Spencer Pahlke

Spencer's practice focuses on catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases involving defective medical devices, vehicular collisions, dangerous conditions of public and private property, and medical malpractice. Outside of his practice at Walkup, he also teaches at the University of California-Berkeley Law School (Boalt Hall) as a lecturer in trial advocacy. In addition to his teaching, he directs Berkeley Law's external trial competition program, and coaches multiple trial advocacy teams. Under Spencer's guidance, the program has risen to national prominence, having won many national honors and distinctions, including several national championships. Spencer has also provided ongoing legal education, including developing and co-chairing programs produced in conjunction with Berkeley Law, with a special focus on providing training to young attorneys. He has also co-chaired a presentation on governmental liability and design immunity, spoke to leading trial associations regarding governmental liability, made presentations on liability for commercial carriers, and lectured on the topic of liability insurance in the context of products liability. Spencer was selected as a Super Lawyer from 2013-2015, and before that was Rising Star in 2011 and 2012. In 2014 and 2015, he was listed by Best Lawyers. After graduating with Highest Distinction from the University of Nebraska with a double major in Economics and Psychology, Spencer attended law school at Berkeley Law, receiving his J.D. in 2007. At Berkeley, Spencer was a member of the California Law Review as well as an associate editor for Ecology Law Quarterly. Academically, he won Prosser Awards in Legal Ethics and in Environmental Law. Spencer's main interest in law school was trial advocacy, both in Berkeley Law's competitive trial advocacy program and its clinical programs. Clinically, he tried cases before Oakland's Citizen's Police Review Board. There, his responsibilities included representing people claiming violations of their constitutional rights at the hands of the Oakland Police Department. He successfully competed on several trial teams. He won the Bay Area trial competition held by the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association. Additionally, in the National Trial Competition, his three-person team was a regional finalist, and he won two top advocate awards. Spencer joined the Walkup firm in 2007, and practices all types of personal injury litigation in all courts within the State of California. Updated Results: Patient v. Hospitalist / Hospital Medical Malpractice $5,000,000 Settlement Snowboarder v. Equipment Manufacturer Products Liability $4,500,000 settlement Pedestrian v. City and County of San Francisco Public Transit Negligence $3,250,000 Settlement Insured v. Insurance Carrier Underinsured Motorist $2,250,000 Cable Car Passenger v. City and County of San Francisco Negligent Operation of Cable Car $2,026,000 Settlement Adult Daughter v. Heavy Equipment Company Vehicular Negligence $2,000,000 Patient v. Cardiologist Medical Malpractice $1,999,900 Settlement Wife / Children v. HMO Medical Malpractice $1,400,000 Settlement Pedestrian v. Driver Vehicular Negligence $1,000,000 settlement Scooter Driver v. Cab Company Vehicular Negligence $1,000,000 Chu v. Bay Area Community Services, Inc. Premises Liability - Negligent Supervision $996,000 Verdict Insured v. Major Insurance Company Insurance Bad Faith $975,000 Settlement Child v. Doctor Medical Malpractice $965,000 Settlement Pedestrian v. South Bay City Dangerous Condition of Public Property $875,000 Settlement Wife / Children v. HMO Medical Malpractice $850,000 Settlement Cyclist v. Driver's Employer Vehicular Negligence $750,000 Settlement Pedestrian v. Driver Vehicular Negligence - Underinsured Motorist $555,000 Settlement Patient v. Surgeon Medical Malpractice $500,606.36 Settlement Family v. HMO Medical Negligence - Surgical Error - Wrongful Death $475,000 Settlement Adult Children v. Pilot / Owner of Plane Aviation Crash Litigation $425,000 Settlement Insured v. Mercury Insurance Underinsured Motorist $421,000 Arbitration Award Grandparent v. Youth Camp Premises Liability $400,000 Settlement Pedestrian v. Cab Company Vehicular Negligence $350,000 Settlement Motorcyclist v. Driver Vehicular Negligence $350,000 Settlement Bicyclist v. Driver Vehicular Negligence $325,000 settlement Passenger v. Driver Vehicular Negligence - Read-End Collision $325,000 Settlement Customer v. Massage Therapist General Negligence $300,000 Settlement Bicyclist v. Driver Vehicular Negligence / Underinsured Motorist Liability $300,000 settlement Passenger v. Cab Company Vehicular Negligence - Common Carrier $300,000 Pedestrian v. San Diego Mass Transit Public Transit Negligence $300,000 Cyclist v. SUV Driver Vehicular Negligence $300,000 Settlement Pedestrian v. CCSF Dangerous Condition of Public Property $270,000 Passenger v. MUNI Governmental Liability $250,000 Settlement Driver v. Driver Vehicular Negligence - Underinsured Motorist $250,000 Bicyclist v. Driver Vehicular Negligence $250,000 Settlement Awards and Honors Super Lawyers® Selectees Spencer Pahlke included in a Super Lawyers® list Honors Rising Star, 2011 - 2012 SuperLawyer, 2013 and 2016 Best Lawyers, 2013 and 2016 Top 40 under 40, National Trial Lawyers Other Sources of Feedback About Spencer Pahlke Included on the 2026Northern California Super Lawyers list Past Lists 2025 Northern California Super Lawyers list 2024 Northern California Super Lawyers list 2023 Northern California Super Lawyers list 2022 Northern California Super Lawyers list 2021 Northern California Super Lawyers list 2020 Northern California Super Lawyers list 2019 Northern California Super Lawyers list 2018 Northern California Super Lawyers list 2017 Northern California Super Lawyers list 2016 Northern California Super Lawyers list 2015 Northern California Super Lawyers list 2014 Northern California Super Lawyers list 2013 Northern California Super Lawyers list 2012 Northern California Super Lawyers list 2011 Northern California Super Lawyers list

• Shareholder

• Lecturer, Trial Advocacy, the University of California-Berkeley Law School (Boalt Hall)
• Teacher, Berkeley Law's External Trial Competition Program