Scott R. Herndon - Berkeley, CA

I founded my law firm in 2018, with the goal of representing plaintiffs who have suffered catastrophic personal injuries. As an attorney, I began my work as a clerk for the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office and an advocate for the United States Attorney’s Office, and by defending corporations in complex litigation. Once I learned how ordinary people were being mistreated within our legal system, I devoted myself to changing this power dynamic for the better—using the tools and techniques of the establishment to serve and protect my clients.

I take pride in representing my clients, many of whom have suffered catastrophic or fatal personal injuries, or found themselves the victims of sexual assault, harassment, or discrimination. My personal goal is to protect the dignity of every person who trusts my firm to serve as their counsel. My firm aims to be like no other—treating every one of our clients like family, listening to their concerns, and advocating on their behalf with the mind of a professor, the attention to detail of an artist, and, if need be, the focus and determination of an elite athlete.

My work as a philosopher, teacher, and writer makes me different from almost any other attorney. I have a PhD from New York University, and also a graduate degree in analytic philosophy. I have won awards for teaching at Stanford University, the University of California, and NYU, among other institutions of higher learning. My students have gone on to found and work at some of the most well-known companies in the world, or become doctors, lawyers, and social activists. My work as a teacher and writer extends to every case we take, as our advocacy always reflects the same level of commitment to detail and attention that world-class academic argumentation requires.

One of my proudest achievements is co-publishing a book with Dr. Jen Weiss, entitled, Brave New Voices, on behalf of literacy programs which teach disenfranchised high school students the art of writing and social justice. These programs still flourish today, more than twenty years later. Our students have gone on to become novelists, professors, and directors of non-profits.

My film screenplays have been selected by Sundance and the International Film Project, and I have published fiction, poetry, and an academic book, entitled Critical Passages, with co-author Dr. Kristin Dombek. This ground-breaking book provides underserved high school students from public schools with techniques that will allow them to compete with Ivy-League students on the first day they attend college. My writing has always focused on creating spaces for empathy, on providing insight into the complex ways our lives can improve in the face of difficult challenges, and how every person can acquire and develop the tools to live an extraordinary and beautiful life.

I am interested in representing survivors of serious injuries. As an athlete who has himself undergone and recovered from surgeries for major injuries, I understand the long road ahead for anyone who wants to return to an active life after suffering catastrophic harm. I have represented victims of sexual assault, amputations, wrongful death, and traumatic brain injuries such as concussions.

I am an avid fisherman and conservationist, whether in the alpine watersheds of California, the Farallon Islands, or the pristine forests of Idaho and Alaska. For more than ten years, I have guided fishing trips and learned under the mentorship of Scott Miller, a friend and world-renowned guide who has been called the “Zen Captain” of Sitka, Alaska.

Each one of us deserves a fair shot at enjoying our lives to the fullest. I have devoted my law firm to one goal—to pay extraordinary attention to all of my clients—one person and one family at a time.