Martin Zurada
Partner
Martin was born in 1974 in Gdynia, Poland. The economic conditions were generally bleak under communist rule and became bleaker in 1981 as the military instituted martial law to crush dissenters. In 1983, when Martin was 9 years old, he and his parents moved to a small desert town in Libya where his father taught at a university and his mother worked as an engineer in a factory to earn dollars and make ends meet. In 1986, after three surreal years of living in a country ruled by Muammar Gaddafi, Martin and his parents immigrated to Germany where Martin attended middle school without knowing any German.
When I see that my client has been wronged, I fight and give it everything I have because justice matters.
Martin Zurada
Martin and his parents then immigrated to the US in 1987. However, to keep Martin on his toes, his parents decided that he would skip several grades at his Louisville Kentucky middle school while still learning English. Martin then attended a wealthy private high school on a scholarship driving a beat-up Ford that stood out among other students’ BMWs and Volvos. Starting in 1991, Martin began attending the intensely academic University of Chicago (where one of its presidents is credited with saying “When I get the urge to exercise, I lay down until it goes away”), earning a scholarship along the way, and graduating in 1994 with a BA in English literature and Polish literature in a little over three years.
Martin then attended Cornell University Law School graduating with a J.D. and LLM in 1998. He earned a scholarship and attended a summer program at the Sorbonne University in Paris. Martin clerked for the Kentucky Supreme Court and two law firms during law school.
During his more than twenty five years as a lawyer, Martin tried, arbitrated, and mediated many cases often successfully taking on very challenging cases that other attorneys had given up on.
Martin has always felt like the underdog and that is why he strongly prefers to represent the “little guys” and taking the fight to the large corporations and insurance companies. He started his legal career in 1998, at the age of 24, as an associate at Squire Sanders – now one of the ten largest firms in the world – where he practiced corporate law and litigation before moving to California to work in smaller firms and eventually starting his own practice.
By the time he was 28, Martin had tried three cases to judgment, one of which resulted in a defense judgment for his client, and the other two with his clients collecting over $400,000 in damages. Not long after that, he obtained his first $1 million dollars result in a personal injury case in which he was the lead trial attorney. During his more than twenty-five years as a lawyer, Martin tried, arbitrated, and mediated many cases often successfully taking on very challenging matters that other attorneys had given up on. He has tried bench and jury case several of which resulted in his clients recovering millions of dollars (with a recent recovery after jury trial of over $3 million).
Some of the most satisfying moments in my life have come at the end of trials where our firm has righted a wrong for a client by speaking his or her voice.
Martin is a student of advocacy, a former trial skills instructor, and intensely interested in honing his trial skills. He was admitted in Ohio in 1998 and California in 2001. Martin has taught various legal subjects at San Francisco State University and the Academy of Law and Diplomacy in Gdynia, Poland. He also has a five-star AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell.
When he isn’t working away at the office, Martin enjoys running in the woods with his dog, skiing, reading history books and, most of all, being a Soccer dad for his daughter Isabella.
Honors and Awards
- “AV” rating from Martindale-Hubbell, 2022-2024
- 2023 California Top 100 Verdicts
- 2023 California Top 50 Verdicts
- Million and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
Bar Admissions
- California, 2001
- Ohio, 1998
- All State Courts within California
- U.S. District Court Northern District of California
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of California
Education
- Cornell Law School
- J.D./LL.M., 1998
- Honors: Top Third of Class, Kosciuszko Scholarship
- University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
- Dual B.A. in English Literature and Polish Literature – 1994
- Honors: Dean’s List and Human Scholarship
Teaching
- San Francisco State University, Corporations 2009-2012
- Academy of Law and Diplomacy, Gdynia, Poland, US Tort and Contract Law 2008
Past Employment Positions
- Squire Sanders 1998-2000
- Stein & Lubin 2000-2001
- Zurada Law Group 2001-2012
- Venardi Zurada LLP 2012-present
Areas of Practice
- Auto Accidents
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Boating Accidents
- Trucking Accidents
- Personal Injury
- Wrongful Death
- Maritime Personal Injury
- Employment Law
- Harassment
- Discrimination
- Whistleblower Protection Cases
- Retaliation
- Wage and Hour
- Severance Agreements
- Employment Agreements
- Executive Compensation
- Insurance Bad Faith
- Select Commercial and Intellectual Property Disputes on Contingency Fee
Martin Zurada’s Results
Settlement
Multi-Million Dollar
Discrimination Claims
Martin Zurada and Mark Venardi led a team that obtained a multi-million recovery for a group of deserving clients. We are not afraid to turn down significant initial offers which are insufficient to compensate our clients and change defendant’s behavior. We roll up our sleeves, put on the gloves, and fight it out with the defense. If getting the best possible result means holding on until trial to resolve the case, or fighting the case at trial, we will do whatever it takes. We put our clients in the best possible position to obtain a maximum result.
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Settlement
$4.5 Million
Discrimination ClaimsRetaliation Claims
Retaliation and Discrimination in the workplace.
Settlement
$3 Million
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Our client was riding his motorcycle going straight down the street. Defendant driver employed by a construction company turned left, across our client’s lane, and hit our client. Our client suffered a fractured hip and fractured forearm requiring several surgeries. The case settled on the eve of trial for $3,000,000.
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Settlement
$3 Million
Construction Site Accidents
Our client an experienced electrician sustained a severe wrist injury at a construction site when he fell and tripped over some formboards with rebar inside of them. After a long fight, our client received compensation for his substantial lost wages and pain and suffering. This case was factually complex, and the Venardi Zurada team fought hard to uncover a smoking gun document that pointed the finger at the Defendant general contractor. By the end of trial, jurors did not believe the defendant, whose witnesses repeatedly lied on the stand. The jury found that the general contractor in charge of the construction site failed to provide our client safe and convenient access to toilets and that our client was forced into choosing between two poor toilet paths.
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Settlement
$2.5 Million
Pedestrian Accidents
Our client was a pedestrian at a crosswalk when she was struck by a young driver who was unaware of the crosswalk or our client’s presence. Our client was struck and suffered serious injuries to her body and head.
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Client Reviews
"They helped me out when I got into an accident"
VZ are the best in the bay! They helped me out when I got into an accident, I can’t say anything bad about them.
Robert-Christopher G.
"Felt comfortable around the people here"
Friendly and clean environment. Felt comfortable around the people here.
Katarina B.
"They were very understanding"
I really appreciated Venardi Zurada LLP, they were great help and were very understanding of my predicament. Communication was always available and consistent and amicable. I would absolutely recommend them to anyone who has issues at work or otherwise and is seeking legal action or justice for any wrongdoing.
Ava B.
"Call Venardi Zurada for any of your PI needs"
The VZ team are such a great help. Call Venardi Zurada for any of your PI needs they are the best!
Nohra R.
"Overall Great Firm"
Everyone is professional, overall great firm!
Fabian P.
We Take Care Of Our Clients
Our clients are at the heart of everything we do. We take pride in providing exceptional service, personalized attention, and unwavering support throughout each case. The testimonials from our clients reflect their satisfaction with our commitment to their well-being, highlighting the care, expertise, and dedication we bring to every case. We’re honored to have earned the trust and appreciation of those we’ve had the privilege to serve.