For more than four decades, Attorney Andrew Schwartz has practiced law in Contra Costa County and the surrounding areas. Mr. Schwartz is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, where he formally served as the Vice-Chairman of the Northern California State Committee. He is also Board Certified in Civil Trial Advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocates.
In addition, Mr. Schwartz was lead counsel in Zapotoczny v. Schindler Elevator Corp., a case resulting in a $5.6 million jury verdict, one of the top 100 jury verdicts in California in 2017.
Most recently, Mr. Schwartz represented the parents of a 15-year-old boy who drowned in his swim class at San Ramon Valley High School in Contra Costa County. The case, Curry v. San Ramon Valley Unified School District, was resolved prior to trial for $8 million.
Education
After obtaining his B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Bridgeport in 1970, he went on to graduate from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 1975 with his J.D.. He immediately was admitted to the Federal and California Bars that same year. He was also admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1979.
- University of San Francisco School of Law, San Francisco, California
- J.D. – 1975
- University of Bridgeport
- B.S. – 1970
- Major: Business Administration
Memberships
- Attorney Schwartz has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Alameda/Contra Costa Trial Lawyers Association as well as the Contra Costa County Legal Services Foundation. He has served as the Chairman of the Contra Costa Superior Court’s ADR Committee.
Consistently selected to the Northern California Super Lawyers, Attorney Schwartz is also an AV rated lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell!
Areas of Practice
Litigation Percentage
- 100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation
Bar Admissions
- California, 1975
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of California, 1975
- U.S. District Court Northern District of California, 1975
- U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 1975
- U.S. Supreme Court, 1979
Published Works
- Contributor – CLOSING ARGUMENT, THE ART AND THE LAW, Callaghan’s Trial Practice Series, Jacob A. Stein, Thomson-West, Section 374.50, 2003
Honors and Awards
- Northern California Super Lawyers®, 2004 – 2020
Professional Associations and Memberships
- American College of Trial Lawyers, Vice-Chair of the Northern California State Committee
- National Board of Trial Advocacy
- Certified Civil Trial Advocates, Member, 1999 – Present
- Contra Costa County Bar Association, Chairman, ADR Committee, 1993 – 1994
- State Bar of California, Member
- Alameda-Contra Costa Trial Lawyers Association, Board Member, 1989 – 1992
- Consumer Attorneys of California, Member
- American Association for Justice, Member
- American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)
Featured Testimonial
“From the first telephone call and meeting Mr. Schwartz and his office staff treated us with compassion and respect. It was readily apparent that Andy Schwartz was confident, competent, had a wealth of experience, and most importantly, loved his work. We were thrilled when Andy agreed to represent us. We were so grateful that Andy was able to resolve our case quickly, efficiently, and professionally with extraordinary results. Andy kept us informed throughout the process and promptly responded to calls and emails. It was very apparent that the attorneys representing the defendants were willing to work with us toward a prompt resolution because of Andy’s integrity, reputation and experience. During this very difficult time Andy showed us compassion every step of the way. Andy Schwartz knows how to get things done! I would not hesitate to recommend Andy Schwartz to anyone seeking counsel for a personal injury matter.” -Regina T.