Attorney Craig Needham has been representing injury victims and their families in San Jose and throughout the Bay Area for over 40 years. Craig has tried more than 50 cases to verdict and has won numerous million-dollar judgments and settlements for his clients. One of his most famous cases was his representation of the Jonestown Massacre victims families in 1978. Craig is often retained as a mediator or arbitrator in complex disputes involving personal injury, wrongful death or medical malpractice matters.
Craigs skills as a trial attorney and mediator have earned him an excellent reputation in the legal community. He is AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®, signifying his professional ability and ethical standards. Craig has received many awards during his career, including being named a Northern California Super Lawyer every year since 2004, and he was honored as one of Northern Californias Top 100 Lawyers in 2005 and 2006. Most recently, he was voted Lawyer of the Year in Santa Clara County.
Born: August 20, 1946 in Palo Alto, California
Admitted to the California Bar: January 12, 1972
- United States District Courts, Northern, Central and Eastern of California
- United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
EDUCATION
Bellarmine College Preparatory (Honorary Classical Diploma, 1964)
University of Santa Clara (B.A., 1968)
- Alpha Sigma Nu
- Student Body President (1967-1968)
- Nobili Medal (Outstanding Male Graduate)
Hastings College of the Law, University of California (J.D., 1971)
Pepperdine University School of Law, Advanced Mediation Course, June 2004
Attended numerous education seminars since 1972.
FACULTY MEMBER
Hastings College of Trial and Appellate Advocacy, Lecturer and Course Instructor (1983-1990)
Holy Names High School, Oakland, California, Introduction to Law (1985-1989)
University of Santa Clara, School of Law
- College of Advocacy, Course Leader (June 1993)
- Guest lecturer, course in mediation practice (2009-2013)
- Judge for the 2001 Honors Moot Court Competition
Lincoln Law School, Lecturer in Trial Practice (Feb. 1994)
Lincoln Law School, Professor of Trial Practice (1998-2000)
Lincoln Law School, Outstanding Professor (2000-2001)
Lincoln Law School, Professor of Torts (Nov. 1994 to present)
MEMBERSHIPS
State Bar of California (Jan. 1972 to present)
American Board of Trial Advocates (1988 to present)
Lawyers Club of San Francisco (1973 to present)
- President (1985-1986)
- State Bar Delegation (1983-1989)
American Bar Association
- Member, Section on Tort and Insurance Practice Law
San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association (1972-present)
Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles (2003-present)
Consumer Attorneys of Santa Clara County (formerly Santa Clara Trial Lawyers Association)
(Board of Directors 1990 to 1995; Secretary 1995 to 1996; President-Elect Dec. 1996-Mar. 1997)
San Francisco County Bar Association (1972-present)
Santa Clara County Bar Association, Chair of the Civil Practice Section (2000-2001)
Consumer Attorneys of California (formerly California Trial Lawyers Association)
American Association for Justice (formerly Association of Trial Lawyers of America) (1975 to present)
Trial Lawyers for Public Justice (1999-present)
Inns of Court (2001-2005)
California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform Referral Panel (2006-present)
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
Associate: Hoberg, Finger, Brown & Abramson, San Francisco (1972-1975)
Partner: Sutton & Needham, San Francisco (1975-1976)
Partner: Sutton, Needham & Hull, San Francisco (1976-1980)
Partner: Needham & Hull, San Francisco (1980-1986)
Partner: Needham, Hull & Dykman, San Francisco/Marin (1986-1989)
Associated with Caputo, Liccardo, Rossi, Sturges & McNeil (12/89-12/90)
Partner: Caputo, Liccardo, Rossi, Sturges & McNeil (1/91-12/92)
Partner: Liccardo, Rossi, Sturges & McNeil (1/93-9/30/01)
- President (1994)
- Needham Division (4/01-9/30/01)
Founding Partner: Needham, Davis, Kirwan & Young, LLP (10/01/01-3/28/06)
Name Change: Needham, Davis, Kepner & Young, LLP (3/29/06-8/31/09)
Name Change: Needham, Kepner, Fish & Jones, LLP (9/1/09-2/28/11)
Name Change: Needham Kepner & Fish LLP (3/1/11-present)
LECTURER
Speaker and Author Whats New in Torts and Trial Practice
Presented in locations throughout California, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Alameda, Sacramento, San
Francisco, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Fresno, Ventura, Orange, San Luis Obispo, Stockton, and Riverside.
