What Rouda Feder Tietjen & McGuinn does

Rouda Feder Tietjen & McGuinn (RFTM) is a San Francisco-based plaintiffs' personal injury law firm founded in 1980, operating a contingent-fee model under which the firm only charges attorneys' fees when a case is won or settled. The firm represents seriously injured individuals and their families across California in catastrophic injury, wrongful death, car and truck accidents, medical malpractice, product liability, premises liability, construction and industrial accidents, birth injuries, nursing home abuse, pharmaceutical claims, and California wildfire litigation. Practice areas are organized by injury type (brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, paralysis, amputation, burns) and delivered as a unified service offering rather than modular products, supported by seven named partners — Cynthia McGuinn, June P. Bashant, Timothy G. Tietjen, John M. Feder, Ronald H. Rouda, Loren Schwartz, and Bradford Bowen — plus an attorney (Em Feder Cooper) and a small staff of paralegals/case managers.

RFTM's go-to-market is reputation-driven and community-led, anchored by an extensive content library (blog spanning 2014-2026 plus quarterly newsletters), SEO-optimized practice-area and location-specific landing pages, peer referrals from other plaintiff firms, and earned media in industry outlets such as the Daily Journal, Lawdragon, Law.com, and Law360. The firm has built its client acquisition around word-of-mouth, peer recognition (Best Lawyers since 1991, Super Lawyers since 2004, Lawdragon 500, Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent, ABOTA leadership roles), and free no-obligation consultations that lower the barrier to engagement. The firm has publicly reported over $500 million in cumulative client recoveries, with individual settlements including $84.3 million (cerebral palsy), $63.4 million (personal injury), $58.5 million (workplace negligence), and $47.5 million (child catastrophic injury).

RFTM operates from two offices: a headquarters at 417 Montgomery Street, Suite 910, San Francisco, CA 94104, and a Pasadena office at 117 E. Colorado Blvd, Suite 465, Pasadena, CA 91105. The Pasadena location was established to support California wildfire litigation, including co-counsel work with Brent & Fiol, LLP against Southern California Edison related to the Eaton Fire and Palisades Fire, and the firm has broader experience representing wildfire victims against Pacific Gas & Electric and Maui Electric Company. RFTM is structured as a partnership with 11-50 employees, is privately held with no disclosed outside investment or parent company, and does not publicly report revenue.

Name

Rouda Feder Tietjen & McGuinn

Legal name

Rouda Feder Tietjen & McGuinn

Website

https://rftmlaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rouda Feder Tietjen & McGuinn is a San Francisco-based plaintiffs' personal injury law firm founded in 1980, representing seriously injured individuals and families across California on a contingency-fee basis in catastrophic injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, product liability, and wildfire litigation matters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plaintiffs' Personal Injury Legal Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)

Keywords

• Personal injury law
• Wrongful death litigation
• Catastrophic injury representation
• Medical malpractice services
• Wildfire litigation

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Contingency Fee Legal Services: The firm operates on a contingency fee basis — it charges no attorneys' fees unless the firm wins or settles the client's case. Clients receive free initial consultations. This aligns the firm's financial incentive with client outcomes and is standard for personal injury plaintiff's firms in California.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Rouda Feder Tietjen & McGuinn is a plaintiffs' personal injury law firm providing contingency-fee legal representation to seriously injured individuals and their families across California. Core services include catastrophic injury, wrongful death, car and truck accidents, medical malpractice, product liability, premises liability, birth injuries, workplace injuries, and California wildfire litigation against utility companies. The firm has recovered over $500 million for clients across thousands of claims since 1980.

