Danko Meredith, Trial Lawyers

What Danko Meredith, Trial Lawyers does

Danko Meredith, Trial Lawyers is a plaintiffs-only trial law firm founded in 2009 and headquartered in Redwood City, California, representing individuals catastrophically injured and families of wrongful death victims against well-resourced corporate defendants. The firm operates with a lean team of five attorneys (Founding Partner Mike Danko, Managing Partner Kristine Keala Meredith, Trial Attorney & Managing Attorney Shawn R. Miller, Trial Attorney Jennifer Zarich, and Of Counsel Joshua Watson) and has recovered more than $2 billion for clients across its three core practice areas: aviation accident litigation, California wildfire and utility-fire litigation, and catastrophic injury/wrongful death matters. The aviation practice is differentiated by Danko's credentials as an active jet and helicopter pilot with nearly 5,000 flight hours, enabling the firm to litigate against aircraft manufacturers and insurers with technical credibility. The wildfire practice, launched in 2015, has handled Butte Fire, Camp Fire, North Bay fires, Dixie Fire, Maui Fire, and the 2025 Eaton Fire, and includes participation in negotiating a $14.5 billion PG&E trust and contributing to a $4 billion Maui fire recovery.

The firm operates exclusively on a contingency fee model with no fees or costs to clients unless it recovers compensation, and advances all litigation expenses including expert witnesses and investigations. There is no technology product or AI/ML capability; legal services are delivered through attorney labor supported by standard litigation tools, with a co-counsel and referring-attorney network extending client acquisition capacity. Go-to-market is sales-led, driven by direct outreach to victims and families, free initial consultations, attorney referrals under California rules of professional conduct, content marketing via blog and video library, earned media in national outlets (Reuters, NYT, WSJ, Bloomberg), and a strong reputation track record that generates inbound inquiries. The firm maintains a multi-state footprint with active matters in California (including Northern and Southern California) and Hawaii, while structured as a private partnership with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or parent entity.

Name

Danko Meredith, Trial Lawyers

Legal name

Danko Meredith, Trial Lawyers

Website

https://dankolaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Danko Meredith is a plaintiffs-only California trial law firm founded in 2009 that represents catastrophically injured individuals and wrongful death victims against corporate defendants in aviation accident, utility-caused wildfire, and catastrophic injury cases on a contingency fee basis, with over $2 billion in cumulative client recoveries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plaintiffs Trial Law / Personal Injury and Catastrophic Injury Law

NAICS

Legal Services (5411), Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)

Keywords

• Aviation accident litigation
• Wildfire litigation
• Catastrophic injury law
• Wrongful death cases
• Personal injury law

Headquarters

HQ city

Redwood City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Contingency Fee Legal Services: Law firm operates on a contingency fee basis - clients owe nothing unless the firm recovers money on their behalf. The firm advances all costs of investigation, expert witnesses, and litigation. This aligns firm incentives with client outcomes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Danko Meredith is a plaintiffs-only trial law firm that represents individuals who have been catastrophically injured and families who have lost loved ones due to the negligence of others. The firm specializes in aviation accident litigation, California utility-caused wildfire litigation (against PG&E and Southern California Edison), and catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases. All services are provided on a contingency fee basis with no fees or costs unless the firm recovers compensation for the client.

Product overview

Danko Meredith is a plaintiffs-only trial law firm offering legal services, not a technology product. The firm operates as a single unified legal practice with specialized practice areas including: Aviation Accident Litigation (representing victims of aircraft accidents with in-house pilot expertise), California Wildfire and Utility Fire Litigation (representing survivors of utility-caused wildfires since 2015), Catastrophic Injury and Wrongful Death cases, and Personal Injury matters covering car accidents, truck accidents, and bicycle accidents. The firm takes cases on contingency with no fees unless they win.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aviation Accident Litigation Nationally recognized aviation trial law practice representing victims of aircraft accidents, including commercial airliners, helicopters, general aviation, air ambulances, and tour operator crashes. Lead attorney Mike Danko is an active jet and helicopter pilot with nearly 5,000 flight hours.
• California Wildfire and Utility Fire Litigation Pioneering wildfire litigation practice representing survivors of utility-caused wildfires since 2015, including the Butte Fire, Camp Fire, North Bay fires, Dixie Fire, and 2025 Eaton Fire against utilities such as PG&E and Southern California Edison.
• Catastrophic Injury and Wrongful Death Litigation Trial representation for individuals seriously injured or families who have lost loved ones due to dangerous products, dangerous roads, corporate negligence, and other parties unwilling to take responsibility, including traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, severe burns, and wrongful death cases.
• Product Liability Litigation Representation in cases involving defective consumer products, dangerous drugs, medical devices, and faulty automotive parts, with verdicts including a $50 million wrongful death judgment against a candy manufacturer for a choking hazard.
• Maui/Lahaina Fire Litigation Legal representation for survivors of the 2023 Lahaina wildfire in Maui, Hawaii, as part of a litigation team that recovered over $4 billion for survivors.

Quantifiable outcome

• $2 billion+ recovered for clients across all practice areas
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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.

• Referring Attorneys NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMany clients are referred by other attorneys. The firm welcomes co-counsel arrangements and is pleased to share fees and pay referrals in accordance with California rules of professional conduct. Referring attorneys may have necessary expertise but lack capital or resources for large-scale litigation.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein: San Francisco-based plaintiffs-only firm with leading mass tort, class action, and catastrophic injury practices. Closest comparable in California wildfire/utility litigation and aviation/consumer cases.
• Girard Sharp LLP: San Francisco-based plaintiffs' firm with active California wildfire and consumer class action practice. Comparable in mass-tort wildfire representation and contingency-driven model.
• Motley Rice LLC: National plaintiffs-only firm known for large-scale mass tort, aviation, and corporate negligence litigation. Comparable in aviation accident practice and trial-ready mass-tort posture.
• Weitz & Luxenberg P.C. New York-based plaintiffs' firm with large mass tort, environmental, and catastrophic injury dockets. Comparable in contingency model, mass-tort scale, and trial work against corporate defendants.
• Robins Kaplan LLP: Plaintiffs-only firm with substantial mass tort and catastrophic injury practices. Comparable in trial-ready approach and complex litigation against well-resourced corporate defendants.
• Baron & Budd, P.C. National plaintiffs-only firm with deep wildfire, environmental contamination, and mass tort practices. Comparable in long-duration, capital-intensive environmental tort work against large defendants.
• Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger: San Francisco plaintiffs' trial firm with a 60+ year history in catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases. Direct competitor for Bay Area plaintiff work and similar contingency structure.
• The Ferrara Law Firm: Plaintiffs-only California firm with substantial wildfire and aviation accident practices. Direct competitor in the same wildfire/utility and aviation niches as Danko Meredith.
• Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP: California plaintiffs' trial firm focused on catastrophic injury, wrongful death, and high-stakes tort cases. Comparable in trial posture, contingency model, and California mass-tort practice.

Emerging players

• Consumer Watchdog: California nonprofit advocacy organization that has co-litigated wildfire accountability cases against PG&E and other utilities. Adjacent rather than directly competing; overlaps in wildfire victim advocacy and media positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Danko.Law
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-danko-law-firm
• Instagraminstagram.com/dankolaw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Danko Meredith, Trial Lawyers