Given in January/February of 1984 through 2014 (in 2014 author only). This tort update has been given for 31
consecutive years and reviews all substantive and procedural law for the prior year.
California Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB)
- A variety of civil litigation subjects (1976 to present) most recent Courtroom Conduct Tactics and Ethics (1997,
1999), Voir Dire (1997), Dos & Donts of Courtroom Conduct (Oct. 2002); CACI (California Jury
Instructions) (1/2004), Wrongful Death (Mar. 2006), Personal Injury & Wrongful Death Damages (Mar. 2006), Key
Evidence Issues (Mar. 2007), State Bar Convention, Evidence, The Jefferson Approach (Sept. 2008); Effective Voir
Dire, Picking the Right Jury (Sept. 2009)
The Rutter Group
- A variety of civil litigation subjects (1984 to 1990)
Speaker and Co-Author, Recent Developments in Torts Practice,
- CEB (1983-1991)
Stanislaus County Bar Association Achieving Balance in Your Professional & Personal Lives (6/2013)
Santa Clara County Trial Lawyers and Central Coast Trial Lawyers 15 CACI Jury Instructions Every Lawyer
Should Know About (2013)
Santa Clara County Trial Lawyers Dealing with Workers Comp Liens in Third Party Cases (9/2011)
Medical Insurance Exchange of California (MIEC), Lecturer in Mediation Tactics for Annual Conference (2009)
Modesto County Bar Association, Trial Evidence 2010 In Light of CACI Instructions (March 2010)
Lorman Education Services
Real Evidence for the Trial Practitioner in California, presented in San Francisco, California, 2003; 2006
Northern California Association of Defense Counsel,
- Annual Convention (1988, 1994)
Professional Education Systems, Inc. (PESI) (1990)
Law Schools
- Hastings College of the Law
- Golden Gate Law School
- University of San Francisco
- University of Santa Clara (including several years of instruction on Discovery and Trial Practice to law students at
the East Side Law Clinic) (Mediation Techniques 2004-2008, 2010-2014) (Trial Practice 2007-2009) (Department of
Psychology, Negotiation, November 1994)
ABA National Institute Faculty
Trial of a Sexual Harassment Case (San Francisco, March 1992)
American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)
Masters in Trial Program (San Francisco, June 1992)
Masters in Cross-Examination (Simi Valley, October 2009)
ABOTA Civility Program @ UC Santa Clara (October 2010)
Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles (formerly known as Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Association)
Ten Years of Product Liability Law (Las Vegas, October 1992);
Written Discovery (Las Vegas, August 2004)
Tort Update (Las Vegas, August 2005)
Stanford University, Guest Lecturer, Techniques of Failure Analysis, Product Liability (May 2010)
14 Years of Products Liability Law Consumer Attorneys of Santa Clara County (October 1996), Sunnyvale-Cupertino Bar
Association (November 1996)
The Use of CACI Instructions Sunnyvale-Cupertino Bar Association (2004)
California College of Podiatric Medicine San Francisco The Podiatrist and Malpractice Claims Dealing With Lawyers
(February 1997)
Santa Clara County Bar Association Bridging the Gap Program (1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999); Train the Trainer
Workshop Leader (May 1997, October 1998); Law Office Management (January 1998); Alternative Dispute
Resolution (Feb. 1998); Client Relations (Feb. 1999); Stress Management Balancing Personal and Professional
Life (Feb. 1998, Feb. 1999, March 2005); How to Plan and Shape a Coherent Civil Case (May 2000); Leadership
Workshop (2001, 2002 and 2003); The Rhetoric of Torts: Themes, Stories, Analogies, Anecdotes and References to
Popular Culture in Closing Arguments (September 2003); The Nuts and Bolts of Elder Abuse (Physical &
Financial) (July 2005); Speaker on Retirement Options for Lawyers With 25 Years+ Experience (February 2006)
WestMed Training 2002 Paramedic & EMT Class Legal and Ethical Responsibilities (Jan. 2002, Nov. 2005, Jan/Feb. 2009,
Feb. 2010)
Emergency Nurses Assn. Annual Medical Legal Update 2001, 2002, 2004
Monterey County Bar Association Elder Abuse Law, Mar. 2006
Santa Clara County Counsel Seminar on Mediating a Case, Nov. 2007
Sunnyvale/Cupertino Bar Association The Nuts and Bolts of Elder Abuse (Physical and Financial), April 2007
Saratoga Senior Center Elder Abuse and Senior Citizen Law, July 2009
San Francisco Bar Association Mediation Dos and Donts, September 2009
San Joaquin County Trial Lawyers Association Masters Seminar Trial Evidence 2010 in Light of CACI Instructions,
August 2010
State Bar of California State Bar Convention, How to Say No: Sound Financial Consideration for Running a Practice (Sept.
