Michael A. Scafiddi

Michael A. Scafiddi has been an attorney licensed to practice in the State of California for twenty-four years (1997). Mr. Scafiddi began his career working as an associate for the Law Offices of William D. Shapiro, who worked exclusively representing plaintiffs with catastrophic injuries and wrongful death matters. Mr. Scafiddi opened his own office in 2003 in San Bernardino, California, where he handled both personal injury law and criminal defense cases. Since 2003, the Law Offices of Michael A. Scafiddi has grown and now has seven full time associate lawyers, three of counsel lawyers, and nine staff members, including a calendar clerk, law clerks, case managers, a receptionist, a personal injury civil secretary, and paralegals. Approximately 95% of the cases handled by the Law Offices of Michael A. Scafiddi are criminal defense cases, and 25% of the criminal defense cases are felony and misdemeanor DUIs, vehicle manslaughter DUIs, and Watson murder cases. The remaining 5% of cases are plaintiff catastrophic injuries and wrongful death cases. In the past 24 years, the Law Offices of Michael A. Scafiddi has recovered over Fifty-Seven Million Dollars for his clients through verdicts and settlements. During this same time period, Mr. Scafiddi has handled well over 1,000 DMV/APS hearings. Mr. Scafiddi is also greatly involved in the local legal community, having served on the San Bernardino County Bar Association Board of Directors for ten years, and also serving as the President of the San Bernardino County Bar Association from 2008 to 2009. Mr. Scafiddi has also served for the past five years as a member of the Western San Bernardino County Bar Association Board of Directors and is the 2020/2021/2022 President. Mr. Scafiddi has also served on the Board of Directors for the Legal Aid Society of San Bernardino for over twenty-four years, serving as President for four years, and Vice President for twelve years. He is currently a board member and is the first lawyer to receive the title of President/Emeritus. Mr. Scafiddi has maintained a Martindale Hubbell Preeminent AV Rating since 2014. He has been recognized by Super Lawyers as a Top Lawyer in 2020 and 2021, and recently for 2022. Mr. Scafiddi has also been awarded numerous awards, including: • Jennifer Brooks Lawyer of the Year Award in 2015/2016 awarded by the Western San Bernardino County Bar Association • Kearney Nydam Award for Pro Bono services in 2010 • Lawyer of the Year by the Inland Empire Latino Lawyers Association in 2015 • Legal Services Corporation Certificate of Appreciation Award for all not-for-profit legal aid with Inland Counties Legal Services¬ in 2015 (first lawyer in the county in fifteen years to receive this award). • St. Thomas Moore Award- Red Mass Steering Committee for Riverside and San Bernardino Counties- 2012 • AV Preeminent by Martindale Hubbell since 2014 • The Seton Hope Award- 2015 • Lawyer of the Year by Western San Bernardino County Bar Association 2015 • John B. Surr Award 2021 Mr. Scafiddi has also served as a board member and chairperson for Cedar House in Bloomington, California, a 125-bed inpatient drug and alcohol treatment and rehabilitation facility - 2005 to 2016. Prior to his career as an attorney, Mr. Scafiddi served for thirteen years as a sworn police officer honorably retiring as a Sergeant. As an officer Mr. Scafiddi was named Officer of the Year in 1989. As an officer Mr. Scafiddi testified over 400 times as a gang expert. Mr. Scafiddi formerly served on the state of California Prison Gang Task Force. In 2018-2019 Mr. Scafiddi was appointed to the state of California Gang data base analytical data committee which made recommendations to the state attorney general in changing how individuals are placed into the gang database. This important work was used to make the system more fair and more difficult for individuals be placed in the gang database system. Mr. Scafiddi currently travels to law offices and firms throughout many states lecturing and training lawyers on holistic lawyering, which is referred to at Mr. Scafiddi's own office as "compassionate lawyering." Awards and Honors Super Lawyers® Selectees Michael A. Scafiddi included in a Super Lawyers® list Honors Kearney Nydam Award by San Bernardino County Bar Association for “Outstanding Pro Bono Service in San Bernardino County October 14, 2010, 2010 - Present Inland Empire Latino Lawyers Association for Lawyer of the Year, 2015 - Present Highest AVVO rating (10.0), 2009 - Present AV Preeminent 5.0/5.0 by Martindale Hubbell, 2014 - 2017 Western San Bernardino Bar Association Jennifer Brooks Award for Lawyer of the Year, 2015 - Present St. Thomas Moore Award- Red Mass Steering Committee for Riverside and San Bernardino Counties- 2012 Access to Justice Award by Legal Aid Society of San Bernardino-2013 Top 100 Lawyers- The National Trial Lawyers Association, 2013 - 2014 The Seton Hope Award- 2015 Lawyer of the Year- 2015 by Western San Bernardino County Bar Association Nation's Top One Percent- 2015-National Association of Distinguished Counsel Inland Empire Magazine- Top Lawyers- 2015 Lawyer of the Year-2015- Inland Empire Latino Lawyers Association Other Sources of Feedback About Michael A. Scafiddi Included on the 2026Southern California Super Lawyers list Past Lists 2025 Southern California Super Lawyers list 2024 Southern California Super Lawyers list 2023 Southern California Super Lawyers list 2022 Southern California Super Lawyers list 2021 Southern California Super Lawyers list 2020 Southern California Super Lawyers list

