Free Initial Consultation

(Main Office)

Howard Rome Martin & Ridley LLP is a firm whose principals have been in active practice in San Mateo County for over 35 years. It carries the highest legal ability rating in Martindale-Hubbell. We are centrally located on the San Francisco Peninsula halfway between San Francisco and San Jose. We are located approximately 30 minutes away from the courthouses in those cities, and serve the greater Bay Area, including Monterey, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Sonoma, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Mateo and San Francisco Counties.

The firm has extensive experience in insurance defense litigation, professional negligence, public entity defense, product liability claims, workers' compensation subrogation, landslide and subsidence claims, construction defect litigation, defense of section 1983 civil rights and police excessive force cases and employment litigation. In addition, we have experience in a wide range of environmental litigation, including asbestos, various chemicals associated with the electronics and dry-cleaning industries, as well as petroleum contamination.

Statement of Practice

Civil Litigation, Employment Litigation, Insurance Defense, Product Liability, Asbestos, Workers Compensation Subrogation, Public Entity Defense.

Representative Clients:

Affiliated Insurance Company
AIG Technical Services, Inc.
American International Adjustment Company, Inc.
Agricultural Excess & Surplus Insurance Company
AIG Claim Services, Inc.
AIS Insurance Agency
Atlantic Mutual Ins. Co.
CALCO Medical Management Corporation
California Casualty Insurance Company
Cambridge Integrated Services
CGU Insurance Company
Chubb Group
CIGNA
Continental Insurance
CNA Insurance
Civil Service Employees Insurance Company
City of Fremont
Coregis, Crawford & Company
Crum & Forster Group
Fireman's Fund Insurance Company
Gay & Taylor, Inc.
George Hills Company, Inc.
Great American West
Harbor
Hartford Insurance Company
Industrial Underwriters
Kemper Insurance Company
Lexington Insurance Company
National Union Insurance Company
New Hampshire Insurance Company
Pacific Gas & Electric Company
Randall America
Riverstone Group
Roper Industries
Royal Insurance Company
Ryobi North America, Inc.
Safeco Insurance Company
Shand Morahan
St. Paul Insurance Company
Seibels, Bruce & Company
Superior National Insurance Company
Travelers Ins. Co.
United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company
Cities of Redwood City, Brisbane, Daly City, Portola Valley, Los Altos, San Bruno, Burlingame, San Carlos, San Mateo, South San Francisco, Half Moon Bay, Hillsborough, Menlo Park, Belmont, Millbrae, Atherton, Pacifica, Foster City, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, Los Gatos, Tiburon, Belvedere, Newark
Association of Bay Area Governments PLAN.

Rate Information

Fixed Hourly Rates
Free Initial Consultation

Address

1775 Woodside Road, Suite 200
Redwood City, CA 94061-3436, (San Mateo Co.)

Phone

Phone: 650-365-7715
Facsimile: 650-364-5297

Website

http://www.hrmrlaw.com

Office Hours

Monday: 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM
Tuesday: 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM
Wednesday: 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM
Thursday: 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM
Friday: 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM

MEMBERS OF FIRM

Joseph C. Howard, Jr. (Member) born Portland, Oregon; admitted to bar, 1972, California and U.S. District Court, Northern District of California; 1980, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit; 2000, U.S. Supreme Court. Education: Seattle University (B.C.S., 1966); University of San Francisco (J.D., 1971). Arbitrator, San Mateo County, 1979—. Judge Pro Tem, San Mateo County, 1985—. Member: San Mateo County and American Bar Associations; State Bar of California; Association of Defense Counsel. [Capt., U.S. Army, active duty, 1966-1968]. Practice Areas: Civil Rights; Public Entity; Employment Litigation; Professional Negligence; Product Liability; Construction Defects; Insurance Defense; Civil Litigation.Email: Joseph C. Howard, Jr.

Henry D. Rome (Member) born San Francisco, California; admitted to bar, 1971, California, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit and U.S. Court of Military Appeals; 2009, U.S. District Court, Southern and Central Districts of California. Education: University of San Francisco (B.A., 1967); Hastings College of Law, University of California (J.D., 1970). Deputy District Attorney, San Diego County, 1974-1976. Arbitrator, San Mateo County, 1979—. Judge Pro Tem, San Mateo County, 1985—. Member: San Mateo County and American Bar Associations; State Bar of California; Defense Research Institute. Fellow: Litigation Counsel of America. [Captain, Judge Advocate, USMCR, active duty, 1971-1974]. Practice Areas: Insurance Defense; Product Liability; Asbestos; Workers Compensation Subrogation; Civil Litigation; Professional Negligence; Employment Litigation.Email: Henry D. Rome

Glenn D. Martin (Member) born Brooklyn, New York; admitted to bar, 1981, California. Education: State University of New York at Albany (B.A., 1978); University of San Francisco (J.D., 1981); Southwestern University. Recipient, 2006 James M. Dennis Memorial Award. Arbitrator, Mediator and Judge Pro Tem, San Mateo County Superior and Municipals Courts. Member: San Mateo County Bar Association; State Bar of California. Practice Areas: Civil Rights; Landslides and Subsidence; Public Entity; Construction Defects; Civil Litigation; Employment Law; Insurance Defense.Email: Glenn D. Martin