2010; June 2011).
MISCELLANEOUS
- Martindale-Hubbell A.V. rated (1976 to present)
- Lifetime Achievement Award, Santa Clara County Trial Lawyers Association (2012)
- Professional Lawyer of the Year, Santa Clara County Bar Association (2011)
- Awarded Mediator of the Year, San Francisco Trial Lawyers (2011)
- Spirit of CEB Award 2007 Given for Years of Teaching Lawyers in Civil Litigation Programs
- San Jose Magazine Silicon Valleys Top Lawyers (2002-present)
- Super Lawyers, Northern California (2004-present)
- Super Lawyers, Northern California Top 100 (2005-2006)
- Million Dollar Advocates Forum (2005)
- Trial Lawyer of Year (1997), Recognition of 25 Years of Presenting Whats New in Tort & Trial Seminar to
trial lawyers at various locations in California (2008); Public Justice Award (2009), Santa Clara County Trial Lawyers
- Board of Trustees, Lincoln Law School of San Jose (1999 to 2004) (Chairman 12/2001to 2003)
- SEABOTA, Nashville, 2010
- TEX-ABOTA, Santa Fe, 2011
- CEB Core Faculty Training Participant San Francisco (November 1996)
- Pepperdine University Advanced Mediation Training in Medical Malpractice, Personal Injury and Employment Litigation
(Pepperdine, June 2004)
- Appointed Counsel in a variety of California State Bar disciplinary matters
- Awarded Outstanding Professor, Lincoln Law School (1999-2000)
- Served as Judge in National Trial Competition Western Regional
- Served as an Arbitrator in professional negligence cases for the Judicial Arbitration Program of San Francisco County
- Served as an Arbitrator for uninsured and underinsured motorist cases, Kaiser cases, and Judicial Arbitration
- Served as Judge Pro Tem in settlement conferences, San Francisco, Alameda and Santa Clara Counties
- Served as Mediator in all varieties of civil litigation matters
- Served as Judge Pro Tem for trials, San Francisco County (1991-jury, 1994-non-jury, 1996-jury)
- Served on Judge Pro Tem panel for trials, Santa Clara County (1996 present)
- Serve as consultant/expert in a variety of civil litigation matters
- 1st Lt., U.S. Army (1971-1972)
- Participated in 4,200 mile bike ride across North America (June-July 2010), participated in a 1,300 mile ride through British
Columbia (August 2011) and participated in a ride through the French and Italian Alps (September 2011), all raising money for
the Childrens Skin Disease Foundation
- Participated in a 1,764-mile bike ride in 17 days, with 130,000 feet of climbing and 104 miles per day from Atlanta, Georgia
to Portland, Maine (Eastern Mountains Ride) (September 2012). Also raising money for the Childrens Skin Disease
Foundation.
- Triathlete
Hawaii Ironman 2005, 2007
Lake Placid Ironman 2003
Canadian Ironman 2000, 2001
Variety of ½ Ironmans and Olympic distances.
(Trained and participated for the benefit of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of America Team in Training, and
for the benefit of AIDS research in five California AIDS Lifecycle rides and three California AIDS rides, the
European AIDS ride, and the Hawaii AIDS ride)
- Marathon Runner (12)
- Bicyclist
- Bay to Breakers 44 in a row (1970-2013)
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