taught thousands of students at Stanford University, the University of California, and NYU—many of whom have become Scott’s clients—we understand that our job is not only to fight for financial compensation for the injuries our clients have suffered, but also to ensure that their careers, dignity, and legacies in society are never put in jeopardy by the lawyers who represent them. We have the resources and experience to help you see justice served in your case, and invite you to schedule a free consultation today.

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Super Lawyers 2022
Super Lawyers Scott R. Herndon
Avvo Clients' Choice Award 2019
Avvo 10.0 Scott Herndon Top Attorney
SFTLA
Lead Counsel LC
Super Lawyers 2022
Super Lawyers Scott R. Herndon
Avvo Clients' Choice Award 2019
Avvo 10.0 Scott Herndon Top Attorney
SFTLA
Lead Counsel LC

Our Practice Areas

Catastrophic Personal Injuries

In an instant, a traumatic injury can result in death, paralysis, loss of cognitive or brain function, organ control, or disfigurement. And then there is the question of how these injuries will affect your ability to work and support your family in the future.

Sexual Assault

We take pride in representing survivors of sexual abuse and assault. We work tirelessly to protect the dignity of our clients and help them heal from the trauma they have suffered. A survivor of sexual abuse has up to ten years in which to file a claim, or within 3 years of the reasonable discovery of injuries stemming from that claim.

Wrongful Termination

Although California is an “at-will” employment state—meaning that an employer can terminate an employee for any non-discriminatory reason—if you have lost your job, you still might be entitled to compensation and even reinstatement. To fully protect yourself, and your family, you should consider consulting with our wrongful termination lawyers to review the circumstances of your dismissal.

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Losing a limb results in mental, emotional, and physical challenges. It is essential that your legal team understands that losing the ability to work, walk, or use one’s hands is not simply a physical injury, but one that that affects every aspect of how we feel about ourselves, and how we function in our social lives. We never lose sight of the complete picture of our clients’ lives.

Survivors of spinal cord injuries are likely to face multiple medical procedures, and lengthy and painful recoveries. Moreover, these injuries can result in the loss of one’s ability to do the things we sometimes take for granted: reaching for a child, walking to the mailbox, or even tying one’s shoes. Your lawyers cannot overlook the sum total of these effects when trying to make you whole as a result of a wrongful injury.

Healing from broken bones can be a long and painful process, long after a cast is removed. Arthritis, loss of function, and disfigurement can affect one’s sense of self and ability to return to the activities we love. When such injuries affect our ability to work, play, and enjoy life, the full scope of bone fractures is cast into relief, and skilled attorneys are required to make us whole.

Tour bus operators and limousines are subject to state and federal laws that require them to ensure passenger safety. They hire, train, and supervise their drivers, and should follow rigorous vehicle maintenance schedules, and comply with regulations on hours of service. But this does not always happen.

A typical fully-loaded commercial truck can weigh as much as twenty-five (25) times more than a personal vehicle. Because of the sheer mass of commercial vehicles, a trucking accident can impact a small car with the force of a military grade explosive device.

It is impossible to overstate the impact of losing a loved one as a result of wrongful death. Such losses change us forever, and surviving such trauma requires strength and resources for therapy and healing.

We take pride in representing plaintiffs who have suffered catastrophic personal injuries.

Learning about personal injury

The CDC reports hundreds of thousands of deaths from unintentional injury in the U.S. every year, making it the leading cause of fatalities among people ages 1-45 years old. Millions more suffer serious nonfatal injuries, which often require hospitalization for treatment.

The financial implications of a serious injury can be staggering. In 2019 alone, the CDC estimated the total economic cost of injury to be $4.2 trillion, factoring in not only medical expenses but also missed wages and the value of statistical life and quality of life losses.

Many injuries are simply the result of accidents. They can occur due to acts of nature, honest mistakes, or other unavoidable factors. Other accidental injuries are self-inflicted. But many injuries result directly or indirectly from impermissibly negligent, reckless, or intentional behavior. These are the personal injury cases we handle.

No one should be forced to shoulder the financial burden of an injury alone, if someone else’s carelessness is to blame. Our legal system enables us to file civil claims seeking coverage for the tangible and intangible costs of our clients’ injuries.