Shawn M. Ridley (Member) born Jersey City, New Jersey; admitted to bar, 1989, California and U.S. District Court, Northern District of California; 1990, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California. Education: University of Notre Dame (B.A., 1986); Santa Clara University (J.D., 1989). Arbitrator, San Mateo County Superior Court, 1997—. Member: San Mateo County and American Bar Associations. Languages: French. Practice Areas: Product Liability; Asbestos; Workers Compensation Subrogation; Insurance Defense; Construction Defects Litigation; Civil Litigation.Email: Shawn M. Ridley

Bobbie R. Bailey (Member) born Russellville, Kentucky; admitted to bar, 1992, California and Missouri; 1993, Kansas; U.S. District Court, District of Kansas; U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit. Education: University of Missouri (B.J., 1981); University of San Francisco (J.D., 1991). Member: San Mateo County Bar Association; State Bar of California. [Lt. Comdr., U.S. Naval Reserve, active duty, 1982-1988; Operation Desert Storm, 1991].Email: Bobbie R. Bailey

Todd H. Master (Member) born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; admitted to bar, 1996, California; U.S. District Court, Northern District of California; U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Education: Skidmore College (B.A., with highest honors, 1992); University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law (J.D., 1996). Member: San Mateo County Bar Association; State Bar of California.Email: Todd H. Master

Vanthara Meak (Member) born Phnom Penh, Cambodia; admitted to bar, 1997, Missouri; 2003, California; U.S. District Court, Northern District of California; U.S. District Court, Central District of California. Education: University of Missouri (B.A., 1994; J.D., 1997). Member: San Mateo County Bar Association; State Bar of California; The Missouri Bar.Email: Vanthara Meak

SENIOR COUNSEL

Frederick W. Gatt (Senior Counsel) born San Francisco, California; admitted to bar, 1987, California. Education: University of San Francisco (B.A., 1980; J.D., 1983). Arbitrator, Alameda County, 1997-2002. Mediator, Alameda County, 1999-2002. Languages: German. Practice Areas: Insurance Defense; Civil Litigation; Asbestos Defense.Email: Frederick W. Gatt

Trina M. Clayton (Senior Counsel) born Mountain View, California; admitted to bar, 1999, California. Education: California Polytechnic State University (B.A., 1995); University of San Francisco (J.D., 1999). Member: San Francisco and San Mateo County Bar Associations.Email: Trina M. Clayton

Peter Tuann (Senior Counsel) born Beijing, China; admitted to bar, 1992, California. Education: University of California, Berkeley (A.B., 1988); University of California School of Law, Davis (J.D., 1991). Formerly with: Cholakian & Associates; Schofield & Schiller; Keitges, Bangle & Thurger; Chao & Tuann. Member: State Bar of California; Asian-American Bar Association. Languages: Mandarin Chinese. Practice Areas: Insurance Defense; Subrogation; Asbestos Defense.Email: Peter Tuann

Elisabeth (Hansen) Baum (Senior Counsel) born Santa Clara, California; admitted to bar, 1996, California. Education: University of California, Irvine (B.A., 1992); Santa Clara University School of Law (J.D., 1996). Member: San Mateo County Bar Association. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Products Liability; Asbestos Litigation; Toxic Torts.

Darin A. Leviloff (Senior Counsel) born Los Angeles, California, 1969; admitted to bar, 1994, California. Education: University of California at Santa Barbara (B.A., 1991); University of California, Hastings College of the Law (J.D., 1994). Practice Areas: Litigation; Civil Litigation; Complex Litigation; Defense Litigation; Asbestos Defense; Asbestos Litigation; Toxic Tort Defense.Email: Darin A. Leviloff

Jane B. Yee (Senior Counsel) born Boise, Idaho; admitted to bar, 1985, California, U.S. District Court, District of California, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California and U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Education: University of California, Berkeley (A.B., honors, 1975); Graduate School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley (M.P.P., 1977); University of California, Hastings College of the Law (J.D., 1984). Member, Moot Court Board. Law Clerk to Honorable Harry S. Low, First District Court of Appeal. Moot Court Instructor, 1983-1984. Member: San Mateo Bar Association; State Bar of California. Practice Areas: Asbestos Litigation; Insurance Defense; Products Liability; Construction Defects.Email: Jane B. Yee

Lisa K. Rauch (Senior Counsel) born Los Angeles, California; admitted to bar, 1990, California; U.S. District Court, Northern District of California. Education: University of California, Berkeley (A.B., 1986); University of San Francisco (J.D., 1990). Member: Queen's Bench (Member, Board Director; President, 2002) and San Mateo Bar Associations; State Bar of California; San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association; California Women Lawyers (Member, Board of Governors, 2004-2008; First Vice President and Treasurer). Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Products Liability; Commercial Litigation.Email: Lisa K. Rauch

