Brendan Way

PRO

Brendan Way

5.0
Rating: 9.1

Licensed for 17 years

Brain injury Lawyer at San Luis Obispo, CA
Practice Areas: Brain Injury, Personal Injury, Car Accidents, Wrongful Death

1020 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA

Virtual Consultation Available

About Brendan

Biography

Practice Areas

4

Practice Areas

Brain Injury 70%

Traumatic brain injury from concussions or "Mild Traumatic Brain Injury" to Severe Traumatic Brain injury from any source. Brain related malpractice, including return to play, surgical errors, birth injury and other forms of acquired brain injury.

11 years | 70 cases

70%
Personal Injury 15%

17 years | 500 cases

15%
Car Accident 10%

I regularly handle all forms of motor vehicle collisions including Uber & Lyft cases, taxi, bus, light rail vehicles and trucking.

11 years

10%
Wrongful Death 5%

I have handled hundreds of products liability wrongful death cases as well as auto/trucking/dangerous condition on public property/premises liability cases.

17 years | 200 cases

5%

Fees and Rates

We have not found any cost information for this lawyer

Awards

Client's Choice
Client's Choice
2022

Licenses

Licensed in California for 17 years

State: California

Acquired: 2008

Active

No misconduct found

Location

Ernst Law Group

1020 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93401

ernstlawgroup.com

Brendan Way's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

5.0 /5.0

7 Client Reviews

Filter Avvo Reviews (7) Refine reviews to match your needs. Use the filters to quickly surface reviews that align with your case or priorities.

Showing 1 - 3 of 3 reviews | Communication Style

Posted by Jeff | March 13, 2026 | Hired Attorney | Personal Injury

Exceptional Representation in a Complex Brain Injury Case

I cannot recommend Brendan Way enough. He represented me in a personal injury case involving a defective scooter that caused a mild traumatic brain injury. My case involved not only the scooter manufacturer but also the large international retail chain that distributed and sold the product, makin...g it a complex multi-defendant product liability case. The aftermath of the injury became one of the most difficult periods of my life, medically and personally, and at times I worried that the complexity of my story might make it easy for people to dismiss what had actually happened. Brendan never treated my story or me that way. From the beginning, he approached my case with patience, steadiness, and real care. He took the time to understand the full context — the injury itself, the neurological symptoms and treatment, the impact on my education and work, and the broader healing and recovery. He didn’t try to force my experience into a simplified narrative just to make the case easier or allow the defense to reduce me to documentation. Instead, he did the harder and more important work of actually understanding the whole picture. Throughout the process he was strategic, thoughtful, and incredibly thorough. He handled complex medical records, documentation, and sensitive personal history with professionalism and integrity. In a legal process that can often feel cold or adversarial, Brendan brought a sense of steadiness and decency that meant a great deal to me. His settlement negotiation skills were exceptional. He was calm, methodical, and clearly very experienced navigating negotiations with multiple parties. Because of his advocacy and strategy, he secured an almost half-million-dollar settlement in my case — an outcome that has given me the breathing room I needed to continue healing and rebuilding my life after the injury. If anyone ever asks me about working with Brendan, I tell them this: he’s sharp, thorough, calm under pressure, and not intimidated by complicated cases or complicated histories. He doesn’t posture and he doesn’t rush. He simply does excellent work, and he does it the right way. It’s also worth saying that traumatic brain injury cases can be particularly challenging, especially when the injury is classified as “mild” but still has real and lasting effects on a person’s life. These cases often involve complicated medical documentation, skepticism from insurers, and difficult negotiations. Brendan handled those challenges with skill, persistence, and real professionalism, and the outcome reflects just how strong his advocacy was. I’m deeply grateful for everything he did for me, my family and my future.

Posted by Jennifer | August 28, 2023 | Personal Injury

Best lawyer for personal injury

To anyone who is suffering from a personal injury case, I highly recommend Brendan Way. He is compassionate, has integrity and full knowledge of the law. Brendan is extremely experienced, professional, courteous, informative, patient, capable and genuinely cared about my well being. He helped me ...with some great advice and guidance throughout my injury related to an auto accident and other related legal matters in the past. He’s always been responsive, upfront and honest, a good listener with a great understanding of my case. I really can’t say enough good things about Brendan. If I could, I would give 10 stars review. Thank you so much for your guidance, kindness, time and support.

Posted by Carmen | May 11, 2022 | Hired Attorney | Lawsuits & Disputes

Gladiator in a Suit

Brendan is a dedicated and compassionate attorney. His persistence and knowledge of the law led to a settlement that has greatly improved my wellbeing as well as providing closure to a difficult time in my life. Brendan was always available to answer my questions and walk me through the legalese of a...ll the paperwork required with my case. Overall, Brendan was an amazing attorney who helped secure a victory for his clients after years of fighting our complicated and challenging case. I am deeply grateful for his hard work and dedication in pursuit of justice.

