Stephen Cornwell

Stephen R. Cornwell is an owner and trial attorney with Freedman Law in Fresno, California. With more than 40 years of experience, he is recognized as one of the most experienced plaintiff's personal injury attorneys in the San Joaquin Valley, having tried over 150 cases.

Cornwell earned his Juris Doctor from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall) in 1967 and his Bachelor of Science from San Jose State in 1964. He was admitted to the California State Bar in 1967 (Bar number 40737), and is also admitted to the bar of the United States Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Cornwell began his career as a prosecutor in the Ventura County District Attorney's Office for three years. In 1970, he joined McCormick, Barstow, Sheppard, Coyle & Best, where he became a senior partner in civil litigation. In November 2000, he withdrew from the McCormick firm to form Cornwell & Sample with Rene Turner Sample, a plaintiffs-only civil trial firm. He later joined Freedman Law.

Cornwell was invited to join the American College of Trial Lawyers as a Fellow in 1997. He has been repeatedly voted a California Super Lawyer and in 2014 was selected for Best Lawyers in America.