“Still, after 35 years, I am completely inspired by the practice of law. I am constantly energized by the complexity and magnitude of my cases, my many professional relationships around the country, and the thriving law practice I have built. Because I truly love what I do, my passion shines through in every aspect of my work, and my clients know I will work tirelessly to be the most prepared advocate in the case. I listen to and collaborate with my clients who I know have placed great trust in my instincts and experience to help mastermind a successful case resolution strategy.”
As the Founding Member of Livingston Law Firm, Renée had the vision and resolve to build a preeminent civil trial firm in the San Francisco Bay Area. Founded in 2000, the firm attracts top lawyers dedicated to serving an elite and discriminating national client base and increasing diversity, equity and inclusion in the legal profession. Renée served on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF) from 2003-2012 and takes an active role in mentoring women lawyers on the challenges and opportunities of being a woman attorney and business owner. An accomplished trial lawyer and member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, Renée is often engaged to handle complex legal matters in state and federal court that require thoughtful evaluation, creative resolution strategy and effective trial presentation. She handles catastrophic injury, wrongful death and other high-exposure cases primarily in the areas of product liability, trucking and transportation, premises liability and aggravated sexual assault. She brings legal excellence, genuine enthusiasm, unending dedication and the utmost professionalism to each engagement. Renée is a Past President of the Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada and previously served on the Board of Directors for the Contra Costa County Bar Association from 2012-2018. She is an Officer of the California Defense Counsel (CDC) and currently serves on the Board of Directors for DRI. In 2019, Renée was invited to join the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel (FDCC) and International Society of Barristers (ISOB). Renée is a proud graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara with high honors and the University of San Francisco School of Law with honors. She is AV-rated (5.0) by Martindale-Hubbell and a multi-year Northern California Super Lawyer.
Speaking Engagements
American Board of Trial Advocates, ABOTA Foundation, Featured Speaker:
Masters in Trial, A trial demonstration from voir dire through jury deliberation, San Francisco, CA(October 2017)
American Conference Institute, Faculty:
5th National Forum on Defending and Managing Trucking Litigation - Preparing and Presenting Your Witnesses: A Focus on Medical Experts, Drivers, and Company Representatives, Chicago, IL (March 2015)
4th National Forum on Defending and Managing Trucking Litigation:Settlement Negotiations and ADR Strategies in Trucking Litigation, Chicago, IL(March 2014)
3rd National Forum on Defending and Managing Trucking Litigation - Preparing and Presenting Company Representatives and Truck Drivers for Depositions: How to Ensure that Testimony Does Not Inadvertently Sink Your Case, Atlanta, GA(November 2012)
2nd National Forum on Defending and Managing Trucking Litigation: Valuing a Claim, Determining Damage Reserves and Defending Against Plaintiffs’ Damages Claims, Including Punitive Damages, Orlando, FL (December 2011)
National Forum on Defending and Managing Trucking Litigation: Accident Reconstruction and the Use of Biomechanical and Human Factors Experts, Chicago, IL(March 2011)
Workshop on Trucking Litigation: Litigation of a Catastrophic Trucking Suit from Start to Finish,, Chicago, IL(March 2011)
Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada, Panelist:
Owning and Operating a Law Firm from a Woman's Perspective, Summer Seminar, Squaw Valley, CA (August 2018)
Mediations and Settlement Conferences - Get Ready, Get Set, GO - a Primer for Newer Lawyers, Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (December 2017)
Effective Report Writing: How to Make Your Point Clearly, Concisely and Correctly, Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (December 2016)
Basic Training: Series XIX, The Price Is Right: How to Value a Claim, Sacramento, CA (September 2014)
Trucking Litigation from Accident to Resolution, Investigating Catastrophic Accidents and Preserving Evidence, Stockton, CA (June 2013)
California Continuing Education of the Bar, Featured Panelist:
Preparing and Examining Expert Witnesses: Reports, Depositions and Cross-Examination (May 2009)
Law Practice Management Series, This is Not Your Parents’ Law Firm (October 2015)
Law Practice Management Series, Managing Financial and Business Relationships with Clients: Best Practices and Simple Solutions (July 2014)
17th Annual MCLE Spectacular, Navigating Gender Bias: Empowering Women to Overcome Barriers Above and Below the Glass Ceiling on the Road to Success (November 2011)
Defense Research Institute, Faculty:
Litigation Skills Committee, Trial Skills and Damages, The Essentials of Psych Reports and Strategy for Cross-Examining Psych Doctors, Las Vegas, NV (March 2019)
Women in the Law, Partnering with Our Clients for Success, Trouble at Trial: How to Know You're Getting into It - and How to Get out of It, Ft. Lauderdale, FL (February 2015)
