Draft:Craig R. McClellan

CRAIG R. MCCLELLAN

Education & Early Career

He began his practice of law with Luce Forward Hamilton & Scripps, eventually starting his own firm, now known as The McClellan Law Firm. He was a Captain in the United States Marine Corps and graduated from California Western School of Law.

Career

FOUNDING PARTNER of the McClellan Law Firm

Craig McClellan has obtained more than 145 verdicts and settlements in excess of one million dollars, and is a three-time recipient of the "Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award" from the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego for cases in which million and multi-million dollar verdicts were obtained. He is the first and only personal injury attorney in San Diego selected for admission to the Inner Circle of Advocates, a prestigious invitation-only group of top plaintiff's attorneys, limited to 100 members nationwide. One of his final arguments is featured in Million Dollar Arguments.

Associations & Memberships

He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, where he served as President of the San Diego Chapter. He is also a Master of the American Inns of Court, and a former Member of the Board of Directors of the San Diego Chapter of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers. Craig has the distinction of being voted by his peers as one of the Best Lawyers in America, as well as the Number 1 attorney by Super Lawyer" for San Diego. In addition to these recognitions, Craig earned a 10/10 "Superb" Avvo rating and was named one of 2015's Top Lawyers in San Diego in Business Litigation by San Diego Magazine.

Public Appearances

He has appeared on public radio and television programs, including 60 Minutes, 20/20, and the McNeil-Lehrer Report. One of his cases is featured in No Contest by Ralph Nader and Wesley J. Smith. Craig has focused his career on complex, high-stakes litigation. His cases include catastrophic personal injury and product liability cases as well as business and intellectual property litigation.

Articles & Publications

Garrison v. Porsche Million Dollar Arguments 1993

Physicians' Liability: The Sale and Insertion of A Dalkon Shield California Western Law Review 1975

Changing Laws in Notable Cases

In 1987 Craig McClellan helped Ban 3-wheel ATVs [7].

In the late 1980s Craig McClellan helped ban Lap-Only Seatbelts.

MILLER V. FORD MOTOR CO.

In Miller v. Ford Motor Co., the Miller family was out for a Sunday drive in its Ford Escort with 11-year-old twins James and Richard belted in the back seat. Another vehicle crossed over into their lane and hit the Millers' Escort head on. Because the rear seats were equipped with lap-only seat belts, James died at the scene and Richard was rendered paraplegic. Although Ford wanted a confidential settlement, the Miller family refused. Ford later settled for $6 million. Following the settlement, the Miller family lobbied for legislation that required all used car dealers to place a sticker on the window of any vehicle with lap-only seat belts warning consumers of the dangers of those restraints. The bill passed and is now California law.

In the early 1980s Craig McClellan help create warning labels on Porsche's high-performance & turbo-charged vehicles stating that they were not for the layman's driver.

GARRISON V. PORSCHE

Garrison v. Porsche, arose out of the death of a husband and father who was a passenger in a Turbo 930, when the driver lost control on a city street and went into oncoming traffic. The jury awarded $2.5 million, which was upheld on appeal. The 1983 award tied the verdict for the death of Audie Murphy, a war hero and actor, for the largest wrongful death verdict in the state of California. Following the Garrison verdict, Porsche started offering driver's training to the purchasers of its high-performance, turbo-charged vehicles.