Nicholas W. Hornberger
Managing Partner
In 2002, 2004 and 2008 Nick Hornberger received verdicts listed in the "Top 100 Verdicts in the United States." He has received three verdicts in excess of $10 million, seven verdicts above $1 million and has settled ten cases for in excess of $1 million. He has tried over 150 jury trials and 75 court trials to verdict. His very diverse practice encompasses Complex Business Litigation, Credit Card Processing Litigation, Franchise Litigation, Intellectual Property, Tort, Eminent Domain, Employment/Labor Cases, Insurance Bad Faith, Catastrophic Personal Injury, Environmental/Toxic Tort, and Products Liability. His clients are principally business and property owners, product manufacturers, catastrophically injured parties and their dependents.
Mr. Hornberger received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of California Berkeley in 1968. He received his Juris Doctorate with Honors from the University of San Francisco in 1972, where he was on Law Review and a member of the McAuliffe Honor Society. He served in the United States Marine Corp Reserve from 1967 through 1973. Between his undergraduate and law school studies he served as an air and water pollution process chemist for Sequoia Refining Corporation from 1968 to 1970. After graduating from law school, Nick joined the prestigious law firm of Shield and Smith in downtown Los Angeles as an associate. He became an equity partner in 1977, and a Managing Partner in 1984. During his tenure, Shield and Smith grew in size from 8 to 92 lawyers. Nick's practice was primarily comprised of defending manufacturers, major retailers and large insurance companies.
In 1991 he and his partners formed the firm of Hornberger and Brewer to serve the needs of his clients in more diverse fields than offered by Shield & Smith. Nick has used multimedia equipment in jury and court trials for a decade. The firm uses in house personnel to videotape depositions. They present depositions, documents, videotapes, and photographs with their own state of the art equipment.
He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) and Association of Business Trial Lawyers. He has spoken to the Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Association on "The Use of Depositions in Trial" and "Comparative Fault Updated."
Mr. Hornberger was born and raised in Oakland, CA. He is married with six children, and lives in Tustin Hills, CA.
Current Employment Position(s):
- Managing Partner
Year Joined Organization:
- Founded, 1991
Areas of Practice:
- Complex Business Litigation
- Credit Card Processing Litigation
- Franchise Litigation
- Intellectual Property
- Tort
- Eminent Domain
- Employment/Labor Cases
- Insurance Bad Faith
- Catastrophic Personal Injury
- Environmental/Toxic Tort
- Products Liability
Litigation Percentage:
- 100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation
Bar Admissions:
- California, 1972
- U.S. District Court Central District of California, 1972
- U.S. District Court Northern District of California, 1972
- U.S. Supreme Court, 1972
- U.S. Court of Appeals Federal Circuit, 1980
Education:
- University of California Berkeley, B.S. Chemistry 1968
- University of San Francisco, J.D. 1972
Honors: McAuliffe Honor Society
Honors: With Honors
Law Review: San Francisco Law Review, Member
Classes/Seminars Taught:
- "The Use of Depositions in Trial", Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Association, 1991
- "Comparative Fault Updated", Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Association, 1992
Professional Associations and Memberships:
- American Board of Trial Advocates
Member - Products Liability Advisory Council
Member - Federation Insurance and Corporate Counsel
Member - The Defense Research Institute
Member - The Association of Southern California Defense Counsel
Member - Los Angeles County Bar Association
Member - American Bar Association
Member - Rolling Hills Community Association
Board of Directors
Past Employment Positions:
- Sequoia Refining Corporation, Air and Water Pollution Process Chemist, 1968 - 1970
- Shield & Smith, Associate, 1972 - 1991
