DANIEL D. RODARTE

Partner

Tel: 310.319.5466

Email

A native Californian, Dan Rodarte has practiced civil litigation and tried cases to verdict for over 25 years in a wide variety of areas, including mass tort products liability defense, commercial business disputes, professional liability, pharmaceutical and medical device litigation, and trusts and estates litigation.  Dan served as a leading member of the national trial team for a major healthcare company and as trial counsel for manufacturers in toxic exposure litigation.

After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1979, Dan joined a prominent national law firm where he practiced both commercial and longshoreman personal injury litigation for many years.  Dan also served with the San Francisco City Attorneys' office, representing the San Francisco Public Works Department, Police Department and Unified School District in a variety of litigation matters.  In 1995, Dan opened his own law firm, continuing his litigation practice for eight years before joining Shapiro, Rodarte & Forman.

Dan has tried many cases to jury verdict, including mass tort products liability (asbestos and mammary implants); professional malpractice, and commercial cases.  For example, Dan served as trial counsel in multiple asbestos exposure cases in California, Washington and Oklahoma; co-trial counsel in one of the first bellwether mammary implant cases in California (Valentine v. Baxter Healthcare Corporation, 68 Cal.App. 4th 1467 (1999)) and Texas (Kelley v. American Heyer-Schulte Corporation, 957 F. Supp. 873 (W.D. Tex. 1997)); trial and appellate counsel in a commercial dispute raising significant issues regarding the scope of arbitral immunity (Morgan Phillips Corporation v. Chittenden & Eastman Co., 140 Cal.App 4th 795 (2006)); and lead trial counsel on behalf of an obstetrician in a brain injury case, resulting in a defense verdict.

Away from the office, Dan and his spouse, Ann Marie, try to keep up with their two teenage children and recent college graduate, and a multitude of school and community activities.  Occasionally, Dan can be found on the golf course (usually in the rough or in the sand).