University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law alumni brothers, Jeff Schaff ‘09 and Jason Schaff ‘06, secured a $28.1 million jury verdict for their client in a personal injury case. 

In 2020, the Schaff brothers’ client, a retired Los Angeles firefighter, John Scott, was out riding his bicycle when another vehicle crashed into him from behind. Scott suffered life-altering injuries and now has limited use of his body.

“I think it’ll go down as one of the highlights of my career,” Jeff Schaff said. “Having a good relationship with my brother led us to sort of push each other in different directions and provide feedback on different areas, which was great.”

Jason Schaff, one of the leading partners at Schroeder, Schaff and Low, originally took on the case shortly after the accident occurred. Jeff Schaff, founder of Schaff Law Group, was brought in about two years into the case to assist on the plaintiff side. Eventually, the two brothers took over the case. 

Practicing different areas of law, it was rare for Jeff and Jason to work alongside each other, let alone go to trial together. Driving seven hours from Sacramento to Victorville, where the trial was being held, gave the Scaff brothers plenty of time together. 

“I coached my brother in Mock Trial at McGeorge, so I always thought that I was the mentor and he was the mentee. But for this trial, he took the lead,” Jason Schaff said.

During the trial, Scott and his wife had relocated to Utah, closer to family, to help build a support system. When the verdict was announced, the Schaff brothers instantly called them. There were tears, relief, and validation of the turmoil of events leading to the verdict. 

“If you don’t believe in your case, in your clients, that they aren’t entitled to the amount of money that you’re asking for, you’re not going to get it,” Jason Schaff said. “For me and my brother, we firmly believed that they were entitled to every cent we asked for. And I think the jury can see it in our eyes, that they hear it in our questions and in the passion that we give in our opening and closing statements.”

The jury’s verdict awarded them $28.1 million for their clients’ long-term healthcare needs. 

“I’m not going to lie, I think my brother and I also cried when we talked to them,” Jeff Schaff said. “That relief, that knowing that you’ve done right by someone, was pretty amazing.”

Over the course of the Schaff brothers' time at McGeorge, both Jeff and Jason were a part of the Mock Trial team. Jason described how being part of the team taught him the importance of preparation. 

“No matter how talented you are, you still have to put in the work,” Jason Schaff said. “And I’ve seen students rely on just talent alone, and that’s not enough. You’ve got to take the talent and put in the hard work to get the success you desire.”

Jason Schaff coached the Trail Advocacy Mock Trial team for 20 years after graduating from McGeorge, including coaching his younger brother Jeff’s team. 

“We all have this idea that you can go to a trial alone and that we’re smart enough and sort of afraid of sharing information,” Jeff Schaff said. “But when you get to roundtable and talk with other attorneys about the strategies, then I can convey my case to the jury more clearly than if it was just me.”

McGeorge’s has achieved national recognition in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings, with two of its programs ranked among the Top 25. Trial Advocacy program was ranked No. 16 in the nation for the second consecutive year, and its Dispute Resolution program was ranked No. 24.