About Mark Lain
Mark Lain Venardi is a licensed attorney admitted to practice law in the State of California. He was admitted to the California State Bar in 1994. His license is currently in active status. Mr. Venardi is a partner at Venardi Zurada LLP, a law firm specializing in personal injury, employment litigation, transportation and maritime law, and business litigation. The firm's offices are located in Walnut Creek and Oakland, California.
Mr. Venardi earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, graduating in 1994. Prior to law school, he completed his undergraduate education at the University of California, Berkeley, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science in 1991. During his time at UC Hastings, he was recognized with the Snodgrass Award for Best Oral Argument and served as Chairman of the Moot Court Competition Committee. He was also a member of the University of San Francisco Maritime Law Review.
Mr. Venardi's practice areas include personal injury, employment litigation, transportation and maritime law, and business litigation. He represents clients in matters involving vehicle and pedestrian accidents, boating and maritime accidents, construction accidents, premises liability, traumatic brain injury, medical malpractice, wrongful death, wage and hour claims, whistleblower representation, wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, and employment contracts. His practice encompasses all stages of litigation, including initial case evaluation, discovery, mediation, settlement negotiations, and trial proceedings in both state and federal courts.
Throughout his career, Mr. Venardi has handled cases in the Superior Court of California for the County of Contra Costa, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, the United States District Court for the Central District of California, and the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. He has also appeared before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Prior to founding Venardi Zurada LLP, he worked as an associate at Cox Wootton, Griffin & Hansen LLP from 1994 to 1998, and at Haight, Gardner, Holland & Knight LLP from 1998 to 2000. He became a partner at Holland & Knight LLP in 2001 and continued in that role until 2004.
Mr. Venardi is an active member of the Consumer Attorneys of California, the American Association for Justice, the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, the National Employment Lawyers Association, and the California Employment Lawyers Association. He has served as a board member of the Employment Law Section of the Contra Costa County Bar Association from 2011 to 2013. He is also a member of the American Bar Association and the State Bar of California. In 2013, he graduated from Gerry Spence’s Trial Lawyers College, a prestigious trial lawyer training program. He has been recognized by Super Lawyers from 2009 to 2026 and was named "Lawyer of the Year" in Admiralty and Maritime Law in Oakland in 2026 by Best Lawyers.
