Robert ‘Bob’ Vaage

“People reach out to me at a very stressful time in their lives. They or a loved one has been injured or killed as a result of the negligence of someone else. If I could return them to their pre-injury or pre-loss lives, I would. All the legal system can do is recover the value of their harms and losses. Our goal is to try to return their lives as closely as possible to what it was, and I will work tirelessly to reach that goal.”

Background and Legal Experience

Bob Vaage has been an attorney since 1982. His career in San Diego began with the defense firm of Rhoades, Hollywood & Neil, before he was asked to join the law firm of Daniel T. Broderick, where he began his career representing plaintiffs in 1986. After the tragic death of Mr. Broderick, Mr. Vaage was associated with Thorsnes, Bartolotta, McGuire & Padilla for approximately two years before opening his own practice in 1992.

As the owner of a small downtown firm, which enjoys an excellent reputation in the community and state-wide, Mr. Vaage has spent the last 38 years developing his expertise trying cases involving personal injury, wrongful death, medical fraud, traumatic brain injuries, medical malpractice, defective products, and major truck and car crashes. He is one of the few attorneys in the nation who has successfully prosecuted cases involving fraudulent conspiracies between physicians/surgeons and medical device companies.

Bob Vaage has tried more civil cases to verdict than 95% of attorneys in San Diego and has represented claimants in excess of 30 Kaiser arbitrations. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers® as the Personal Injury Litigation “Lawyer of the Year” in San Diego. Only a single lawyer in each practice area in each community is honored as the “Lawyer of the Year.” Bob has also been named Trial Lawyer of the Year, Outstanding Trial Lawyer, and Outstanding Advocate, by the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego. As a longtime member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), Bob’s ranking recently advanced to Advocate. He has been designated as a Super Lawyer both in San Diego and Southern California. He has received an AV rating, the highest possible rating, by Martindale-Hubbell.

Watch a Video: Learn about Bob Vaage’s career path and his passion for representing his clients.

Education

• McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific • 1982 Juris Doctor
• University of California, San Diego • 1979 Bachelor of Arts, Political Science

Affiliations

• State Bar of California, admitted to practice in 1982, Bar No. 106437
• U.S. Court of Appeal, Fourth District
• U.S. District Court, Districts of California (Northern, Central, Southern)
• Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC)
• Consumer Attorneys of San Diego (CASD)
• Advocate at the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)
• American Association of Justice (AAJ, formerly ATLA)
• San Diego Trial Lawyers Association (SDTLA)
• National Trial Lawyers Association

Awards & Honors

• 2017 The Best Lawyers Personal Injury Litigation “Lawyer of the Year” in San Diego
• 2017 Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego (CASD)
• 2020 Outstanding Trial Lawyer by CASD
• 2020 Outstanding Trial Advocate by CASD
• Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Rating (highest peer rating standard for professional excellence)
• Super Lawyer rating in San Diego (selected for his high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement)
• Super Lawyer rating in Southern California
• Top 50 Best Lawyers in America
• Top 50 Best Law Firms in America