Stuart M. Gordon

Stuart M. Gordon founded Gordon & Rees in 1974 with Donald W. Rees. Mr. Gordon has handled numerous matters involving pharmaceutical and medical device cases, business, real estate, general litigation and legal malpractice defense. As one of the principal trial attorneys and negotiators in the firm, he has tried more than 50 jury and non-jury cases to verdict and has mediated and settled several thousand cases. He acted as the managing partner of the firm for 23 years and then as financial partner, guiding it from a small firm of three attorneys to a civil litigation and business transactions firm of over 500 lawyers in 28 offices throughout the U.S.

Admissions

California
U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Eastern District of California
United States Supreme Court 

Memberships

Bar Association of San Francisco
State Bar of California
American Bar Association
Northern California Association of Defense Counsel
International Association of Defense Counsel

Community Involvement

Mr. Gordon has received numerous recognitions for his service to the community. He received the Hall of Fame Service Award  and the Chancellor's Citation for Leadership and Contributions to the University of California, Berkeley. He also received the Cal Baseball "Excellence in Leadership Award," which is awarded each year in Mr. Gordon's name. Additionally, he received the "Citation Award" from the Boalt Hall Alumni Association of the University of California, the highest honor bestowed upon Boalt alumni. Mr. Gordon was selected "for his dedication to public service, his contributions to the legal profession, and his support of Berkeley Law."

Mr. Gordon is actively involved in numerous organizations at the University of California at Berkeley. His donations have helped make possible the Stuart M. Gordon Moot Courtroom at the Boalt Hall School of Law and the Cal baseball field and outdoor multipurpose complex. He is one of the founders of the Bear Backers, an organization which raises more than $8 million each year to support athletic programs at the University.  Twice in recent years, Mr. Gordon has been named the Carl Van Heuit Cal Baseball Alumnus of the Year, and currently serves in an appointed position on the Athletic Director's Advisory Board. He is currently a member of the Boalt Hall Campaign Cabinet and has served on the Board of Directors and as President of the Boalt Hall School of Law Alumni Association.

In addition to giving back to his alma mater, Mr. Gordon has also given back throughout the San Francisco Bay Area community, serving as past President and Director of The Guardsmen (an organization which raises money to send disadvantaged children to summer camp), Chairman of the Juvenile Justice Commission for the City and County of San Francisco, and a board member of the Legal Aid Society of San Francisco, San Francisco General Hospital, and the San Francisco Boys and Girls Clubs.

Representative Experience

Examples of Mr. Gordon’s extensive experience include the following. 

• Mr. Gordon has a prominent reputation for serving as National and Regional Counsel for major pharmaceutical companies, both as trial counsel and settlement counsel. During the last 10 years, he served as National Counsel in the Primary Pulmonary Hypertension Litigation and as lead defense counsel and negotiator on the West Coast for Wyeth in the fen/phen litigation. In this capacity, Mr. Gordon negotiated settlements of several thousand cases for Wyeth and assisted in guiding and managing the litigation throughout the country.  Mr. Gordon also served a significant role in the Bextra/Celebrex Litigation on behalf of Pfizer in the MDL.



• Mr. Gordon leads a practice group that has been retained as National and Regional Counsel in class actions, complex and coordinated actions, as well as local counsel in single and multi-party litigation, involving a wide variety of pharmaceutical products, such as Pondimin and Redux, Premarin, Prempro, PPA-containing medications, Thimerosal, Norplant, Reglan, Cordarone, needles and syringes, Perclose devices, breast implants, dietary supplements, and numerous other commercial litigation matters. The team has served as National, Regional, and California Counsel for multiple vascular, orthopedic product, and numerous other product manufacturers.

Practices

Drug & Medical Device
Professional Liability Defense
Class Action
Life Sciences

Office

San Francisco

Education

J.D., University of California Berkeley, Boalt School of Law

• President of the Student Body
• Recipient of Corpus Juris Secundum Award

A.D., University of California Berkeley

Honors

Recipient of the Hall of Fame Service Award for outstanding long-term contribution to the ideals of the Cal Athletics Department

Recipient of the Chancellor's Citation for Leadership and Contributions to the University of California, Berkeley

Cal Baseball "Excellence in Leadership Award," which is awarded each year in Mr. Gordon's name

Citation Award, Boalt Hall Alumni Association of the University of California, Berkeley

"CLAY" Award (California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year), recognition for  "achievements [that] have made a profound impact on the law.”

Top Rated Lawyer-AV® Preeminent™,
Martindale-Hubbell

Best Lawyers in America® distinction in Mass Tort Litigation and Product Liability Litigation (2010-2013)

 Who's Who Legal Product Liability Defense, "…the firm’s founder and a dean of the Bar especially with respect to his pharmaceutical and medical device work…" (California and International editions, 2007-2012)

Super Lawyers® distinction in the fields of Class Action/Mass Torts; Personal Injury Defense: Products; and Civil Litigation Defense (2004-2012)

Expert Guide to U.S. Product Liability Lawyers, The Legal Media Group