Success in these cases depends on establishing fault. To do so, plaintiffs must prove that the following conditions were present:

  • That the defendant had a legal duty of care
  • That there was a breach of that duty by the defendant acting negligently or recklessly or by failing to act
  • That the defendant’s negligence was the direct or indirect cause of the plaintiff’s injury
  • That due to the injury, the plaintiff suffered damages such as medical costs, loss of ability to work, an inability to return to normal life activities, and emotional distress

These elements form the basis of all personal injury lawsuits. At the Law Office of Scott R. Herndon, we provide free consultations to all potential clients during which we evaluate the details of their injury case.

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Collecting compensation for your severe or catastrophic injury

A lawyer can never turn back time and erase an injury. Instead, lawyers are empowered to fight to obtain resources for their clients to heal and return to their lives. A plaintiff’s being made whole in this sense comes in the form of financial compensation, sometimes called “damages.” The compensation a plaintiff can collect depends on the details of their case. In general, damages fall into the following categories:

  • Economic damages – Economic damages include such items as medical bills, lost income (present and future), and future medical and therapeutic needs.
  • Non-economic damages – These include losses and costs such as loss of quality of life, permanent disfigurement, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other forms of pain and suffering.
  • Punitive damages – Damages levied against a defendant who committed an act with malice, gross negligence, intentional harm or fraud.

The Law Office of Scott R. Herndon represents clients and families in the San Francisco Bay Area, who have been affected by catastrophic and fatal personal injuries. We retain world-class scientific, medical, and forensic experts to ensure our clients receive the maximum compensation to which they are entitled.

Types of injury cases we handle

Over the course of his legal career, principal attorney Scott Herndon has achieved remarkable success advocating on behalf of clients seriously injured in a wide range of accidents, incidents and other circumstances. Our primary areas are:

  • Mass shooting and catastrophic personal injury cases with causalities
  • Motor vehicle collisions, involving automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles and pedestrians
  • Construction accidents and other worksite mishaps
  • Dangerous or defective consumer products
  • Sports accidents, such as negligent and reckless injuries to elite athletes, caused by defective team cultures, abusive mentorship and coaching, and other off-field treatment
  • Assault, including sexual assault, on behalf of victims

Our legal team is prepared to devote our full time, energy and resources to your serious injury case. Whether you suffered a catastrophic injury yourself or lost a loved one to a preventable tragedy, you are entitled to compensation when someone else is at fault.

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What Our Clients
Say About us

As a nationally recognized boutique law firm, we have secured millions of dollars on behalf of our clients. We have helped our clients cope with life-changing injuries and wrongful death, due to the intentional, reckless, or negligent actions of others. Let us use our intellectual resources to help you get your dignity back.

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Scott and his colleague Justin are amazing. They say what they do and they do what they say! I hope I never have to contact them again, but if I have to, I definitely will! Thank you again for all your hard work and dedication to my case. I truly appreciate it.

— E. C.

He has represented me in two situations that both panned out better than expected. I met him on the tennis courts and felt due to his fiery demeanor on the courts that he would bring this same energy to my case. I took a chance with him and boy, was I right. I true tiger both on and off the court. What else I also appreciated about Scott was my ability to call him on his cell and talk to him man to man. No secretaries blocking for him and waiting days for a return call. Just as my doctor, I insist on being able to have a cell phone number I can call directly. This means everything.

— P. G.

I was involved in a hit-and-run traffic accident in 2020. Scott handled my case completely with very little input from me. He did a great job, and in a very short time reached a settlement that was very helpful.

I can definitely recommend Scott and his team.

— A. R.

What an incredible person. I could write pages for Scott. I got so lucky in finding him - IF YOU NEED A LAWYER OR ATTORNEY, DO NOT LOOK ANY FURTHER. It is hard to find good people in this world. Even harder to find good lawyers. I'm still at a loss for words but as I find them I will be writing another review because he's that good.

— F. K.

This was my first experience having to hire a Lawyer. Scott was absolutely amazing. From the first moment my wife and I spoke with him, he put us both at ease and continued to do so even when things were looking bleak.

I was hit by a car when riding my bike home from work one night. To make things worse, I had no memory of the incident. The police report was written without my account of the event, and they deemed me to be liable for the accident. With bicycle replacement, medical bills from surgery, and loss of income from being out of work... things were nightmarish for me. But Scott handled my case with genius! He was able to flip the case 180 degrees and show that the initial assessment of liability was incorrect, and get me a settlement I was overjoyed with. I had a good friend go through a similar situation, and his personal injury case was resolved in approx. 8 months start to finish. Scott was able to have my case resolved in 2 months!!! While a resolution that fast may not be ideal for everyone, it was nothing short of a miracle for me in my case, as I wanted a quick resolution. Not only will I always recommend Scott to anyone and everyone, but he will also be my attorney for life. 10/10 I cannot thank him enough, he was phenomenal.

