Mountain Path
Brett Schreiber, Singleton Schreiber Photo

Overview

Brett Schreiber is a nationally recognized trial attorney and co-founder of Singleton Schreiber, where he leads the firm’s Personal Injury and Wrongful Death practice. He represents individuals and families harmed by corporate misconduct, defective products, dangerous roadways, and systemic safety failures, including high-profile litigation against Tesla arising from fatal crashes involving autonomous and advanced driver-assistance technologies. The dozens of cases he has tried have resulted in numerous multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements for his clients.

A series of firsts have marked Mr. Schreiber’s career, whether it was trying serious injury cases to verdict in his first years of practice, elevating to leadership positions in trial lawyer organizations years before his predecessors had, and/or receiving honors and awards typically reserved for lawyers much later in their careers.

Notably, in July 2025, Mr. Schreiber served as lead trial counsel for the families of a woman killed and a man gravely injured in a crash involving a Tesla vehicle in Benavides v. Tesla, the first wrongful death case against Tesla to proceed to trial. Tesla’s design and marketing of its Autopilot system created a false sense of safety that contributed to the fatal collision. The case also intersected with a 2023 federal recall concerning Tesla’s driver-monitoring system. On August 1, 2025, a Miami jury unanimously awarded the plaintiffs $243 million, widely reported as one of the largest individual-plaintiff verdicts in the history of the American civil justice system.

Before founding Singleton Schreiber, Mr. Schreiber was a partner at Thorsnes Bartolotta McGuire, a San Diego plaintiffs’ firm. He also served as a legislative intern in the Florida Senate, worked as a lobbyist, clerked with a boutique South Florida law firm specializing in criminal defense, civil litigation, and family law, interned with the San Diego Public Defenders' office, and clerked with a small appellate practice.

Mr. Schreiber’s career has been marked by early and sustained leadership. He tried serious injury cases to verdict in his first years of practice and rose rapidly within national trial-lawyer organizations. Guided by the Hebrew principle of tikkun olam, meaning “to heal the world,” Mr. Schreiber recognizes that to have the greatest impact serving our communities, we must integrate litigation and political strategies. What happens in the state house directly affects what happens in the courthouse and vice versa. Mr. Schreiber routinely works with local, state, and national political figures and elected office holders to ensure access to justice and that the voices of the people we represent are heard both in the courtroom and in the Capitol Rotunda. To that end, Mr. Schreiber currently serves as an Officer of the Board of Directors of Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC).

Mr. Schreiber graduated cum laude from Thomas Jefferson School of Law where he competed on moot court teams and was a member of the law review. He is admitted to practice in all California courts, the Southern and Central Districts of California, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He is a proud member of Consumer Attorneys of San Diego, Consumer Attorneys of California, Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles, Attorneys Information Exchange Group, American Association of Justice and the American Board of Trial Advocates.

Mr. Schreiber and his wife, Shayna, a clinical psychologist, live in Ocean Beach with their four young children. They enjoy surfing, yoga, tennis, and family outings that always include their golden retriever, Roshi.

Honors & Awards

2025 The Best Lawyers in America

2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers

  • Location: San Diego
  • Practice Areas: Personal Injury, Class Action

2024 Consumer Attorneys of San Diego — Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award

2024 Best Lawyers in America — Lawyer of the Year — Plaintiff’s Personal Injury Litigation

2022 Consumer Attorneys of San Diego Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award

2022 Best Lawyers in America – Lawyer of the Year

2021 Top 50 Jury Verdicts

2021 Consumer Attorneys of San Diego Trial Lawyer of the Year

2021 Best Lawyers in America – Lawyer of the Year – Plaintiff’s Personal Injury Litigation

2020 Best Lawyers in America – Lawyer of the Year – Plaintiff’s Products Liability Litigation

2019 Consumer Attorneys of San Diego Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award

2019 Best Lawyers in America – Lawyer of the Year – Plaintiff’s Mass Tort/Class Action Litigation

2019 Top 100 Verdicts in California

2019 Top 50 Personal Injury Verdicts in California

2018 Best Layers in America – Plaintiff’s Personal Injury and Mass Tort/Class Action

2017 Top 100 Personal Injury Verdicts in California

2017 Top 3 Toxic Tort Verdict in California

2017 - present perennial Super Lawyer

2016 & 2017 Consumer Attorneys of California Presidential Award of Merit

2012-2017 Super Lawyers Rising Star

2015 Consumer Attorneys of San Diego Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award

2015-2018 National Trial Lawyers Top 40 under 40

2014 Top 100 Verdicts in America

2011 Consumer Attorneys of San Diego President’s Award for Service

2009-2012 San Diego Daily Transcript’s Top Attorney Award

Case Results

  • $243 Million Verdict Against Tesla in fatal Autopilot crash

    A federal jury in Florida has ordered Tesla to pay $243 million in damages over a 2019 crash involving its Autopilot system. Brett Schreiber, Partner at Singleton Schreiber and lead counsel for the plaintiffs, emphasized Tesla’s negligence, stating, “Tesla designed Autopilot only for controlled access highways yet deliberately chose not to restrict drivers from using it elsewhere… Today’s verdict represents justice for Naibel’s tragic death and Dillon’s lifelong injuries.” This marks the first time the company has been held liable in a wrongful death trial related to its driver-assist technology. The crash killed Naibel Benavides Leon and left Dillon Angulo with permanent injuries. The ruling could have sweeping implications for future litigation and the broader autonomous vehicle industry.

  • $16.4 Million Verdict: Dangerous Roadway

    Our client was operating a motorcycle on northbound State Route 79 near Warner Springs in San Diego County when a large tree branch detached and fell from a tree within the State’s right of way. She sued the State of California and the Department of Transportation, who owned and maintained the roadway and the subject tree. Our client suffered a brain bleed, a burst spinal vertebra, multiple spinal fractures from C2-C8, and a shattered femur, as well as other injuries.

  • $14.5 Million Settlement: Construction

    Our client was providing construction related services in a building in downtown San Diego. The defendant failed to provide properly odorized natural gas to the building. A large amount of the improperly odorized gas escaped into the building, accumulated undetected, and created a massive explosion, presumably set off by an electrical spark. Our client suffered third-degree burns to his face, head, arms, hands and upper body.

  • $30 Million Settlement: Medical Malpractice

    One medical malpractice case led to the discovery of dozens of patients who suffered needless and unindicated joint-replacement surgeries at the hands of a surgeon and hospital system that prioritized profits over patient safety.

  • $5.6 Million Verdict: Dangerous Roadway

    Our client was traveling to work along a rural two-lane road when the defendant’s vehicle came across the centerline and the two cars collided head on. This preventable collision was caused by the State of California’s failure to properly maintain the edge of the pavement. This verdict was on the Top 50 personal-injury verdicts in California and one of the Top 100 motor-vehicle-collision verdicts in America.

Professional Affiliations

Membership

Member, Consumer Attorneys of San Diego

Member, Consumer Attorneys of California

Member, Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles

Member, Attorneys Information Exchange Group

Member, American Association of Justice

Member, American Board of Trial Advocates

Member, Hawaii Association of Justice

Member, San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association (SFTLA)

Member, Justice HQ

News & Publications

News

Blog Posts

Executive Assistant

Lydia Chavez

Ericka Elms

Education

Florida State University, B.A. in Creative Writing and Religion, 2001

Thomas Jefferson School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 2005

Admissions

  • State of California
  • State of Hawaii
  • United States District Courts for the Southern District of California
  • United States District Courts for the Central District of California
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Languages

  • English

News & Events

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