Robert A. Brundage

Robert Brundage’s commercial litigation practice has emphasized appellate law, complex motions and jury instructions for more than 30 years. He routinely handles appeals for major motor vehicle manufacturers and has defended motorcycle and railroad locomotive manufacturers. His work for these clients has led to several leading California product-liability precedents.

Robert’s matters have also involved business disputes, class actions, employment disputes and federal preemption. Beyond his work in product liability, he has represented employers, financial institutions and a foreign government. He has appeared for clients before the U.S. Supreme Court, numerous U.S. Courts of Appeals and the California Supreme Court, as well as nearly every district of the California Courts of Appeal, federal courts throughout California and multiple state courts.

Robert is a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel. He served four terms as chair of its Appellate Practice Committee and now sits on its Amicus Curiae Committee. In 2025, he and co-author Kimberley Parrish received the association’s Yancey Award for excellence in legal writing for their Defense Counsel Journal article, “Article III Standing to Appeal in Federal Court: What Business Lawyers Need to Know.”

• Harvard College, B.A., 1988

  manga cum laude

  Major: Biochemistry

• University of Michigan Law School, J.D., 1991
  Order of the Coif

Bar Admissions

• California, 1992

Court Admissions

• Supreme Court of the United States
• Supreme Court of California
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
• US Court of Appeals Eighth Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
• U.S. District Court, Central District of California
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of California

• Yancey Award for Excellence in Legal Writing, 2025
  —International Association of Defense Counsel 

• American Bar Association
• Bar Association of San Francisco
  —Appellate Section
• International Association of Defense Counsel
  —Chair, Appellate Practice Committee
  —Past Chair, Yancey Memorial Award Committee
  —Vice Chair, Amicus Curiae Committee
  —Product Liability, Diversity and Inclusion, and Employment Law Committees

• "Article III Standing to Appeal in Federal Court: What Business Lawyers Need to Know," Co-Author, IADC Defense Counsel Journal, October 2024
• "Appellate Practice Standard of Review," Author, IADC Committee Newsletter, June 2017
• "Don't Get Thrown Out on Your Derriere: Common Mistakes in Establishing Federal Subject-Matter Jurisdiction," Author, Defense Counsel Journal, April 2016
• "Court Holds That Out-Of-State Witnesses Need Not Travel to California for Deposition," Author, Lawflash, August 2011
• "Supreme Court Holds That Arbitration Agreements Prohibiting Consumer Class Arbitrations Are Enforceable," Author, Lawflash, April 2011