Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld

What Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld does

Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP is a San Francisco-based litigation boutique founded in 1990 by Sanford Jay Rosen and Michael W. Bien. The firm concentrates its practice on complex commercial litigation, constitutional and civil rights class actions, appellate advocacy (including matters before the U.S. Supreme Court), employment litigation, antitrust, intellectual property, and alternative dispute resolution. It employs 40+ attorneys across partners, of counsel, senior counsel, associates, and legal fellows, with twelve attorneys having clerked for federal judges and seventeen recognized on the 2025 Super Lawyers list.

The firm serves a heterogeneous client base including corporate and business entities, government agencies, nonprofit advocacy organizations, educational institutions, healthcare providers, and individual civil rights plaintiffs. Representative engagements include the Brown v. Plata Supreme Court prison reform litigation, the Coleman v. Brown class of more than 38,000 California prisoners with serious mental illness, employment discrimination class actions such as EEOC v. Pan American World Airways ($20 million settlement), and ongoing institutional reform cases across multiple states. RBGG holds a National Tier 1 ranking in Appellate Practice from U.S. News & World Report/Best Lawyers consecutively since 2017, with parallel Tier 1 recognition in Commercial Litigation, Employment Law-Individuals, and Civil Rights in San Francisco.

Revenue is generated through traditional law firm billing: hourly rates for most matters, contingency fee arrangements in appropriate civil rights and class action cases, and statutory attorneys' fee awards under fee-shifting statutes. Pricing is matter-specific and not publicly disclosed. The firm's go-to-market is partner-led business development, leveraging reputation, professional recognition rankings, and co-counsel relationships with public interest organizations (ACLU, Disability Rights Advocates, NCLR, UC Davis Civil Rights Clinic). Operations are conducted from a single San Francisco headquarters, though matters are handled in federal and state courts across at least nine states, with no disclosed technology platform, subsidiaries, or external investment.

Name

Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld

Legal name

Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP

Website

https://rbgg.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP is a San Francisco-based litigation boutique founded in 1990, employing 40+ attorneys in commercial litigation, constitutional and civil rights class actions, appellate advocacy, and employment law, serving corporate, government, nonprofit, and individual clients in federal and state courts nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Offices of Lawyers (54111)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Litigation & Dispute Resolution (BPAHAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD)

Keywords

• Complex litigation services
• Appellate advocacy
• Civil rights law
• Commercial litigation
• Class action lawsuits

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Billing: Traditional law firm revenue generated through billable hours for legal representation, with matters spanning commercial litigation, civil rights, employment, class actions, and appellate work. Some matters handled on contingency fee basis, particularly in civil rights and plaintiff-side class actions. Attorneys' fees awards in civil rights cases under fee-shifting statutes represent additional revenue stream.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP is a San Francisco-based trial and appellate law firm providing legal representation in complex commercial disputes, civil rights and constitutional litigation, employment class actions, First Amendment matters, and appellate advocacy before state and federal courts including the U.S. Supreme Court. The firm represents corporations, government entities, nonprofits, and individuals across more than a dozen practice areas, with deep specialization in systemic civil rights reform litigation.

Product overview

Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP is a San Francisco-based law firm offering comprehensive legal services across multiple practice areas rather than a technology product company. The firm's services are organized into distinct practice area specializations: Commercial Litigation handles business disputes and intellectual property; Civil Rights and Civil Liberties covers prisoners' rights, disability rights, and discrimination cases; Employment Litigation addresses workplace disputes; Appeals provides appellate advocacy; Class Actions manages complex multi-party litigation; and Alternative Dispute Resolution offers mediation and arbitration services. These practice areas operate as distinct service lines within the firm rather than a unified product platform with modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Litigation

Quantifiable outcome

• Landmark prison overcrowding decision Brown v. Plata (2011) resulting in population cap order
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ACLU of NebraskacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 August 2017Co-counsel in Sabata v. Nebraska Department of Correctional Services class action challenging conditions in Nebraska's prison system. Includes ACLU National Prison Project, Nebraska Appleseed, National Association of the Deaf, and DLA Piper.
• UC Davis Civil Rights CliniccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel relationship with UC Davis Civil Rights Clinic in representing class of pre-trial detainees, convicted prisoners, and immigration detainees in Hedrick v. Grant regarding conditions at Yuba County Jail. Clinic provides additional resources and student involvement in litigation.
• Disability Rights AdvocatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel in Cole v. County of Santa Clara representing prisoners with mobility disabilities. Negotiated extensive consent decree approved by U.S. District Court.
• National Center for Lesbian RightscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel with NCLR in structured negotiations with Lyft on LGBTQ discrimination issues and ongoing compliance monitoring.
• TRE Legal PracticeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel in National Federation of the Blind v. Greyhound Lines accessibility settlement regarding website and mobile application accessibility.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein: San Francisco-based plaintiffs' firm with parallel complex litigation, class action, and appellate practice. Directly comparable boutique scale (~60+ attorneys), plaintiff-side civil rights and employment class actions, and national appellate footprint with overlapping client segments.
• Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro: Plaintiff-side class action and complex litigation boutique with significant employment, civil rights, and consumer practice. Comparable boutique-scale class action business model with national reach and plaintiff-side orientation overlapping RBGG's employment and civil rights work.
• Susman Godfrey: Houston-based national trial boutique renowned for high-stakes commercial litigation and appellate advocacy. Comparable boutique-scale, trial-and-appellate business model, and reputation for individual lawyer credentials similar to RBGG.
• Keker Van Nest & Peters: San Francisco litigation boutique (~50+ attorneys) specializing in complex commercial and IP trial work with strong appellate practice. Comparable in size, geography, and litigation-only focus, serving enterprise clients in high-stakes disputes.
• Altshuler Berzon LLP: San Francisco plaintiffs' litigation boutique with parallel employment class actions, civil rights, and appellate practice. Closely comparable in size, geography, and plaintiff-side mission alignment with RBGG.
• Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll: Washington, D.C.-based litigation boutique with deep class action, civil rights, employment, and antitrust practice. Direct overlap with RBGG's plaintiff-side civil rights, employment, and class action docket and similar institutional-reform credentials.

Emerging players

• Public Justice: National public interest litigation organization pursuing class actions and impact cases in civil rights, consumer, and environmental areas. Overlaps with RBGG's institutional reform and class action docket, often as co-counsel or referral partner.
• Impact Fund: Berkeley-based public interest litigation nonprofit supporting class action and civil rights cases. Frequently co-counsels with plaintiffs' firms like RBGG on institutional reform and impact litigation matters in California.

Broad incumbents

• Boies Schiller Flexner: National litigation powerhouse with significant civil rights, employment, and appellate practice. Competes for high-profile institutional reform and class action matters at larger scale than RBGG.
• Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan: Largest litigation-only global firm with deep appellate, commercial, and IP litigation bench. Competes with RBGG for complex commercial and appellate mandates but at much larger scale and broader geographic reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld