Craig Peters

Craig Peters is a partner and trial attorney at Altair Law in San Francisco. He was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1996 and holds an active license ^[1]. His practice concentrates on complex and catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases, including matters involving product defects, dangerous property conditions, vehicle and machine accidents, and professional negligence ^[2].

Before co-founding Altair Law, Peters spent 13 years as a criminal defense attorney, trying cases ranging from misdemeanors to felonies; for the last three of those years he served as Director of Training for the Office of the Public Defender in San Francisco. He later worked as a trial attorney representing victims of asbestos exposure throughout California ^[2]. Other attorneys frequently retain him as trial counsel on cases, including class actions, that have not resolved before trial ^[2].

Peters earned his J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law and bachelor's degrees in philosophy and communications from UC San Diego. He has taught trial skills at Hastings College of Law and the University of San Francisco School of Law, and has served as a professor of constitutional law and evidence at San Francisco Law School. The international nonprofit International Bridges to Justice invited him to help train lawyers representing indigent clients during a four-day program in New Delhi, India ^[2].

In 2025 the Daily Journal named Peters a California Lawyer of the Year (CLAY Award) ^[3]. He received the Consumer Attorney of the Year award from the Consumer Attorneys of California in 2018 ^[4] and was named Best Lawyers in America "Lawyer of the Year" in 2018 and 2026 ^[5]. He has appeared on the Top 100: Northern California Super Lawyers list (2017-2022) ^[6], The National Trial Lawyers' Top 100 Trial Lawyers (2016-2019) ^[7], and has held an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell since 2014 ^[8]. In 2026 he received the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Civil Justice Award ^[9]. He has been a finalist for the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association's Trial Lawyer of the Year award multiple times ^[2].

Peters has served as president of the Consumer Attorneys of California and as Secretary of the Council of Presidents for the American Association for Justice. He is a member of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, where he has held board offices, the American Board of Trial Advocates, the American College of Trial Lawyers, and the International Society of Barristers ^[2]. He is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of California, the California Courts of Appeal, the United States District Courts for the Central and Northern Districts of California, and is a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin ^[2]. He lives in San Francisco with his family ^[2].

Recognition

• California Lawyer of the Year (CLAY Award) — Daily Journal (2025) ^[3]
• Consumer Attorney of the Year — Consumer Attorneys of California (2018) ^[2]
• Best Lawyers in America, Lawyer of the Year — Best Lawyers / U.S. News & World Report (2018) ^[2]
• Top 100: Northern California Super Lawyers — Super Lawyers (2022) ^[2]
• Top 100 Trial Lawyers — The National Trial Lawyers (2019) ^[2]
• AV Preeminent — Martindale-Hubbell (2024) ^[2]
• San Francisco Trial Lawyers Civil Justice Award — San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association (2026) ^[2]