— C. C.

Scott is a magnificent lawyer and I truly appreciate his services. I went to him in a time of turmoil and in desperate need of help for a wrongful death action and not only was he warm and welcoming, but selflessly went out of his way to make sure that my family felt as comfortable and taken care of as possible. He and his paralegal were very efficient, they worked fast and they did everything they said they would do. Even after everything was over, he continued to check in with my family to make sure that we were okay. He is more than just a great and thorough lawyer, he is an extremely kind-hearted person who truly cares about what you are going through. He'll go above and beyond for you to get the job done and make sure you get the closure you need. I will forever be grateful for his services and his support.

— T. L.

Scott was a pleasure to work with, he was professional, compassionate, friendly, positive, and extremely knowledgeable. Our daughter was in a motor vehicle accident in the Bay Area. She was hit by a car while walking across a crosswalk. We reached out to Scott looking for advice as we knew it could be a difficult case to prove. We live in out of state and we knew we needed the help of a California lawyer. All of my communication with Scott was by email and phone, our daughter met with him in person and he made her feel very comfortable – she felt heard by him. With Scott's help, we were able to resolve the case and feel justice was done and fair compensation was paid out. I would highly recommend him.

— G. V.

I called Scott to seek his advice regarding a severance agreement. The agreement differed from the terms that I was told I would receive. Scott reviewed my documents and contacted the employer the very same day to reach a favorable resolution. Scott is very knowledgeable, proficient, responsive, and pleasant. I highly recommend Scott. I am very pleased with his services and would not have received a satisfactory resolution without him!

— J. I.

I reached out to Scott when my previous employer refused to pay me my last paycheck. Scott was very eager to help me out with my situation, he was very resourceful and knowledgeable. He got my previous employer to pay me for my last month and I can't say how grateful I am I came across Scott. I would definitely recommend him to anyone going through the situation I was in.

— J. S.

Scott has represented me in two situations that both panned out better than expected. I met him on the tennis courts and felt due to his fiery demeanor on the courts that he would bring this same energy to my case. I took a chance with him and boy, was I right. He was a true tiger both on and off the court. What else I also appreciated about Scott was my ability to call him on his cell and talk to him man to man. No secretaries blocking for him and waiting days for a return call. Just like my doctor, I insist on being able to have a cell phone number I can call directly. This means everything.

— S. P. P.

    Our Ethos and Promise to Our Clients

    When Scott founded his firm, he had already earned graduate degrees in philosophy, social justice, and literature, and taught at some of the most respected universities in the world, from Stanford University, New York University, to the University of California. He created his firm to provide unrivalled personal attention to his clients, with the academic and argumentative rigor of a published author and professor. He took his years as a defense attorney as a model for how he would represent ordinary people with extraordinary care.

    Our ethos is simple: When we commit to your case, we commit to you and your family.

    We know that in the face of a catastrophic injury to you or your family, the legal system provides a slow, often undignified, and unimaginably empty response to what your family has endured. We understand that your family deserves respect, assistance, and to be made as whole as quickly and as completely as possible.

    We strive to give all of our clients personal, human attention instead of the usual legal advice. In doing so, we strive to give you the space you need, or the partner you can confide in, for the healing process to take shape.

    Finally, we understand that you, your family, and your careers depend on your involvement in communities where your dignity and reputation have been earned from a lifetime of living well. We strive to protect that respect every step of the way, working quietly and diligently to ensure your rights are handled appropriately.

    While many lawyers advertise that they specialize in litigation or “winning money”, we believe that the nature of the injury is secondary to clients we represent. Because you and your family matter more than your harms.

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    Read Our Articles

    Premises Liability Laws in California

    California law empowers injured parties to seek damages if their injuries are caused by a property owner’s negligence in supervising, flagging hazards, or maintaining a premise. Determining negligence, of course, depends on specific circumstances, such as the owner’s knowledge of prior accidents owing to the same condition on the property ...

    Fault and Negligence in Wrongful Deaths

    If a person dies due to someone else’s negligence or misconduct, that person’s family members or survivors may sue for wrongful death. This kind of lawsuit is brought against an individual who has caused someone’s death and seeks financial compensation for the impact of survivors’ losses. These may include ...

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