• Owner

• Law Offices of Michael A. Scafiddi San Bernardino, California, Owner, 1997 - 2003
• Law Offices of William D. Shapiro San Bernardino, California, Of Counsel, 1997 - 2003
• Banning Police Department Banning, California, Police Sergeant, 1988 - 1992
• Pacific Seminar Traffic School Walnut Creek, California, Traffic School Instructor, 1989 - 1993
• Acme Investigations San Bernardino, California, Senior Investigator, 1987 - 1988
• Ontario Police Department Ontario, California, Police Officer II, 1980 - 1987
• References
• William D. Shapiro, Esq.
• William Weathers, Esq.
• Eric R. Hunt, Esq.
• Timothy Peach, Esq.
• Languages
• English (Primary)
• Spanish
• Italian

• Gang Intervention seminar instructor, 1989
• Program Coordinator for the delinquency program, University of California Riverside, extension program, Department of Law and Public Policy, 2009 - 2011
• Guest Instructor, introduction to personal injury, University of California Riverside, extension program, Law and Public Policy seminars, 2009 - 2011
• Guest Lecturer, DUI overview, San Bernardino County Bar Association Civil and Criminal Law Symposiums, 2009 - 2013

• People v. Charles Patrick Williams
• Citation: 184 Cal,App.4th 142
• Court: Court of Appeals
• Year: 2010
• Citation: 108 Cal.Rptr.3d 772
• Ancillary Businesses
• Active license as a state licensed private investigator 1989-Present

• Legal Aid Society of San Bernardino, Vice President, 2004 - Present
• San Bernardino County Bar Association “We Care Community Program,” Chairperson, 2009 - 2010
• Cedar House (125 bed inpatient alcohol and drug rehabilitation facility), Vice President/Board of Directors, 2005 - 2008
• Cedar House, President/Board of Directors, 2009 - 2014
• Legal Aid Society of San Bernardino, Member of Board of Directors, 1998 - Present
• Legal Aid Society of San Bernardino, Vice President/Board of Directors, 2004 - Present
• Scafiddi Family Trust Annual Family Toy Drive for Children of Parents Involved in Recovery in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, Organizer, 2011 - Present
• Inland Counties Collaborative Courts Fund-raising Committee, Board Member, 2013 - 2014
• San Bernardino County Bar Association Mentoring Program for New Lawyers, Chairperson, 2008 - 2012
• Legal Aid Society of San Bernardino – Pro Bono Services
• John Lewis King Memorial Scholarship Fund, Board Member, 2014
• Aquinas High School, San Bernardino, CA, School Board Member, 2002 - 2007
• Aquinas High School President’s Advisory Board, Member, October 2009
• Highland Girls Softball League, Manager, 1997
• Highland Little League, Coach, 1996 - 1997
• St. Adelaide’s School JV Basketball, Head Coach, 1996 - 2000
• St. Adelaide’s Varsity Basketball, Head Coach, 2001 - 2002
• St. Adelaide’s Junior Varsity Football, Head Coach, 1996 - 2000
• St. Adelaide’s Varsity Football, Head Coach, 2001 - 2002
• Gang Database Technical Advisory Committee, April 1, 2018 - December 1, 2018
• Representative Clients
• San Bernardino Diocese - Civil Matter

• California, 1997
• U.S. District Court Central District of California, 1997
• U.S. District Court Southern District of California, 2014
• Specialties and Certifications
• Court Certified Expert on Street Gangs, Municipal and Superior Courts of San Bernardino County, 1981
• Court Certified Drug Recognition Expert, Municipal and Superior Court of San Bernardino County, 1982
• Police Officers Standards and Training Basic Certificate No. 19440
• Police Officers Standards and Training Intermediate Certificate No. 20987
• Police Officers Standards and Training Advanced Certificate No. 29566
• Police Officers Standards and Training Supervisory Certificate No. S14826
• Traffic School Instructors License No. TV 103 501
• Private Investigator, California License No. AA 012758

• California DUI Attorney Association, 2008 - Present (Member)
• San Bernardino County Bar Association (President, October 2008 – October 2009)
• National Conference of Bar Presidents (Sustaining Fellow Bar Leader, October 2008)
• Riverside County Bar Association, 2009 - Present (Member)
• Legal Aid Society of San Bernardino, 2004 - Present (Vice President)
• Legal Aid Society of San Bernardino , March 1, 2018 - Present (President/Board of Directors)
• San Bernardino County Bar Association, January 1, 2004 - January 1, 2010 (Board of Directors 2004-2010)
• San Bernardino County Bar Association Fee Dispute/Arbitration Panel (Member)
• Western San Bernardino County Bar Association, March 1, 2018 - Present (Vice President-Elect)
• Western San Bernardino County Bar Association (Member- Since 2009)
• San Bernardino County Bar Association, October 1, 2009 - October 1, 2010 (Immediate Past President )
• California State Bar (Member)
• Consumer Attorneys Inland Empire (Member)
• San Bernardino County Bar Association (Member)