J. Michael Cochrane

About

Mike joins the firm as Senior Trial Counsel. Mike is also a registered Civil Engineer in the state of California. He served three years as a Naval Officer in the Civil Engineer Corps (Seabees) between college and law school. A third-generation Californian, he was raised on a family peach and almond ranch near Turlock, California.

Mike has used his professional civil engineering degree and legal expertise to defend design professionals in the construction industry. He has extensive experience in the defense of product liability claims. He has defended Porsche, Volkswagen, BF Goodrich and Uniroyal. As lead trial counsel, he successfully defended Porsche in a wrongful death product liability case. This was the first time Porsche had ever gone to trial in the United States in defense of one of its automobiles.

Of late, Mike has been primarily engaged in the defense of engineers and design professionals. He has a broad background of trial work involving Commercial Liability and Personal Injury. He has tried cases in both state and federal courts. A member of the State Bar Association of California, he is also a member of ABOTA, American Board of Trial Attorneys, and has volunteered as a Judge Pro Tempore for the Superior Court of Sacramento and Placer Counties.

He has been active in the community for over forty years, volunteering as a lecturer in professional ethics and legal liability to engineering students at California State University, Sacramento, and other student groups. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Mike is also an attorney accredited by the Department of Veterans Affairs, representing veterans before the department.

Mike is married, with one daughter and two grandchildren. He enjoys cycling, tennis, and handball.