Product overview

Rouda Feder Tietjen & McGuinn is a personal injury law firm offering comprehensive legal services through a single unified practice. The firm provides specialized legal representation across multiple injury categories including catastrophic injuries, wrongful death, medical malpractice, product liability, and California wildfire litigation. The practice areas are organized by injury type (e.g., Brain Injuries, Spinal Cord Injuries, Birth Injuries) rather than as modular products, representing a unified service offering under one firm with multiple attorney specialists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Personal Injury Legal Services Comprehensive legal representation for individuals seriously injured by negligence, covering wrongful death, car accidents, catastrophic injuries, and other personal injury matters across California on a contingency fee basis.
• Catastrophic Injury Representation Specialized legal services for severe injuries including brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, burn injuries, paralysis, and amputations, often involving large settlements and complex litigation on a contingency fee basis.
• Wrongful Death Litigation Legal advocacy for families seeking justice and compensation when a loved one's death results from negligence or wrongful conduct, including fatalities from car accidents, medical malpractice, workplace accidents, and utility company failures.
• California Wildfire Legal Services Legal representation for victims of California wildfires including the Eaton Fire, Palisades Fire, and Wine Country Fires, pursuing claims against utility companies for property damage, personal injuries, emotional distress, and lost income recovery.
• Medical Malpractice Services Legal representation for victims of medical negligence including birth injuries, surgical errors, medical battery (e.g., $15M UCSF settlement), and pharmaceutical malpractice on a contingency fee basis.
• Product Liability Claims Legal action against manufacturers for injuries caused by defective products, including auto defects, consumer goods, and other product liability matters, handled on a contingency fee basis.
• Birth Injury Services Legal representation for families affected by birth injuries including cerebral palsy and hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), pursuing claims for lifetime care and compensation on a contingency fee basis.
• Car Accident Representation Legal representation for victims of car accidents, including drunk driving crashes, rollovers, pedestrian collisions, and crosswalk injuries, handled on a contingency fee basis.

Quantifiable outcome

• $500 million+ recovered for clients in thousands of personal injury claims
• +11 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Brent & Fiol, LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Rouda Feder Tietjen & McGuinn and Brent & Fiol, LLP formed a partnership to provide legal representation to victims of the Southern California wildfires (Eaton Fire and Palisades Fire, January 2025). The firms are working together to help fire victims in Los Angeles and surrounding areas. They share intake contacts (email addresses from both firms listed), coordinate consultations at the Pasadena office (117 E. Colorado Blvd, Suite 465, Pasadena, CA 91105), and provide tailored representation for property damage claims, personal injury cases, emotional distress claims, insurance disputes, and lost income recovery. This is a co-counsel relationship for wildfire litigation against Southern California Edison.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger: San Francisco-based plaintiffs' personal injury firm with similar catastrophic injury, wrongful death, and trial advocacy focus. Direct peer geographically and by practice area.
• Michels & Lew: Seattle-based plaintiffs' catastrophic injury and wrongful death firm that has expanded into California wildfire litigation against PG&E. Comparable plaintiff mass-tort work and trial recognition.
• Banafsheh, Danesh & Javid, PC: California plaintiffs' personal injury firm focused on catastrophic injury, vehicle collisions, and product liability. Comparable contingency-fee boutique and trial practice.
• The Dominguez Firm: California-based plaintiffs' personal injury firm with bilingual capacity, broader advertising motion, and similar contingency model; comparable on car/truck accidents, premises liability, and catastrophic injury.
• Panish | Shea | Boyle | Ravipudi LLP: Leading California plaintiffs' catastrophic injury and wrongful death firm. Direct competitor for high-value PI cases and overlapping jury pool; consistently named in Best Lawyers/Lawdragon plaintiff honors.
• Geragos & Geragos: High-profile California plaintiffs' firm handling catastrophic injury, wrongful death and wildfire class actions against PG&E. Direct peer on wildfire mass-tort work and similar trial recognition.
• The Veen Firm: San Francisco plaintiffs' catastrophic injury firm with record-setting verdicts and a similar trial-driven reputation. Direct peer competing for Northern California catastrophic PI and wrongful death cases.
• Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy LLP: Boutique California plaintiffs' firm known for complex civil litigation, including wildfire and mass-tort actions against utilities. Comparable contingency-fee economics and peer-recognized expertise.
• Brent & Fiol, LLP: California plaintiffs' personal injury firm in Pasadena, co-counsel partner on RFTM's Southern California wildfire litigation practice representing victims against Southern California Edison. Most directly comparable peer because of the active co-counsel relationship and identical plaintiff PI focus.

Broad incumbents

• Barrett & Farahany: Beyond direct PI peers, established multi-state plaintiff firms operating in California on mass torts (pharmaceutical, sexual abuse) overlap with RFTM's pharmaceutical lawsuit practice and product liability work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RFTMLawFirm

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 Rouda Feder Tietjen & McGuinn