Bio
Mr. Saeltzer is the managing partner at Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger, a San Francisco law firm founded in 1959 that specializes in resolving large cases on behalf of seriously injured people by way of trial or settlement. Mr. Saeltzer began his legal career as a prosecutor in the United States Army. After graduating from the University of California College of the Law, San Fracisco in 1994, Mr. Saeltzer accepted a direct commission into the United States Army Judge Advocate General Corps. After attending the U.S. Army Airborne School, he was selected for the 82nd Airborne Division and assigned responsibility for prosecuting criminal cases. After one year as a trial counsel his Commander appointed him Senior Trial Counsel responsible for overseeing all 82nd Airborne Division criminal prosecutions. Mr. Saeltzer was honorably discharged at the rank of Captain, and his military achievements include receiving the Meritorious Service Medal for his work as a prosecuting attorney.
After leaving the Army Mr. Saeltzer returned to San Francisco and brought his extensive trial experience to Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger where he has been representing serious injured clients since 1998. In 2011 he was honored as the ” Trial Lawyer of the Year” by the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association. In addition to serving as an assistant professor on the faculty at UC Law SF he also serves on the faculty of the National Institute of Trial Advocacy training new lawyers in courtroom skills and advocacy. Recently, Mr. Saeltzer was appointed to the Committee of Bar Examiners by the State Bar of California. Mr. Saeltzer has also been an invited lecturer for the Continuing Education of the State Bar of California, San Francisco Bar Association, and San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association. He has also served as an expert witness on case valuation and served a court appointed mediator.
Mr. Saeltzer has been continuously selected as a Northern California Super Lawyer since 2010. Mr. Saeltzer was elected to membership in the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) in 2010. Since 2011 he has been voted as one of The Best Lawyers in America by his peers. He is also “AV” peer review rated by Martindale-Hubbell®, which is the highest such ranking for legal ability and ethics available to an individual attorney. He is also an active member of the American Association for Justice, Consumer Attorneys of California and the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association.