Bio

Waukeen McCoy is one of the most feared and revered attorneys in San Francisco. In 2008, McCoy successfully defended marriage equality for same-sex couples before the California Supreme Court. The court’s ruling in favor of equal marriage rights allowed over 18,000 same-sex couples to marry in California. In defiance, angry religious groups submitted over one million signatures to put the infamous Prop 8 on the November 2008 election ballot. These well-organized church networks raised over $39,900,000 to pass Prop 8 which resulted in California’s Marriage Amendment banning same-sex marriages going forward.

After obtaining a Certificate in International Law from Tulane European Institute in 1990, he graduated from Hastings Law School in 1992. He specialized in State and Federal Worker’s Compensation as an Associate Attorney with Mullen & Filippi. In 1993, he started his own practice. He obtained a $1 million settlement for a personal injury case in 1998. He was named California Lawyer of the Year by the Charles Houston Bar Association in 2000. That same year, Waukeen McCoy was proclaimed by Mayor Brown for his outstanding professional achievements in 2001 and hasn’t stopped his battle for civil rights. He won one of the nation’s largest discrimination verdicts for $132 million against the parent company of Wonder Bread. He was appointed in 2002 Ethics Commissioner for the City of San Francisco. He has taught Street Law as a volunteer and he is a member of the Golden Gate Business Association and the California Bar Association. He was involved in Robinson v. Louie, which set the precedent on the issue of non-disclosure of HIV to a partner. McCoy has been nominated by the California Association of Black Lawyers as Lawyer of the Year in 2003.

Waukeen McCoy won one of the nation’s largest discrimination verdicts for $132 million against the parent company of Wonder Bread.