A native of Staten Island, New York, Bob Tyson is the Strategic Managing Partner of the firm.
Mr. Tyson is a trial lawyer and author of the #1 best-selling, first book written for the defense to limit exposure at trial, Nuclear Verdicts: Defending Justice for All. In this groundbreaking book, Mr. Tyson sets forth the specific methods to beat plaintiff lawyers and achieve justice. It is the culmination of an over 30-year legal career, during which he has successfully resolved a variety of cases involving complex products liability, commercial and general civil litigation, professional malpractice, environmental, and employment law – representing individuals, corporations, public entities, professionals, and many other different types of businesses.
Mr. Tyson is especially known for his groundbreaking work on Howell v. Hamilton Meats, a case he argued and won before the California Supreme Court. Howell has since been hailed as the most significant insurance decision to come down in over 40 years – altering the way California interprets the collateral source rule and impacting the damages a plaintiff may recover. Mr. Tyson successfully argued an injured plaintiff may only recover the much lower amount that is paid for medical expenses, not the full medical bills, as past medical damages. This difference between what is billed versus paid saves insurance companies and defendants over $10 billion dollars every year. The victory earned Mr. Tyson the California Lawyer of the Year (CLAY) award from the California Bar Magazine, among other awards.
Mr. Tyson earned his B.S. in finance from Villanova University in 1986 and his J.D. from Villanova University School of Law in 1989. Prior to founding Tyson & Mendes in 2002, he practiced law at some of Southern California’s largest defense firms, including Edwards, White & Sooy and Booth, Mitchel & Strange. Active in the community and legal profession, he frequently lectures on a variety of legal issues to business and professional organizations.
In his off time, he enjoys beating partner Pat Mendes at golf and spending time with his three children, Faith, Mary, and Bobby, and wife Jenny. His mantra: Justice for All. As a modern-day poet once said: “You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow. This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo!”
To learn about joining the Tyson & Mendes team, please visit our Careers page.
Recent Posts
Massive awards to plaintiffs for non-monetary damages are increasing in frequency and severity. This CLM seminar aims to equip insurance professionals with the tools to prevent them…
Daily Journal – September 9, 2022
While there are plenty of defense organizations that do a great job disseminating information and bringing defense lawyers together, it is nowhere near what the plaintiff’s bar does…
Carrier Management – August 10, 2022
Plaintiffs’ California dreamin’ became a reality when a Los Angeles jury went nuclear with a verdict of $464.6 million after an eight-week trial in June. The verdict included $24.6 million in compensatory damages and a staggering $440 million in punitive damages…
Claims Journal – August 1, 2022
Plaintiffs’ California dreamin’ became a reality when a Los Angeles jury went nuclear with a verdict of $464.6 million after an eight-week trial in June. The verdict included $24.6 million in compensatory damages and a staggering $440 million in punitive damages…
Law.com – July 21, 2022
In part two of our conversation with Bob Tyson of Tyson & Mendes about defending against nuclear verdicts, we hone in the root of many high dollar damages awards: non-economic damages…
Law.com – July 20, 2022
Tyson & Mendes name partner Bob Tyson says that defense lawyers need to “embrace the awkward” to fight back against the growing number of nuclear verdicts…
Property Casualty 360 – July 7, 2022
What happens when you mix major damages, a large corporation, a denial (or half acceptance) of fault, and an angry jury that wants to send a strong message? In the courtroom, the result just might be a colossal verdict. Such judgments that defy precedent and logic have been blamed for crippling business owners…
Carrier Management – May 13, 2022
As the pandemic continues to wind down, and with jurors finally starting to return to large metropolitan courthouses across the country, it is becoming increasingly clear that insurance carriers are not ready to handle the impending wave of litigation that is on its way…
Carrier Management – April 22, 2022
Insurance carriers, are you and your defense counsel ready for the “perfect storm” of litigation that is coming once the pandemic is over? Are your teams trained to defend against the increasing wave of nuclear verdicts—jury verdicts of $10 million or more, or those in which non-economic damage awards are disproportionate to the economic damages—that is sure to come?
Daily Journal – March 21, 2022
A new trial program to teach defense attorneys how to fight excessive or runaway jury verdicts is set for June in San Diego, but plaintiffs’ lawyers don’t think it is needed.