A litigation boutique based in Oakland, California, representing plaintiffs and defendants in complex civil litigation.
The Norton Law Firm Elevates Josephine K. Petrick to Partner
The Norton Law Firm, a litigation boutique representing plaintiffs and defendants in complex civil litigation throughout California and across the country, announces the elevation of Josephine K. Petrick from Counsel to Partner, effective January 1, 2025. Petrick joined The Norton Law Firm in January 2023.
As a California State Bar-Certified Appellate Specialist and complex litigator, Petrick brings a broad strategic perspective to advancing clients’ litigation goals, from early case assessment to motion practice and appeal.
Since joining The Norton Law Firm in January 2023, she has litigated complex matters involving novel questions relating to arbitration law and federal preemption as well as high-stakes international contract disputes and fraud actions. She is a trusted advisor and strategic counselor to clients across industries including cryptocurrency, solar development, consumer technology, international apparel, and property management, often in “bet-the-company” disputes.
“This is the first time we have promoted a partner from within, which speaks volumes to Josephine’s excellence in counseling clients on strategy and key legal issues arising at all phases of a dispute,” said Fred Norton, co-founder of The Norton Law Firm. “She is a stellar writer and deep thinker; a thoughtful leader who prioritizes mentoring and leadership here at the firm, and an exceptional litigator. We applaud her achievements and are very pleased to advance her to partner.”
Co-founder Bree Hann added, “Josie’s legal acumen, paired with her outstanding appellate and trial litigation experience, grounds her successful advocacy throughout California’s state and federal courts. We’re delighted to welcome her to the partnership.”
Before joining The Norton Law Firm, Petrick worked at preeminent law firms where she specialized in appeals and litigated complex and high-stakes business, commercial, securities, insurance, and environmental matters. Of note, she served on the litigation teams successfully representing State Attorneys General in complex, large-scale matters including the Deepwater Horizon litigation. She has also authored numerous amicus briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court, California Supreme Court, Ninth Circuit, and other courts.
Previously, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable James L. Dennis on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Last year, Petrick was named to The 2024 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation list, in recognition of her status as a “future leader of the law.” She received her J.D., magna cum laude and Order of the Coif, from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law (U.C. Law San Francisco), where she was a Senior Articles Editor of the Hastings Law Journal, served a member of the Moot Court Board and the Hastings Ninth Circuit Clinic, and served as an intern for Judge Edward Chen on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. She earned her B.A., Highest Honors and Phi Beta Kappa, in Linguistics from the University of California at Berkeley.
Licensed to practice in California and Louisiana, Petrick is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, and numerous federal appellate and district courts. Since 2018, she has been a member of the Appellate Law Section Executive Committee of The Bar Association of San Francisco. She is a co-founding member and membership committee chair for the Bay Area Appellate Inn of Court. Additionally, she has held positions with the Queen’s Bench Bar Association, has served as an Advisory Board Member for Abel (Y-Combinator-Backed Legal Artificial Intelligence Startup), and as a Board Member and CFO for the Queen’s Bench Foundation.
About The Norton Law Firm
Established in 2017, The Norton Law Firm is a litigation boutique in Oakland, California, representing plaintiffs and defendants in complex civil litigation. Founding partners Fred Norton and Bree Hann are seasoned trial lawyers who have the unusual distinction of having won a plaintiff jury verdict of $1.3 billion and having obtained a complete defense win in a class action tried to verdict. They combine that high-stakes litigation experience with the practical business judgment gained by managing litigation and investigations as senior in-house counsel at multi-billion-dollar public corporations. The firm’s attorneys have served as judicial clerks, been partners at AmLaw 50 firms, managed corporate legal teams and worked for government enforcement agencies. The firm has successfully litigated and tried cases across the full spectrum of business disputes, in cases involving trade secrets; patent, copyright and other technology; commercial contracts; First Amendment and defamation; and antitrust and unfair competition. The firm also has extensive experience in class action defense in state and federal courts. In addition to its complex civil litigation practice, The Norton Law Firm has a strong commitment to pro bono work and affirmative litigation on behalf of wrongly incarcerated persons. For more information, please visit www.nortonlaw.com.