Harvey Goldhammer

Harvey Goldhammer graduated from Claremont McKenna College, with honors, in 1973, with a degree in Economics and Drama, and graduated from Loyola Law School in 1977. He has been trying cases since 1978 and is recognized as an accomplished trial and appellate attorney. He has tried over 150 cases to resolution through jury verdict, court verdict, or arbitrator’s award. He has briefed and argued over 200 cases in the California Courts of Appeal and the California Supreme Court.

During his years of practice, Mr. Goldhammer has worked for the insurance company staff counsels for Chubb Insurance Company and The Hartford Insurance Company, and a few law firms that also specialized in insurance defense work. He has also been in private practice for over a dozen years where he focused on handling appeals and being available as an 11th hour trial attorney to step in and try cases for plaintiff’s law firms who did not take cases to trial themselves. During this time, he was specifically retained by Rodney King’s lawyers to prepare Mr. King to testify at the trial of the officers who attacked and beat him.

Mr. Goldhammer has handled all types of cases over the years from average auto accident cases to multi-million-dollar cases. The kinds of cases that he has handled have included complex products liability actions, major commercial litigation, wrongful death cases, public entity liability cases, insurance bad faith actions, general liability cases, and malpractice actions involving accountants, attorneys, and dentists.

Mr. Goldhammer was considered a master negotiator while at The Hartford and he regularly was given problem cases to resolve. After leaving The Hartford, he practiced as a professional mediator and arbitrator for 13 years before joining Countrywide Trial Lawyers as the firm’s Senior Trial Attorney and managing attorney of the firm’s litigation department. 

Mr. Goldhammer has found immense satisfaction since joining Countrywide Trial Lawyers. “It is far more satisfying helping an injured plaintiff and maximizing their recovery than it is working for an insurance company and trying to make sure they get the least amount possible,” he said.