Stuart graduated from Bullard High School in 1972. After that he went on to graduate from Claremont Men’s College (now Claremont McKenna College) with Honors in 1976. He then moved to Salem, Oregon and attended Willamette University College of Law. While in law school he won numerous moot court (appellate advocacy) competitions, including the State competition. As a law student he worked for the Solicitor General’s Office of the Attorney General for the State of Oregon. Under special student appearance rules he was allowed to argue numerous cases before the Oregon Court of Appeal.
Stuart has a variety of interests outside the courtroom. First and foremost is family. He loves spending time with his wife, son, and daughter. The four of them serve in various capacities at Church of Living Water. In the community, Stuart has been involved in many civic organizations, coordinates neighborhood block parties several times a year and currently is a Fresno Christian Schools Board Member. He loves to start each day with a great cup of coffee before heading out to an early morning spin class at Cyclebar or the gym (GB3). Whatever it takes to stay fit for his lifelong passion of snow skiing. He started skiing at Badger Pass in Yosemite in the first grade, raced in college (where he also led the Claremont Colleges Ski Club) and is always trying to get others to join him on the slopes.
After graduating from Willamette in 1979, Stuart returned to Fresno where he started his legal career with the firm of Baker, Manock & Jensen. While there he was assigned to the civil litigation department, focusing on medical malpractice defense and insurance related cases. In 1985 he opened the offices of Stuart R. Chandler, Attorney at Law. From that time to the present, the office has represented people with cases involving personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, nursing home neglect, police misconduct, and insurance bad faith.
Experience
- Owner, Plaintiff Attorney
- Chandler Law. 1985 - Present
- Associate Attorney
- Baker, Manock & Jensen. 1979 - 1985
Education
- Willamette University
- Juris Doctor (J.D.), 1976 - 1979
- Activities and Societies: Moot Court Appellate Advocacy, Oregon State Champion
- Claremont McKenna College
- Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude, 1972 - 1976
Honors & Awards
- Nomination for Street Fighter of the Year Award, 2013 and 2022
- Consumer Attorneys of California, 2013
- Chandler Law named Top 100 Jury Verdicts in the United States, 2003 and 2020
- Consumer Attorney of the Year Top Ten Finalist, 2007 and 2021
- Consumer Attorneys of California
- Lawyer of the Year Award Recipient
- Central California Legal Services
- Outstanding Professional Achievement - Elder Abuse
- Northern California Super Lawyer, for 10+ Years
- President's Award for Outstanding Achievement
- Fresno Trial Lawyers Association
- President's Award of Merit (2002, 2003, 2007)
- Consumer Attorneys of California
- Top Northern California Lawyer (2011, 2012, 2013)
Organizations
- Oregon State Bar Association
- California State Bar Association
- Fresno County Bar Association
- American Association for Justice
- Central California Trial Lawyers Association
- Consumer Attorneys of California
- Board of Governors 2001 - Present
- Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles
- San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association
- Western Trial Lawyers Association
Volunteer Experience
- Judge Pro Tem
- Superior Court of California, County of Fresno
