Senator Joseph Dunn (Ret.)*

Senator Joe Dunn is a founding partner of The Senators (Ret.) Firm, LLP. Given his broad professional experience, Joe’s practice bridges all three areas of specialty of the firm: litigation, legislation, and regulation. His long tenure as a national leader in law and politics, as well as his years as the CEO of a multi-million dollar advocacy organization, provide him with a depth of knowledge and practical experience that underpin his abilities to guide a wide range of clients facing difficult challenges.

Senator Dunn graduated with honors from the University of Minnesota School of Law and began practicing with the national firm of Robbins, Kaplan, Miller and Ciresi in the Newport Beach, California office. While his litigation practice was diverse, Joe quickly became recognized as a leader in products liability litigation involving defective medical devices and pharmaceuticals. He joined Newport Beach based Robinson, Calcagnie, Robinson in 1996 and continued to focus on products liability and complex litigation until his election to the California State Senate in 1998. He remained as of-counsel to the firm throughout his terms in the Senate.

During his litigation career, Joe has served in numerous leadership positions, including lead or co-lead counsel and liaison counsel, in many high profile, complex cases. Some of his high profile litigations include the Coordinated Tobacco litigation, the Hanford Nuclear Reservation Litigation in Washington State, the California Coordinated Breast Implant Litigation, the Coordinated UCI Fertility litigation and the Consolidated Shiley Heart Valve Litigation, among others.

Senator Dunn was elected to the California State Senate in 1998 and served until 2006. In the Legislature, Joe chaired key committees such as the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Housing Committee. He received international acclaim as chair of the Senate Investigation Committee into the 2001 California energy crisis. California Lawyer Magazine labeled then-Senator Dunn as “The Man Who Cracked Enron.”

In late 2006, Senator Dunn joined the California Medical Association (CMA) as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). CMA is the nation’s largest state medical association. While at CMA, Joe oversaw its governmental affairs and advocacy activities as well as numerous related entities that perform critical functions in the world of medicine. Senator Dunn gained invaluable business experience as well as command of a wide range of health care issues as CEO of CMA. Joe relinquished the reigns of CEO in late 2009 in order to establish The Senator’s Firm.
Throughout Senator Dunn’s career, he has received numerous awards and recognitions. These include the Stanley Musk Defender of Justice Award from the Judicial Council of California, the Scales of Justice Award from the California Judges Association, the Glenn R. Winters Award from the American Judges Association, as well as legislator of the year awards from the California State Bar Association, California State Firefighters Association, California Building Industry Association, California State Sheriff’s Association, and numerous medical related organization.

In addition, Joe has been consistently recognized on the Top 100 Lawyers in California list published by the California Lawyer Magazine, and was twice awarded the prestigious California Attorney of the Year (CLAY) Award. He is currently a Trustee for the University of California Irvine Foundation and chairs both the UCI School of Law Dean’s Cabinet and the Regenerative Medicine Leadership Council. He has previously served as a member of the Judicial Council of California and currently serves on the Steering Committee for the Commission for Impartial Courts.

Senator Dunn is currently on temporary leave status following his appointment the California State Bar as the Bar’s Executive Director. In announcing the appointment, the State Bar said of Joe that “as a veteran plaintiff’s lawyer and two-term state senator, Joe Dunn possesses the legal skills and political acumen indispensable for smoothing the waters between the State Bar and California’s legislative and executive branches. With the agency in Sacramento’s crosshairs, the new executive director leaves no doubt he’ll put public protection at the forefront of its regulatory activities.”

* Currently on temporary leave as Executive Director of the California State Bar.