Insight

Craig M. Peters
Northern California's "Lawyer of the Year" 2023

Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs
San Francisco, CA

Headshot of man with blue suit
Best Lawyers

Written by Best Lawyers

Published: October 21, 2022

Since 1997, Craig Peters has worked as a trial lawyer in San Francisco, California, joining Altair Law LLP in 2018. Currently a partner at the firm, Peters is also serving as the President of the Consumer Attorneys of California as well as the Secretary of the Council of Presidents for the American Association for Justice. Peters has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® since 2015 for his work in Personal Injury Litigation, since 2016 for Product Liability Litigation , and more recently since 2021 in Medical Malpractice law. For 2023, Peters is currently being honored as a “Lawyer of the Year” for Medical Malpractice Law, in San Francisco.

When asked about his award, Peters stated: “The past year has been a good one for consumers at large, as well as the consumers that we have been able to help through our practice at Altair Law. In August, in concert with two other law firms, we were able to secure the largest medical malpractice settlement in the state of California. In October, we went to trial in what is believed to be the first mass shooting case in the state of California to impanel a jury. 2022 has been a great year for collaboration with others to create meaningful change to those who need help. I am grateful that I have been able to be a part of many of those collaborations and been entrusted with helping people during their time of need, only contributing to my current recognition.”

Peters continued, “As an attorney working in this area of law, I have an opportunity to help people in need, and to make their life better by helping them have access to the care and treatment they need. Our clients come to us at a low point in their life, and we work to help them recapture, as much as possible, the life they should have had, or could have, if someone’s negligence had not robbed them of that future. We deal with the human, emotional loss: the grief, the depression, the isolation and loneliness, the limitations.”

In addition to garnering over 20 years of legal experience, Peters also dedicates time to teaching trial skills and constitutional law at Hastings College of Law and the University of San Francisco School of Law, at one time assuming the role of professor. Prior to starting Altair Law LLP, Peters worked as a criminal defense attorney for 13 years, going to trial on a full range of cases from misdemeanors to felonies.

“On the other side of cases like these is often an insurance company or another large corporation that deals primarily in economic loss. It can be hard to help that side see the full value of a client’s losses because of this divide. While this is the most challenging part of the job, it can also be the most gratifying when you connect with the other side, and they fully appreciate the depth and breadth of the losses your client has suffered. To guarantee success, go forward in any case with compassion, creative thinking, diligence and resolve.”

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