SAN DIEGO (December 19, 2022) – Tyson & Mendes LLP, one of the nation’s fastest-growing insurance and civil litigation defense firms, is celebrating 20 years of protecting its clients’ interests and delivering justice both inside and outside the courtroom.

Founded in 2002 by Robert Tyson and Patrick Mendes in San Diego, the firm has since swelled to roughly 200 attorneys serving clients across 18 states nationwide – most recently adding new offices and partners in Fresno, California, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Tampa, Florida. Tyson & Mendes’ equity partnership has also grown over the years, now with 10 equity partners: Robert Tyson, Patrick Mendes, Mina Miserlis, James Sell, Susan Oliver, Cayce Lynch, Kristi Blackwell, Lynn Allen, Jacob Felderman and Daniel Fallon. What started as a two-man operation has become a midsized firm that is now 60% women-owned. Over the last five years, the firm has seen 329% overall growth.

“For the last 20 years, we have remained steadfast in our commitment to achieving ‘Justice for All,’ on the road to achieving our goal of being the best insurance defense firm in America,” said Tyson. “Every day, we are working to educate, communicate, and innovate strategic ways to combat the rise in unjust Nuclear Verdicts®. In the coming year, we will launch a new AI-driven software for insurance companies to identify claims that have the potential to ‘go nuclear’ at trial; publish our second book analyzing recent runaway jury verdicts and where the defense went wrong; host our second annual Nuclear Verdicts Defense Institute, the only trial academy training the defense how to combat Nuclear Verdicts®; and lead our third Tyson & Mendes Trial Academy to train our attorneys on the battle-tested methods for stopping Nuclear Verdicts®. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!”

The firm is most widely recognized for winning the landmark 2011 Howell v. Hamilton Meats California Supreme Court case, which forever changed the state’s litigation landscape by significantly impacting the damages a plaintiff may recover. Since then, Tyson & Mendes has established itself as a leader in driving down damages awards and reducing the likelihood of Nuclear Verdicts®, which are often defined as jury awards in excess of $10 million. Using a unique set of defense methods, Tyson & Mendes saved its clients over $606 million in 2020, over $667 million in 2021, and more than $732 million in 2022 thus far.

These methods have proven so effective, they are now taught to all firm attorneys through several internal training programs; shared with attorneys from other defense firms and claims professionals across the nation through ongoing training webinars and lectures; and outlined in Tyson’s best-selling book, Nuclear Verdicts®: Defending Justice for All. The methods are also used by TM HALO® – a high-stakes trial subsidiary of Tyson & Mendes that uses value billing when parachuting in to defend corporations, insurance companies, and insureds in major civil jury trials.

Sharing its expertise even further, the firm launched the Nuclear Verdicts Defense Institute, the first and only advanced trial academy designed specifically for the defense bar, in 2022. Through a psychology workshop, expert panel discussions, small group activities and demonstrations, attendees – all experienced defense trial attorneys – practiced and learned advanced trial skills for defusing juror anger and defending against astronomical jury verdicts. Upon graduating, each attorney received accreditation as a “Nuclear Verdicts Defender,” a certification endorsed by the University of San Diego School of Law’s Office of Graduate Programs. The firm was shortlisted for the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Award in the “Reinventing Legal Practice” category for creating the Nuclear Verdicts Defense Institute.  The second annual event is scheduled for summer 2023.

Tyson & Mendes continues to be recognized for its efforts to create a diverse and supportive company culture. The firm’s dedication to embracing gender parity and inclusion has resulted in several rankings as one of the best law firms in the nation for female and diverse attorneys – most recently as the No. 1 “Ceiling Smasher” in Law360’s 2022 Glass Ceiling Report for female equity partnership, the second time the firm has won this award.

With a focus on professional development, training and education that provides lawyers with more opportunities for career advancement than the average law firm, Tyson & Mendes prides itself on a transparent and collaborative management style that offers clear, detailed paths to leadership and partnership within the firm.

For more information and to view career opportunities, visit www.tysonmendes.com.

About Tyson & Mendes LLP
Celebrating 20 years of taking back justice for all, Tyson & Mendes LLP is a nationwide, AV-rated litigation and trial firm specializing in insurance defense and protecting its clients from Nuclear Verdicts®. Robert Tyson and Patrick Mendes founded the firm in 2002 to defend corporations, insurance companies, and their clients in civil litigation matters. The firm has experienced tremendous growth in the past two decades, with offices across the U.S. serving clients in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington, and Wisconsin.

The firm is most widely recognized for winning the landmark Howell v. Hamilton Meats California Supreme Court case, which forever changed the state’s litigation landscape by significantly impacting the damages a plaintiff may recover. Robert Tyson is also the author of the Amazon Bestseller Nuclear Verdicts®: Defending Justice for All, the first playbook for the defense on how to avoid runaway jury verdicts.

For more information, visit www.tysonmendes.com.

Media Contact:
Ashley Bendas, J. Walcher Communications
ashley@jwalcher.com, 619-295-7140

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