Spencer Pahlke - San Francisco, CA

Spencer's practice focuses on catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases involving defective medical devices, vehicular collisions, dangerous conditions of public and private property, and medical malpractice.

Outside of his practice at Walkup, he also teaches at the University of California-Berkeley Law School (Boalt Hall) as a lecturer in trial advocacy. In addition to his teaching, he directs Berkeley Law's external trial competition program, and coaches multiple trial advocacy teams. Under Spencer's guidance, the program has risen to national prominence, having won many national honors and distinctions, including several national championships.

Spencer has also provided ongoing legal education, including developing and co-chairing programs produced in conjunction with Berkeley Law, with a special focus on providing training to young attorneys. He has also co-chaired a presentation on governmental liability and design immunity, spoke to leading trial associations regarding governmental liability, made presentations on liability for commercial carriers, and lectured on the topic of liability insurance in the context of products liability.

Spencer was selected as a Super Lawyer from 2013-2015, and before that was Rising Star in 2011 and 2012. In 2014 and 2015, he was listed by Best Lawyers.

After graduating with Highest Distinction from the University of Nebraska with a double major in Economics and Psychology, Spencer attended law school at Berkeley Law, receiving his J.D. in 2007. At Berkeley, Spencer was a member of the California Law Review as well as an associate editor for Ecology Law Quarterly. Academically, he won Prosser Awards in Legal Ethics and in Environmental Law.

Spencer's main interest in law school was trial advocacy, both in Berkeley Law's competitive trial advocacy program and its clinical programs. Clinically, he tried cases before Oakland's Citizen's Police Review Board. There, his responsibilities included representing people claiming violations of their constitutional rights at the hands of the Oakland Police Department. He successfully competed on several trial teams. He won the Bay Area trial competition held by the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association. Additionally, in the National Trial Competition, his three-person team was a regional finalist, and he won two top advocate awards.

Spencer joined the Walkup firm in 2007, and practices all types of personal injury litigation in all courts within the State of California.

Updated Results:

Patient v. Hospitalist / Hospital
Medical Malpractice
$5,000,000 Settlement

Snowboarder v. Equipment Manufacturer
Products Liability
$4,500,000 settlement

Pedestrian v. City and County of San Francisco
Public Transit Negligence
$3,250,000 Settlement

Insured v. Insurance Carrier
Underinsured Motorist
$2,250,000

Cable Car Passenger v. City and County of San Francisco
Negligent Operation of Cable Car
$2,026,000 Settlement

Adult Daughter v. Heavy Equipment Company
Vehicular Negligence
$2,000,000

Patient v. Cardiologist
Medical Malpractice
$1,999,900 Settlement

Wife / Children v. HMO
Medical Malpractice
$1,400,000 Settlement

Pedestrian v. Driver
Vehicular Negligence
$1,000,000 settlement

Scooter Driver v. Cab Company
Vehicular Negligence
$1,000,000

Chu v. Bay Area Community Services, Inc.
Premises Liability - Negligent Supervision
$996,000 Verdict

Insured v. Major Insurance Company
Insurance Bad Faith
$975,000 Settlement

Child v. Doctor
Medical Malpractice
$965,000 Settlement

Pedestrian v. South Bay City
Dangerous Condition of Public Property
$875,000 Settlement

Wife / Children v. HMO
Medical Malpractice
$850,000 Settlement

Cyclist v. Driver's Employer
Vehicular Negligence
$750,000 Settlement

Pedestrian v. Driver
Vehicular Negligence - Underinsured Motorist
$555,000 Settlement

Patient v. Surgeon
Medical Malpractice
$500,606.36 Settlement

Family v. HMO
Medical Negligence - Surgical Error - Wrongful Death
$475,000 Settlement

Adult Children v. Pilot / Owner of Plane
Aviation Crash Litigation
$425,000 Settlement

Insured v. Mercury Insurance
Underinsured Motorist
$421,000 Arbitration Award

Grandparent v. Youth Camp
Premises Liability
$400,000 Settlement

Pedestrian v. Cab Company
Vehicular Negligence
$350,000 Settlement

Motorcyclist v. Driver
Vehicular Negligence
$350,000 Settlement

Bicyclist v. Driver
Vehicular Negligence
$325,000 settlement

Passenger v. Driver
Vehicular Negligence - Read-End Collision
$325,000 Settlement

Customer v. Massage Therapist
General Negligence
$300,000 Settlement

Bicyclist v. Driver
Vehicular Negligence / Underinsured Motorist Liability
$300,000 settlement

Passenger v. Cab Company
Vehicular Negligence - Common Carrier
$300,000

Pedestrian v. San Diego
Mass Transit Public Transit Negligence
$300,000

Cyclist v. SUV Driver
Vehicular Negligence
$300,000 Settlement

Pedestrian v. CCSF
Dangerous Condition of Public Property
$270,000

Passenger v. MUNI
Governmental Liability
$250,000 Settlement

Driver v. Driver
Vehicular Negligence - Underinsured Motorist
$250,000

Bicyclist v. Driver
Vehicular Negligence
$250,000 Settlement