See All Client Reviews

Brendan Way's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Brendan

No Endorsement Data Available Yet
This attorney hasn't received any attorney endorsements recently on Avvo.

No Endorsement Data Available Yet
This attorney hasn't created any attorney endorsements recently on Avvo.

Experience

Rating:  9.1 (Superb)

Honors

2021

(Finalist) Consumer Attorney of the Year, Consumer Attorneys of California

2018

Rising Star, Super Lawyers

2017

Rising Star, Super Lawyers

2016

Rising Star, Super Lawyers

Work Experience

2022 - 2026

Senior Managing Attorney - Personal Injury Group, JLG Lawyers

2019 - 2022

Senior Associate, Mary Alexander & Associates, PC

2013 - 2019

Attorney, Scarlett Law Group

2010 - 2013

Attorney, Jackson Jenkins Renstrom LLP

2009 - 2010

Attorney, Jackson & Wallance LLP

2009 - 2010

Associate, Franklyn Tradmark Consulting

2009 - 2009

Senior Research and Writing Fellow, McCarthy Institute for Intellectual Property & Technology Law

2009 - 2009

Contract Attorney, Green Welling LLP

2008 - 2009

Contract Litigation Legal Assistant, Robert Half Legal

2007 - 2008

Law Clerk, Green Welling, LLP

2006 - 2006

Law Clerk, Jackson & Wallace, LLP

2002 - 2005

Litigation Legal Assistant, Jackson & Wallace, LLP

Associations

2020 - Present

Consumer Attorneys of California

Board Member, Education Committee and Legislative Committee

2014 - Present

American Association for Justice

Member and Member of the Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group

2014 - Present

San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association

Member

Sample of Legal Cases

Pedestrian vs. Auto

$1,350,000.00

Bicycle v. Automobile - Traumatic Brain Injury

Settled $1,500,000.00

Archer v. Carnival Corporation, et al.

Confidential Settlement

In RE: Ghost Ship Fire Litigation

Total Settlement Confidential. Public Settlement $33,000,000.00

Garcia v. City of Watsonville

$2,300,000

Stoll v. City and County of San Francisco et al., (SFSC No. CGC-13-532478)

Settled $10,999,999.00

Martinez et al. v. Bhandal Brothers Trucking, Inc., et al., (MCSC No. M114050)

$18,600,000 Jury Verdict

Overloaded Dolly Causes Traumatic Brain Injury

Settled $2,500,000

Low Speed Rear End Collision - Traumatic Brain Injury

Settlement $1,250,000

DUI Double Wrongful Death

Settled $6,000,000.00

Van vs. Pedestrian Severe TBI

Settled $3,000,000.00

See More Legal Cases

Education

2008

University of San Francisco School of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

2000

Trinity College

BA - Bachelor of Arts

Speaking Engagements

2024

Western Trial Lawyers Association

Summer Convention

2024

Western Trial Lawyers Association

Winter Convention

2024

Consumer Attorneys of California

Speaker

2023

San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association

Speaker

2023

Consumer Attorneys of California

Don Galline Maui Seminar

2023

Association for Continuing Legal Education

Continuing Legal Education

2022

Consumer Attorneys of California

Don Galline Maui Seminar

2021

Consumer Attorneys of California Convention

Public Liability - Fight the Power: Dangerous Schools, Roads and Trails

2021

Consumer Attorneys of California

Speaker

2019

Hot Tips from From Former Defense Attorneys

Insurance Claims Process from the Defense Perspective

2018

Association for Continuing Legal Education

Continuing Legal Education

Languages

English

Avvo Rating

Our Rating is calculated using information the lawyer has included on their profile in addition to the information we collect from state bar associations and other organizations that license legal professionals. Attorneys who claim their profiles and provide Avvo with more information tend to have a higher rating than those who do not.

What determines Avvo Rating?
  • Experience & background Years licensed, work experience, education
  • Legal community recognition Peer endorsements, associations, awards
  • Legal thought leadership Publications, speaking engagements
  • Discipline Disciplinary information may not be comprehensive, or updated. We recommend that you always check a lawyer's disciplinary status with their respective state bar association before hiring them.
Avvo Rating Levels
10.0 - 9.0 Superb8.9 - 8.0 Excellent7.9 - 7.0 Very Good6.9 - 6.0 Good5.9 - 5.0 Average4.9 - 4.0 Concern3.9 - 3.0 Caution2.9 - 2.0 Strong Caution1.9 - 1.0 Extreme Caution