Rederick Schenk, a senior partner of the firm, has been practicing law for over 28 years. In 1996, he was selected by San Diego Magazine as the best asbestos attorney in San Diego and obtained the largest verdict ever against an asbestos manufacturer in the County of San Diego. In 2005, the San Diego Daily Transcript ranked him as one of the Top 10 lawyers in San Diego, and was again recognized as a top lawyer in 2007. Since 2005, he has been honored by being listed in Woodward and White’s “Best Lawyers In America”. In addition to his successful mesothelioma litigation practice, Mr. Schenk has tried and litigated numerous product liability, automobile collision, premises liability, F.E.L.A., maritime, and other serious personal injury cases. He also participated with other partners of Casey Gerry in representing Governor Gray Davis achieving the nation’s largest settlement against the tobacco industry; a settlement on behalf of Californians of over $25 billion. He is a past recipient of the Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award presented by the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego, for having received the largest ever asbestos personal injury verdict in San Diego County.
His unique knowledge in the area of automobile collision litigation was also recognized when he was selected as a consulting editor for Matthew Bender’s Legal Publication, "Pleading and Practice Vol. 8", on Automobiles. In addition, he is co-author of LexisNexis Publishing’s, "California Automobile Collision Handbook," first published in 2000 and updated yearly.
In 1994, Mr. Schenk was elected by his peers to serve as president of the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego. In 2006, he served as the president of the Civil Justice Foundation, a Washington D.C. based non-profit organization which raises money and grants funds to consumer groups that assist people throughout the United States. He was vice president of the 22nd District Agricultural Association (Del Mar Fairgrounds) in 2006, having served on the fair board between 2002-2006.
Between 2000-2002, Mr. Schenk served as president of the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center of San Diego. Raised in Los Angeles by immigrant parents, Mr. Schenk speaks fluent Hungarian. In his spare time, he likes to travel with his wife Shari and their three children. He is a devoted Padres baseball fan and enjoys playing racquetball.
