Oakland Civil Rights Attorney | Michael Haddad
Michael Haddad is an AV Preeminent Rated Lawyer and an acclaimed Oakland civil rights attorney who has successfully tried and handled numerous high profile cases. Mr. Haddad is a leader in the field of civil rights law, and regularly teaches and advises other attorneys. He is past-President (2010-2015) of the National Police Accountability Project. He specializes in wrongful death, serious injury, and other high-profile cases. Previously, he was a partner at the influential civil rights/plaintiffs firm, Goodman, Eden, Millender & Bedrosian, in Detroit, Michigan, widely acknowledged as the first racially integrated law firm in the United States. He has been listed in Northern California Super Lawyers, San Francisco Magazine, for every year since 2004.
Our firm was made in Detroit. We never quit.
In his free time, Michael loves hiking and fly fishing for Steelhead on wild North Coast rivers.
Practice Areas
Civil Rights, Police Misconduct; Constitutional Law; Wrongful Death; Trials and Appeals.
Admitted
1991, Michigan; 1997, California
Law School
University of Michigan, J.D., 1991
College
Michigan State University, James Madison College, B.A., with honors, 1988
Member
- President, National Police Accountability Project (NPAP), 2010-2015
- NPAP Executive Committee member, 2000-2018
- NPAP Board Member 2000-present
- San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association (SFTLA)
- Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC)
- Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA)
- American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)
- National Trial Lawyers (Top 100 Attorneys in California)
- The Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- General Society of Mayflower Descendants
- State Bar of Michigan
- State Bar of California
Reported Cases
- Hampton v. California, 83 F.4th 754 (9th Cir. 2023)
- Polanco v. Diaz, 76 F.4th 918 (9th Cir. 2023)
- Martinez v. City of Pittsburg, 809 Fed Appx. 439 (9th Cir. 2020)
- Orr v. Plumb, 884 F.3d 923 (9th Cir. 2018)
- Cornell v. City and County of San Francisco, 17 Cal.App.5th 766 (2017) (review denied)
- Green v. City and County of San Francisco, 751 F.3d 1039 (9th Cir. 2014)
- Wilkins v. City of Oakland, 350 F.3d 949 (9th Cir. 2003)
- Spencer v. U.S.D.C., 393 F.3d 867 (9th Cir. 2004)
- Johnson v. Wayne County, 213 Mich.App. 143 (Mich. Ct. App. 1995)
- Atayde v. Napa State Hospital, 255 F.Supp.3d 978 (E.D. Cal. 2017)
- Johnson v. Shasta County, 83 F.Supp.3d 918 (E.D. Cal. 2015)
- Moore v. City of Vallejo, 73 F.Supp.3d 1253 (E.D. Cal. 2014)
- Hesterberg v. United States, 71 F.Supp.3d 1018 (N.D. Cal. 2014)
- M.H. v. County of Alameda, 62 F.Supp.3d 1049 (N.D. Cal. 2014)
- M.H. v. County of Alameda, 90 F.Supp.3d 889 (N.D. Cal. 2013)
- Burns v. Redwood City, 737 F.Supp.2d 1047 (N.D. Cal. 2010)
- Foster v. City of Oakland, 675 F.Supp.2d 992 (N.D. Cal. 2009)
- Foster v. City of Oakland, 621 F.Supp.2d 779 (N.D. Cal. 2008)
- Dimas v. City of Warren, 939 F.Supp 554 (E.D. Mich. 1996)
Personal
Lives in Oakland and Mendocino County with his wife and law partner, Julia Sherwin, and two rescue dogs. Enjoys fishing, hiking, fitness, soulful music (Americana, country, blues, jazz, flamenco, reggae), wild animals and forests. Loves fighting for justice on behalf of regular people harmed by government or corporations.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, 1966.
Contact Us for a Free Consultation
If you may have a case involving wrongful death or catastrophic physical injuries, contact us today by filling out the form below to get a free consultation with an experienced, Oakland-based police civil rights lawyer. We handle cases throughout Northern and Central California.
In order to maximize our time and resources for our current wrongful death and catastrophic injury clients, unfortunately, we cannot respond to inquiries about matters we do not handle. We handle only wrongful death and catastrophic permanent injury cases arising from law enforcement or jail misconduct. Thank you for your interest in our work.
