We are very excited to announce that Green Foothills will be honoring the legendary Joe Cotchett at our 2019 Nature’s Inspiration. Our master of ceremonies will be Congresswoman Jackie Speier.
Nature’s Inspiration will take place on Sunday, September 22 from 1-4pm at Wickett Ranch in unincorporated Woodside. Featuring beautiful pastures, surrounded by old growth redwood trees, and overlooking the Pacific Ocean this will be a perfect place to honor Joe Cotchett.
A champion for justice with a passion for the coast
It is a perfect setting for our honoree Joe Cotchett who has been a champion for justice during his 50+ year legal career and a passionate supporter of the San Mateo Coast. As founder and senior partner of Cotchett, Pitre, & McCarthy LLP, Cotchett has built his legal career representing the underdog against powerful interests as well as providing generous pro bono work. In 2014, Cotchett and his firm represented Surfrider Foundation in the Martin’s Beach coastal development case in San Mateo County Superior Court resulting in a Silicon Valley billionaire being ordered to reopen public access to the pristine beach. Green Foothills was also very engaged in this issue including Advocate Lennie Roberts providing expert opinion at the trial.
A Burlingame resident, Cotchett’s deep love for the coast led to his co-authoring and publishing The Coast Time Forgot, a historic guide to the San Mateo County coast. Cotchett even served for many years as Governor Gray Davis’ appointee to the State Park and Recreation Commission and served as its Chair.
An acclaimed trial lawyer who stands up for what’s right
From civil rights to antitrust, Cotchett has earned a formidable reputation as one of the foremost trial lawyers and trial strategists in America. He has tried over 100 jury trials including a $3.8 billion jury verdict for 23,000 senior citizens in the Savings & Loan crisis. Cotchett has fearlessly stood up for what is right going back to his college days where he challenged segregation and successfully established the first integrated fraternity in 1958 on the Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo campus prompting other fraternities to follow suit. Cotchett received an Engineering Degree before attending UC Hastings Law School for his legal education and served as an officer in the U.S. Army Intelligence Corps and as a Special Forces paratrooper and JAG Corps officer, being awarded the Legion of Merit for his service.
Lately, Cotchett and his firm have taken on the Trump Administration representing the City of Richmond in Sanctuary City litigation and the City of San Jose in separate suits on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) issues pending in the U.S. District Court in Northern California.
As an alumni of the University of California Hastings College of the Law, Cotchett advised the Class of 2018 at their Commencement Ceremony to “use your legal education for a higher purpose.” For Cotchett, becoming a lawyer gives one the means to make a difference in people’s lives.
Named one of the 100 most influential attorneys in the United States for 17 years running, Cotchett is an inductee into the national Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame and the State Bar of California’s Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame. He has received many other awards including the Distinguished Service Award from the Judicial Council of California, the Lifetime Achievement Award from Consumer Watchdog, Trial Lawyer of the Year by Public Justice and Antitrust Lawyer of the Year by the Golden State Antitrust Institute.
We are very fortunate to honor Joe Cotchett for his lifetime of servitude for justice and dedication to preserving the San Mateo coastline. Please join us as we celebrate Committee for Green Foothills’ 57 years legacy and Joe Cotchett on September 22!
More about Nature’s Inspiration
Every year Committee for Green Foothills celebrates people who have dedicated their lives to protecting open space and connecting people to nature. Past honorees include Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, Congresswoman Jackie Speier, Congressman Pete McCloskey, California Coastal Commission chief Peter Douglas, and the famed musician Joan Baez.
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