About Steigerwalt & Associates

About our Law Firm - Nationwide Legal Assistance

Steigerwalt & Associates is one of the most successful and prestigious law firms in the country. Our firm is nationally recognized as a leader in civil litigation and sets the pace for competition to follow.

The firm exists on the foundation of trust and legal justice.  We take pride in getting to know our clients on a personal level in order to provide them with the most appropriate legal aid. We are a team of professionals dedicated to seeking fair and just compensation for our clients. Our past litigation experience partnered with our compassion for our clients, and proven success has established Steigerwalt & Associates as a cornerstone in the national legal arena.

As a highly sought after firm, Steigerwalt & Associates has attained widespread recognition for its success in personal injury litigation, from auto accidents to medical malpractice, pharmaceutical litigation, occupational disease, negligence, product liability, nursing home abuse, and criminal defense. With a wide variety of legal services to offer, Steigerwalt & Associates is available to provide you with the most appropriate and effective legal counsel.

Steigerwalt & Associates achieves continued success with a winning combination of large firm resources and small firm intimacy. Attentive and capable attorneys and assistants guarantee that every case is given the deliberation and focus that it rightfully deserves. We have established a nationwide legal network to assist you in locating the  most fitting legal support regardless of where you are located. To learn more about our nationwide legal network, click here.

Kerry Steigerwalt

With over two decades of successful personal injury litigation experience, Kerry Steigerwalt has become one of the most well-known and demanded attorneys in practice today. Mr. Steigerwalt is also highly respected by members of several organizations and associations dedicated to fighting for the rights of injured victims and the criminally accused. He has become a recognized authority in both civil and criminal law matters. With over 100 jury trials appearances, Mr. Steigerwalt has considerable courtroom experience.

Mr. Steigerwalt has also been a devoted criminal defense lawyer and has built a distinguished reputation in his practice. He has successfully defended numerous clients against capital murder charges and multiple "three strikes" cases, often producing unexpected and extraordinary results. Additionally, he possesses familiarity with virtually every form of felony prosecution. Mr. Steigerwalt has also been honorably distinguished by receiving a “not guilty” verdict in ever courthouse in the city of San Diego.

Mr. Steigerwalt's outstanding professional competence has been put to use outside the courtroom as well, with numerous appearances as a legal expert on programs including Court TV, 48 Hours, 20/20, and The O'Reilly Factor. Many local San Diego news stations have also featured Mr. Steigerwalt as their bona fide legal analyst where he has provided guidance on notable legal proceedings such as the Michael Jackson trial, the Scott Peterson case, the David Westerfield case, and the Stephanie Crowe trial. He has also provided expert legal advice to several renowned publications including The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, and People Magazine.

Mr. Steigerwalt has an ongoing commitment to continually assisting those in need of his services regardless of budget or type of case. He has assembled a paramount of select lawyers, paralegals, intake specialists, and associated support personnel to facilitate the effective representation of all injured persons and their families.

Michael Thorsnes

Michael T. Thorsnes enjoys a national reputation as a highly skilled trial lawyer and is a leader in the San Diego legal community. He enjoyed an illustrious legal career before recently retiring from the active practice to serve as a National Finance Co-Chair and Poet Laureate for the John Kerry Presidential Campaign and to pursue other literary and related interests.

While in law school, he was a St. Thomas More Scholar, a member of the Law Review, and Student Bar Association President. He is responsible for the formation and leadership of an organization comprised of all law students in California, with a common goal of seeking the opportunity appear in court as part of their training. (68Cal.L.Rev.4) A trial lawyer throughout his career, he twice received the Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award from the San Diego Consumer Attorneys' Association and has been elected to its Past Presidents Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame.

Mr. Thorsnes' personal and professional accolades are extensive and across a wide spectrum. He received the Daniel T. Broderick Award for integrity, professionalism, and business ethics in 2000. In 2003 and 2004, the Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journals recognized him as one of the "100 Most Influential Lawyers in California." Since the beginning of his career in 1990, he has been elected to "Best Lawyers in America" in business litigation by his cohorts. Mr. Thorsnes has also been awarded the Arthur C. Hughes Career Achievement Award from the University of San Diego as well as the Outstanding Alumnus award from its law school, his alma mater.

He has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in various legal capacities, leading ultimately to a specialty in major business litigation. He has secured in excess of $250 million in verdicts, settlements, and awards while defending California's leading corporate entities. In a career spanning over three decades, Mr. Thorsnes has never lost a jury trial.

Mr. Thorsnes serves as Senior Advisor to the law offices of Steigerwalt & Associates in  conjunction with The Wise Law Group. He is also a founder of and counsel to the nationally recognized firm of trial lawyers, Thorsnes, Bartolotta & McGuire, with offices located in both California and Arizona.