Luke Ellis, Attorney
Record verdicts in Alameda and Contra Costa.
Luke Ellis has one of the largest personal injury jury verdicts on record in Alameda County, and the largest wrongful death jury verdict in Contra Costa County history.
Every number here is a published result you can look up.
Fifty years of trial work
Mr. Ellis has one of the largest personal injury jury trial verdicts on record in Alameda County. He has the largest wrongful death jury verdict in Contra Costa County history. In 2009, he had one of the top 100 verdicts in the nation, and in 2011, one of the top 15 personal injury verdicts in California. In 2013, Mr. Ellis had the most significant recovery for an individual against a bus company in California history, and the #1 motor vehicle settlement in California.
Recognition from the bar
Luke Ellis is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell. He is a past and current selection for California Super Lawyers and The Best Lawyers in America. In 2024, Luke was named Lawyer of the Year for personal injury litigation by Best Lawyers. In 2020, the National Trial Lawyers Association selected Mr. Ellis as one of California’s Top 25 Product Liability Lawyers.
In 2012, the National Trial Lawyers selected him as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers. Mr. Ellis was named Lawyer of the Year for 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, and twice in 2024 in Personal Injury by Best Lawyers of America. In 2014, Berkeley Law (Boalt Hall), University of California, selected him as a ‘Lion of Litigation’. Ellis as one of California’s Top 10 Personal Injury Attorneys.
Recent jury verdicts and settlements
- $27 million for an amputee in a premises liability case
- $22 million solo bicycle accident
- $6.85 million motorcycle accident, leg and arm fractures, mild TBI
- $13.6 million paid during wrongful death trial
- $5.5 million arm injury truck/auto accident
- $3.5 million wrongful death of adult child, truck/bicycle accident
- $27.1 million final judgment following jury verdict and two appeals
- $20.452 million against AC Transit
- $11.7 million for a road defect case
- $111.7 million in the Tenet Healthcare cases
- $10.65 million for a wrongful death in the Walnut Creek gas pipeline case
- $9.2 million in the Sulzer hip implant litigation
- $7.5 million for a big-rig collision
- $6.225 million for the family of a motorcyclist killed in a collision with a farm tractor
- $90 million against Sega
- $19.5 million against Hotel Entertainment Co.
- $12 million breach of contract
Coordinated proceedings and mass torts
He was appointed by the courts to serve as one of the lead plaintiff attorneys in the Judicial Council Coordinated Proceedings (JCCP) in all three cases, which settled for $442 million, $95 million, and $1.05 billion, respectively.
Service to the trial bar
He has served as Vice President of the California Trial Lawyers Association (CTLA) and Vice President of the Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC), organizations dedicated to protecting the civil justice system and the rights of injured persons and consumers.
Teaching trial practice
Mr. Ellis has tried numerous civil and criminal jury and court trials. He has written and lectured widely in the field of trial practice and has chaired numerous educational seminars in all fields of litigation. He was a consultant to the California Continuing Education of the Bar for California Trial Objections and is a co-author of the Government Tort Liability Practice, published by California Continuing Education of the Bar.
On the bench and in the community
Mr. Ellis serves regularly as a Court Settlement Commissioner by appointment of the Contra Costa and Alameda County Superior Courts. He is also the long-time coach of Miramonte High School’s championship mock trial team.
Education & bar admissions
Education
- J.D., University of California at Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law
- B.A., Antioch College (OH)
Bar Admissions
- California, 1976
- U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 1976
- U.S. District Court Northern District of California, 1976
Published works & seminars taught
Luke has written and lectured widely on trial practice and has chaired educational seminars across every field of litigation, teaching other California lawyers the methods GJEL puts to work for its clients.
01Published works
- California Government Tort Liability Practice (Co-Author), Continuing Education of the Bar
- California Trial Objections (Consultant), Continuing Education of the Bar
02Classes & seminars taught
- Lecturer, Trial Practice, California Trial Lawyers Association
- “Maximizing Settlements,” Alameda Contra Costa Trial Lawyers Association
- “Cross-Examination,” San Francisco Bar Association
- “The Defective Sulzer Hip Litigation,” Alameda County Superior Courts
- “Handling Products Liability Cases,” Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB)
- “Use and Admissibility of Demonstrative Exhibits,” San Francisco Trial Lawyers’ Association
- “Demonstrative Evidence,” California Trial Lawyers Association (now CAOC)
- “Opening Statements,” California Trial Lawyers’ Association
- “Automobile Cases,” California Trial Lawyers’ Association
- “Selected Evidentiary Issues,” California Trial Lawyers’ Association
- “Jury Selection,” California Trial Lawyers’ Association
Professional associations & memberships
- Alameda-Contra Costa County Trial Lawyers Association
- American Trial Lawyers Association (ATLA)
- Consumer Attorneys of California
- Alameda County Bar Association
- Contra Costa Bar Association
- State Bar of California
- California Trial Lawyers Association
- Association of Trial Lawyers of America
Awards & honors
Free case review, 24/7 · Or call (415) 986-4777
Cases Luke has handled
Published case studies where Luke is named as one of the attorneys who worked the file. Each links to the full write-up.
- $1.1 Million $1.1 Million Settlement for Brachial Plexus Injury
- $395M total Unnecessary heart surgeries at Redding Medical Center; GJEL represented 186 of the plaintiffs
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is decided on its own facts, and most matters are handled by more than one attorney.
What clients said about Luke
Left as written on Google, spelling and all. Where a client named more than one attorney, the whole passage is kept so you can see who they credited.
Luke, Andy and their team were so incredibly helpful and compassionate in my case. They were also extremely knowledgeable and experienced. I felt very confident in working with them... They truly treat you like a valued client, always made me feel comfortable and at ease in a time of hardship and emotional stress.
I highly recommend Luke, Andy, Jim, Ralph, and Kristin if you ever need to hire a personal injury lawyer. Ever since i started working with them they have been professional, responsive, and overall easy to communicate with.
Reviews describe those clients' experiences and do not promise a similar outcome in any other case.
Cases Luke takes to trial
The case types behind the verdicts above. If one of these happened to you or your family, GJEL can help.
Fifty years in California courtrooms, focused on what happened to you.
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