Timothy G. Tietjen

Tim Tietjen has enjoyed an illustrious 40 year career handling complex, catastrophic personal injury cases. In his first trial as lead counsel in 1991, he obtained a $6.9 million verdict for a 70-year-old woman who slipped and fell off a loading dock in San Francisco and broke her neck becoming a quadriplegic.

Mr. Tietjen continued securing record settlements and results:

• $29 million settlement for a worker who elevated his bucket truck lift into a power line and was electrocuted, losing both his arms and becoming a paraplegic. Notably, other lawyers had declined to handle this case believing it too difficult to pursue.
• $23 million settlement for a young woman driver run off the roadway by a drunk driver, resulting in her becoming a quadriplegic.
• $47.5 million settlement for a young boy struck by a fallen tree while sleeping in a County Park campsite. This case generated two published Appellate decisions and is the leading case on the government immunity for dangerous condition of unimproved property.
• $63 million bench trial verdict for a 30-year-old man who suffered permanent brain damage when a tree trimmer dropped a 30 pound portion of a tree limb on his skull.
• And most recently, Tim recovered over $50 million for his clients who suffered devastating property losses in the North Bay Napa fires of 2017. Tim lost his Napa home in this fire as well.

 Tim attributes his success to hard work and dedication to his clients. But those who have observed him in action point to his strategic planning and preparation, superb cross-examination skills, and an easy-going manner that belied his killer instinct. 

Tim has served as President of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, and was twice nominated by the Consumer Attorneys of California for California Trial Lawyer of the Year. He has been recognized as a California Super Lawyer for over 20 years, and has received numerous awards and accolades in addition to frequently lecturing and writing on topics related to his expertise.

After 40 years of practicing law, Tim has recently retired, but he continues to consult with the firm on major cases. Tim is grateful to all his clients for entrusting him with their cases. His experiences with his clients who have suffered devastating injuries and nonetheless persevered through the darkest of times has left him humbled and an awe of the indomitable spirit that people can possess when pushed to their limits. Tim could not have achieved his success without the support of his law partners Ron Rouda, John Feder, and Cynthia McGuinn. And all of Tim’s clients were grateful to work with his outstanding legal assistant Cheree Gonzalez. The law firm congratulates Tim on his outstanding legal career and wishes him well as he rides off into the sunset to enjoy his retirement years.