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Biography

Dawn is a highly skilled litigator and top San Francisco personal injury attorney. She has an undefeated record in trial and arbitration for her clients and a special talent for obtaining exceptional results for the injured. She works closely with some of the foremost experts in the nation to build clear and compelling personal injury cases on behalf of her clients.

Dawn has obtained substantial judgments and settlements for her clients. Some of these include:

-$4.9 Million for a farm worker in his 50s who was seriously injured in a car accident

-$4.6 Million for a physician who sustained an impalement injury in a trip and fall accident

-$4.67 Million court judgment for a seriously injured motorcyclist hit by a wrong way driver

-$4.5 Million for a woman in her 60s who sustained a surgical brain injury after being struck by a vehicle while crossing in the crosswalk

-$2.525 Million for two pedestrians struck by a loose trailer pulled by an agricultural vehicle

-$1.75 Million for a middle-aged man rear-ended by a commercial truck sustaining spinal injuries that required back surgery

-$1.5 Million for a rideshare driver who required collarbone surgery after a head on collision caused by a reckless driver going twice the posted speed limit

-$825,000 for a middle aged administrator who sustained a surgical ankle injury in a slip and fall on a dangerous sidewalk

Awards and Honors include:

Dawn has been selected as a Super Lawyer for 10 years in a row. Super Lawyer is a rating bestowed on the top 5% of outstanding lawyers in their practice area.

National Trial Lawyers Top 100: An invitation-only organization composed of premier trial lawyers from each state. Membership is held by some of the best and finest trial lawyers in America.

Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum: The Top Trial Lawyers in America, is one of the most highly prestigious groups of trial lawyers in the country. Membership is limited exclusively to lawyers with court judgments and case results exceeding $2 Million. This esteemed distinction is held by less than 1% of attorneys in the entire United States.

Dawn’s case results have ranked among the highest in California by national lawsuit results ranking company Top Verdict:

Top 10 Premises Liability Settlements in California (2020)
Top 10 Motor Vehicle Accident Settlements in California (2022)
Top 20 Personal Injury Settlements in California (2020)
Top 20 Personal Injury Settlements in California (2022)
Top 20 Motor Vehicle Accident Settlements in California (2022)
Top 20 Pedestrian Accident Settlements in California (2020)
Top 50 Personal Injury Settlements in California (2022)
Top 50 Motor Vehicle Accident Settlements in California (2022)
Top 50 Motor Vehicle Accident Settlements in California (2020)
Top 50 Wrongful Death Settlements in California (2020)
Top 100 Motor Vehicle Accident Settlements in California (2021)

Expertise.com has named Dawn as one of The Best Personal Injury Attorneys in San Francisco and also as one of The Best Car Accident Attorneys in San Francisco.

Attorney and Practice Magazine has named Dawn a Top 10 Personal Injury Attorney. Less than 1% of attorneys nationwide receive an invitation for membership.

Nation’s Top One Percent In 2023, Dawn was selected for inclusion to the 2023 list as a member of the Nation’s Top One Percent by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel. NADC is an organization dedicated to promoting the highest standards of legal excellence. Its mission is to objectively recognize the attorneys who elevate the standards of the Bar and provide a benchmark for other lawyers to emulate.

San Francisco Magazine has selected Dawn for 10 years in a row for inclusion in their annual published list of the Top Women Attorneys in Northern California (2014-2023).

Dawn served as a Distinguished Member of the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association from 2002-2012.

Dawn’s high-caliber legal skills, tenacity, and exceptional negotiation skills have won her extremely high praise and gratitude over the years from the firm’s many clients. She has a superb 10 rating on the legal website Avvo, and countless 5-star ratings on review sites Yelp and Google Reviews.

Dawn received her J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of Law, and was admitted to practice law in California in 1998. She is in her 25th year of practicing law. Dawn received her undergraduate degree from Binghamton University where she graduated Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and in the top 1% of her class.

Dawn is committed to making our streets safer. She is a member of WalkSF (a pedestrian advocacy organization for safer streets for pedestrians), and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (an advocacy organization for the safety of bicyclists on our streets).

In her spare time, Dawn enjoys spending time with her family and adorable dog Emmett, a miniature poodle-terrier mix.

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Areas of Law and Practice

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Jurisdictions

• California

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Employment History

• Managing Attorney | The Hassell Law Group

  1999 - 2023

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Education

• Juris Doctorate | UC Hastings College of Law

  1995 - 1998

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Attorney Rating and Feedback

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Publications and Presentations

No Publications

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