Joseph W. Cotchett

Practice areas

Business Litigation, Civil Rights, Consumer Law

Focus areas

Consumer Protection

Joseph W. Cotchett, a founding partner at Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP, has dedicated more than fifty years to championing his clients’ rights against formidable entities and individuals. Operating from his office in San Francisco, California, Cotchett’s reputation extends nationwide. His legal endeavors center around business litigation, civil rights, and consumer law.

Cotchett embarked on his legal career in 1965 upon earning his Juris Doctor from the University of California Hastings College of the Law. His consistently exceptional performance has earned him a perennial place in The Best Lawyers in America directory. Renowned as a premier trial litigator, he ranks among the finest attorneys in Northern California and stands among the state’s top ten. His peers have bestowed upon him an esteemed AV Preeminent* rating through Martindale-Hubbell.

Over his extensive career, Cotchett has litigated over a hundred cases that proceeded to trial, alongside brokering favorable settlements in hundreds more. In the 1980s, he etched his name by securing verdicts and settlements totaling hundreds of millions of dollars for his clients. The Los Angeles | San Francisco Daily Journal hailed him as one of California’s premier trial strategists. Cotchett’s scope includes the representation of investors entangled in white-collar and antitrust litigations, yielding substantial awards and settlements against numerous Wall Street hedge funds and investment firms. His firm has played pivotal roles in several major corporate scandals, tirelessly fighting for the rights of the underprivileged and achieving triumphs. Cotchett is resolute in his commitment to pro bono representation and has fervently devoted himself to various causes. Notably, he led the representation of 7,600 Amerasian children abandoned in the Philippines after a military base closure.

*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished, and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are registered certification marks utilized under license following Martindale-Hubbell’s certification processes, standards, and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® oversees a peer review assessment system where ratings reflect the confidential viewpoints of legal and judicial professionals. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™ encompass two principal categories: legal capability and general ethical standards.