Welcome to Newdorf Legal.
My name is David Newdorf. I dedicate this website to the attorneys, judges, clients and cases that make San Francisco a fascinating venue for trials. Every day brings a new courtroom drama, civic scandal, or fresh take on the law. From the pressed dark suits of the Superior Court Law & Motion Department to the "Outlaws and Commotion" (as one judge calls it) of the Hall of Justice, there’s a daily diet of the noteworthy and interesting.
San Francisco, for better and for worse, is cutting-edge. It incubated the Gold Rush and the dot-com bust, the gay marriage cases and the Twinkie defense. The generation that nurtured the Summer of Love gave us 40 years later the summer of back-dated stock options. On good days, I am proud to call myself a San Francisco trial lawyer. On other days, I know we can do better. But rare is the day that I wished I had just stayed home.
One of the things I enjoy most about my job is teaching, mentoring and sharing ideas with other lawyers. I'm particularly excited to be able to share some of these ideas more broadly in my "Lit Tip Of The Week" feature. Make sure to check back at least weekly to catch the latest Litigation Tip of the Week.
In addition to ongoing postings, I have uploaded a number of Articles and Legal Commentaries (by or about me) and Court Decisions from some of my cases.
Have feedback or comments or ideas? Send me an E-mail.
Learn more about me at: the About David Newdorf page.
Please also visit my other websites and blogs:
Portrait Photography by Shoey Sindel
The Board of Governors of the California State Bar appointed San Francisco attorney David Newdorf to the Executive Committee of the Litigation Section at its July 2008 meeting. The three-year appointment begins September 28, 2008. A former San Francisco Deputy City Attorney and a lawyer at a major international law firm, Mr. Newdorf started his own law […]
Jul 22 2008
First, there was Newdorf Legal, the blog. Now, there is Newdorf Legal, the law firm. I am pleased to announce the formation of my law firm, Newdorf Legal, as of July 14, 2008. I am continuing my practice in civil litigation in the state and federal trial and appellate courts. I represent business and public […]
Jul 14 2008
Defending your client’s deposition can be a nerve-wracking, sweaty armpit experience. At the end of the day, a weak performance or just one poor answer can sink a case. But even with stakes this high, most lawyers do not spend enough time preparing the client to testify. While the demands of your practice, your client’s calendar, or the […]
Dec 02 2007
One of the prime reasons to spend the time and money to depose an adverse witness is to gather impeachment material. Other than hiring a private investigator to delve into the witness’s past, the deposition is the most effective tool in the lawyer’s arsenal for uncovering dirt and chipping away at credibility. That includes attacking an […]
Nov 01 2007
There were three opinions written — a majority, concurrence and dissent — on the 2-1 Ninth Circuit panel that ruled against San Francisco on the constitutionality of its former jail strip search policy. As the Legalpad blog said in its headline: 9th Plays Jail Strip Searches Left, Right & Center. Although on the surface, the Court did not […]
Aug 27 2008
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed summary judgment in favor of San Francisco in a civil rights lawsuit dubbed “fajitagate.” In an unsigned six-page memorandum decision issued July 23, 2008, Judges John Noonan, Sidney Thomas and Jay Bybee held that the City was not responsible for any […]
Jul 23 2008
People sometimes ask me what I think about while out on long runs. Before the sore muscles and aching joints recede into memory, I thought I’d share some of my musings from the San Francisco Marathon on August 3, 2008. It occurred to me that long-distance running and litigation have a lot in common. So […]
Aug 12 2008
Do lawyers make better bloggers? I doubt it. But there are certainly hundreds (thousands?) of legal blogs and websites on the Internet. For reasons that will become plain below, Newdorf Legal announces its first contest: Tell me your favorite law-related website or blog. To enter, respond to this article with a Comment/Reply below and a […]
Nov 12 2007
Senate Bill 93 would have allowed accident victims insured by Medi-Cal (and their lawyers) to recover higher settlements and judgments. But the rhetoric of both sides fails to explain why the resulting medical damages would have been fair — or too high, depending on one’s point of view. Although the governor vetoed the bill (again), […]
Oct 31 2007
The plaintiffs’ bar is nothing if not relentless in pursuit of its agenda — mostly higher fees. After striking out in court decisions for the past few years, the plaintiffs’ bar has shifted its efforts to the political arena. Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed one of the plaintiffs’ key measures — S.B. 93 — last Friday (10/5/2007).
The […]
Oct 08 2007
Answers to the “Around the Courthouse” Jurisprudence Luncheon Quiz. (Find the Quiz by clicking on the “Around the Courthouse” Category on the right sidebar.)
At the Bar Association of San Francisco’s First Annual Jurisprudence Luncheon, the all-star panelists identified their favorite legal thinkers as follows:
Hon. Joseph Grodin - Cardozo.
Hon. Stephen Reinhardt - Dworkin.
Hon. Alex Kozinksi […]
Oct 29 2007