ASSOCIATES

Naomi Fribourg (Associate) born Upland, California; admitted to bar, 2002, California. Education: University of California, Berkeley (B.A., 1995); University of California Hastings College of the Law (J.D., 2002). Member: San Mateo County Bar Association.Email: Naomi Fribourg

Ryan C. Kujawski (Associate) born Manhasset, New York; admitted to bar, 2003, California. Education: State University of New York College at Geneseo (B.A., 1999); University of Oregon (J.D., 2003). Associate Editor, Oregon Review of International Law. Member: San Mateo County Bar Association.Email: Ryan C. Kujawski

Christina M. Helwig (Associate) born Hayward, California; admitted to bar, 2005, California. Education: California State University (B.A., 2001); University of California, Hastings College of the Law (J.D., 2005). Member: San Mateo County Bar Association; State Bar of California. Languages: American Sign Language.Email: Christina M. Helwig

Craig W. Ching (Associate) born Santa Clara, California; admitted to bar, 2006, California. Education: University of California, Davis (B.A., 1998); Golden Gate University, San Francisco (J.D., 2005). Member: San Mateo County Bar Association; State Bar of California.Email: Craig W. Ching

Brian A. Fiorino (Associate) born Warren, Ohio, 1975; admitted to bar, 2006, California, New Jersey and New York. Education: George Washington University (B.A., magna cum laude, 1997); American University (J.D., cum laude, 2005). Law Clerk to Hon. Frederic S. Kessler, Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division, Family Part, Union County, 2005-2006. Member: San Mateo and Santa Clara County Bar Associations; State Bar of California. Languages: Russian, Czech, Swedish, French, German. Practice Areas: Asbestos Insurance Defense.Email: Brian A. Fiorino

Lisa A. Corman (Associate) born Chicago, Illinois; admitted to bar, 2001, California. Education: San Diego State University (B.A., 1991); University of Denver (M.A., 1996); Golden Gate University (J.D., 2001). Speaker, "CELA Discovery 101," San Francisco, 2006. Member: Bar Association of San Francisco; State Bar of California. Languages: German. Practice Areas: Toxic Tort Defense.Email: Lisa A. Corman

Eduardo Robles (Associate) born Santa Barbara, California, 1974; admitted to bar, 2003, California. Education: University of California, Berkeley (B.A., 1997); University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law (J.D., 2002). Member: Alameda County and San Mateo County Bar Associations; Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada. [United States Marine Corps Reserves, 1993-1999]. Languages: Spanish. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Defense Litigation; Toxic Torts; Asbestos Defense; Asbestos Litigation; Toxic Tort Defense.Email: Eduardo Robles

Helen Tsai (Associate) born Houston, Texas; admitted to bar, 2008, California. Education: Stanford University (B.A., 2001); University of Houston Law Center (J.D., 2006). Languages: Mandarin, Taiwanese, Thai, Spanish, Japanese and Korean.

Melissa Holmes (Associate) born Las Vegas, Nevada, 1973; admitted to bar, 2002, California; U.S. District Court, Northern District of California; U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Education: University of California at Santa Cruz (B.A., 1995); Hastings College of the Law, University of California (J.D., 2001). Law Clerk to Magistrate Judge Bernard Zimmerman, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, September 2007-2008. Author: "Anti-SLAPP Motions to Strike: A Useful Tool for Defense Counsel," Defense Comment, Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada, Summer 2006. Member: San Mateo County Bar Association; State Bar of California. Practice Areas: Civil Rights; Municipal Defense; Employment Defense; Insurance Defense; Civil Litigation.Email: Melissa Holmes

David Lindsay Barch (Associate) born San Jose, California, 1964; admitted to bar, 2004, California. Education: University of California, Berkeley (B.A., 1987); Yonsei University, Graduate School of International Studies (M.A., 1999); University of San Francisco Law School (J.D., 2004). Summer Intern, Environmental Law, Center for Law and Global Justice, Cambodia, 2002. Legal Assistant: Legal Aid Society, San Francisco, 2003; Bingham, McCutchen, LLP, San Francisco, 2004; Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP, San Francisco, 2004. Associate: Clapp, Moroney, Bellagamba and Vucinich, San Jose, 2005; Robinson & Wood Inc., San Jose, 2005-2007; Shin & Kim, 2007-2008. Member: Bar Association of San Francisco; San Mateo and American Bar Associations; State Bar of California; American Chamber of Commerce in Korea. Languages: Korean and French. Practice Areas: Toxic Torts; Construction Law; Commercial Law.

OF COUNSEL

Eric D. Bergstrom (Of Counsel) born Greenbrae, California; admitted to bar, 1987, California. Education: University of California, Berkeley (B.A., 1983); University of San Francisco Law School (J.D., 1986). Member: San Mateo Bar Association; State Bar of California. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Asbestos; Toxic Torts; Insurance Defense.