On June 10, Coronado resident Dwight Ritter will be inducted into the San Diego Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame. The annual recognition honors one trial lawyer each year. Ritter will become the 26th attorney inducted into the Hall of Fame.
“Being named to the Hall of Fame is humbling. This is especially true in San Diego because, for some unknown reason, San Diego has been known over the past 50 years for its highly skilled trial lawyers. Many of them are among the best trial lawyers in California, which correspondingly means we have some of the best trial lawyers in the nation,” shared Ritter.
“Each inductee has experienced both winning and losing as a fundamental part of a true trial lawyer’s career. However, a truly successful career is not about winning and losing, but whether you did your best and fought your hardest for the people you represent in their pursuit of justice,” he added.
Ritter and his wife, Nellie, are residents of the Coronado Cays, where they are raising their five sons. They are active in the community, including the Coronado Unified School District, Sacred Heart Parish, and in many youth sports.
Ritter has practiced as a trial lawyer since 1976 and has tried cases in numerous jurisdictions. His practice has focused on representing individuals who have been hurt, injured, or killed as a result of wrongful conduct, negligence, or constitutional misconduct.
Ritter earned his J.D. from Indiana University in 1977 and his LL.M. from the London School of Economics in 1986, with an emphasis on maritime and evidence law.
He holds State Bar certifications in Indiana (1976), Arizona (1985), and California (1986), and has practiced trial law in six different state jurisdictions, including Hawaii, Kansas, and Guam.
“Over the course of my career, I’ve tried more than 110 jury cases, both civil and criminal,” said Ritter. “I have been retained almost exclusively on a contingency basis, representing people who have been severely injured in their occupations or in their everyday lives.”
Ritter has also received the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego Trial Lawyer of the Year Award which recognizes outstanding trial achievements within a single year, and the Trial Lawyer Advocate of the Year Award which recognizes attorneys whose appellate victories result in legal precedent changes that benefit the entire State of California.
The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held on June 10 at Coasterra on San Diego Bay. “I am looking forward to sharing this experience with colleagues, friends, and especially with Nellie and our sons,” Ritter shared.