Trucking Law Seminar, Road Warriors 2012 – Reshaping Trucking Litigation, Defending the Driver’s History: When the Focus Is on the Driver and Not the Accident, Scottsdale, AZ (January 2012)
Hispanic National Bar Association, Corporate Counsel Conference, Panelist:
Women as Rainmakers, Miami Beach, FL (March 2014)
Mt. Diablo Legal Professionals Association
Lessons Learned from Trial: Tips on Being an Asset to the Trial Team (November 2015)
National Association of Subrogation Professionals, Northern California Chapter, Featured Speaker:
Commercial Vehicle Liability – Auto Claims, Concord, CA (February 2013)
National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms:
Panelist, Emerging Leaders Initiative, The Art of Effective Client Communication & Avoiding Communication Crises, Driving Diversity & Leadership Conference, New Orleans, LA (February 2019)
Co-Moderator, Law Firm Cross-Marketing Session: Help Me, Help You...The Key to Building Relationships and Business Referrals is Trust, Annual Meeting, New York, NY (September 2017)
Moderator, Law Firm Cross-Marketing Session: Using the NAMWOLF Law Firm Network to Effectively Bridge the Gap between National and Local Counsel, Business Meeting, Ft. Lauderdale, FL (February 2017)
Moderator, Law Firm Cross-Marketing Session: Dating for Dollars, Part 2, Annual Meeting, Houston, TX (September 2016)
Moderator, Petco and the NAMWOLF Outside Counsel Relationship: A Model for In-House and Law Firm Members, Business Meeting, San Antonio, TX (January 2015)
Moderator, Law Firm Cross-Marketing Session: Dating for Dollars, Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA (September 2014)
Moderator, Tips, Tricks and Marketing Tools for Your Next Annual Meeting, Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA (October 2012)
Moderator, Trial Strategies: Demystifying the Corporate Client, Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL (October 2009)
Featured Panelist, Law Firm Membership and Corporate/Public Entity Partnership, Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL (October 2005)
National Business Institute, Faculty:
Tips for Handling the Personal Injury Case (September 2008)
Trying the Wrongful Death Case in California: Strategies in Preparation and Valuation (January 2003)
Pacific Association of Domestic Insurance Companies
Diversity Certification Workshop, Introduction to the Resources of the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms, Stockton, CA (November 2016)
Published Decisions
Jankey v. Lee (2012) 55 Cal.4th 1038, cert. denied (U.S. April 15, 2013)
Calvillo-Silva v. Home Grocery (1998) 19 Cal.4th 714
Bakanauskas v. Urdan (1988) 206 Cal.App.3d 621
Becker v. State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. (N.D. Cal. 1987) 664 F.Supp. 460
Publications
How Methodical Investigation Can Cast Doubt on a Psychological Expert’s Competence and Methodology, DRI For the Defense, January 2020
Overcoming the Challenges of Starting and Growing a Woman-Owned Law Firm, ADC Defense Comment, Vol. 19, No. 2/Summer 2004; Contra Costa Lawyer, October 2003
Professional Associations
American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)
Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel (FDCC)
International Society of Barristers (ISOB)
DRI, Insurance Law, Product Liability, Trucking Law, Diversity and Women in the Law Committees
Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada (ADCNC)
Association of Southern California Defense Counsel (ASCDC)
San Francisco, Los Angeles and Contra Costa County Bar Associations
National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF)
Claims & Litigation Management Alliance (CLM)
Queen's Bench
Professional Activities
Arbitrator and Settlement Mentor, San Francisco and Contra Costa County Superior Courts
Mentor, USF Women Lawyers Committee
Officer and Director, UCSB Alumni Association Board of Directors, 1991-1997
Member, UCSB Bay Area Leadership Forum, 1998-2006
Member, UCSB Northern California Campaign Committee, 2004-2016
Member, UCSB Bay Area Leadership Committee, 2016-present
Director, National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms, 2003-2012
Officer and Director, Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada, 2012-2021
Director, Contra Costa County Bar Association, 2012-2018
Co-Chair, DRI Women in the Law, Annual Meeting Committee, 2017
Chair, DRI Women in the Law, Annual Meeting Committee, 2018
Officer, California Defense Counsel, 2022-present
Board of Directors, DRI, 2022-present
Bar Admissions
State Bar of California - 1986
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals - 1986
U.S. District Court
Northern District CA - 1986 Eastern District CA - 1988 Central District CA - 2005 Southern District CA - 2008
Personal
East Bay native. San Leandro High School, Class of 1978. Married, three children. Enjoys antique shopping in Brimfield, wine-tasting in central California, the beaches on Kauai and traveling anywhere. Walked 60 miles in San Diego in 2007 and raised $6,000 for the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk Benefitting Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Education
University of San Francisco School of Law Juris Doctor Honors • May 1986
University of California Santa Barbara Bachelor of Arts Liberal Studies High Honors • June 1982
