Gerald Sterns

1932 - 2024

Gerald Sterns
06/28/1932 - 04/25/2024
Gerald Carey Sterns was born in Oakland, California on June 28, 1932, and died peacefully at home in Oakland on April 25, 2024, just two months shy of his 92nd birthday. A proud Hawkeye, Jerry graduated from The University of Iowa and served as an officer in the US Army at Ft. Benning, Georgia during the Korean War.
Upon discharge, with his wife Dianne and infant daughter Cynthia, he returned to California and used his GI Bill benefits to enroll at Hastings College of the Law, where he was in the same entering class as the Honorable Willie Brown.
Despite holding many jobs to support his growing family, including parking Melvin Belli's car at the Alameda County Courthouse, Jerry excelled in law school and was made Editor of the Law Review and awarded Order of the Coif. After passing the Bar Exam, and with the recommendation of Dean Snodgrass, Jerry began his career at Walkup and Downing, a prominent San Francisco litigation firm, representing auto accident victims. He soon worked his way up to his first Aviation Tort case, the crash of a Flying Tigers cargo plane into San Bruno Mountain.
During his early days, he was a grader for the California Bar Exam, and taught Torts at night at the San Francisco Law School. Thereafter he became recognized as a top aviation attorney, and went on to represent plaintiffs in State and Federal Courts in many of the most prominent aviation accident cases of the day, including the Paris Airlines DC-10 crash, Lufthansa Nairobi crash, Tenerife runway collision, Lauda Airline crash in Thailand, Sun Valley mall rooftop crash, and the Lynyrd Skynyrd rock band case. He obtained a favorable decision in the United States Supreme Court in Hussain v Olympic Airways. He took the Hawaii Bar exam and maintained an office in Honolulu for many years representing Asbestos victims.
He founded his own firm, which became Sterns and Walker, and practiced with and mentored many fine advocates. He loved the law, used it skillfully to help people who had been harmed through no fault of their own, and to make products and practices safer for everyone.
Jerry was a proud member of the California Trial Lawyers Association and was elected to the American Board of Trial Advocates and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. He was particularly proud of having hosted two Chinese attorneys for the IATL China program.
Jerry practiced law for 63 years, retiring in 2021. He was a prolific painter, muralist, gardener, author, tinkerer, lover of big dogs, music, and wildlife, and always took time to appreciate the beauty in life and his surroundings. He has instilled this love in his descendants. He is survived by his wife of 45 years Elizabeth Walker Sterns, seven children, seven grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.
A celebration of life will be held at Chapel of the Chimes Oakland at 3:00 p.m. on June 28, 2024. All are welcome.