Joe Cotchett

Joe Cotchett

The San Mateo County Historical Association is pleased to announce that nationally renowned attorney and state and local leader Joe Cotchett is its 2021 San Mateo County History Maker. Mr. Cotchett is being honored for his work as an advocate “for the underdog,” taking on the largest corporations and financial institutions in our country for over five decades.

With Congresswoman Jackie Speier serving as Master of Ceremonies, the event will take place at Filoli Historic House & Gardens in Woodside. The evening will begin at 5 p.m. with a hosted cocktail reception, followed by a dinner, a brief live auction, and a special film created by the Historical Association.

Joe is a longtime Peninsula resident who recognized the importance of civil and societal rights while attending college and continued this work as an attorney over his lengthy career.  Before law school, he earned a degree in engineering at Cal Poly Tech, followed by a law degree from the University of California, Hastings Law School.  He served as a Special Forces Airborne Officer in the Army before attending law school.  He gained the reputation as one of the best trial lawyers in California and the country.  He continued in the Army Reserves for 30 years doing special operations and serving in the JAGC.

This advocate “for the underdog” has been taking on the largest corporations and financial institutions in our country for over five decades.  Among his many far-reaching actions was his work to expose the strategies of people like Bernie Madoff, Charles Keating and other fraudsters as well as working for those without a voice against the powers of Wall Street and Silicon Valley, in addition to protecting our environment from big oil and polluters.  His career as a trial lawyer is legendary in our state and country and he has been so honored.

His list of statewide and national recognitions is most impressive.  He is one of the few California lawyers in the American Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame as well as an early member of the California’s Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame.  He received the Distinguished Service Award from the prestigious Judicial Council of California and many other honors bestowed upon him by consumer, civil rights, labor, environmental organizations, and our State Legislature.  He is honored annually by the state legal media as one of the top 10 lawyers in California.  His service in the Army earned him the highly regarded award – the Legion of Merit.

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