PATRICK BUELNA is a civil rights attorney specializing in law enforcement misconduct. He has succeeded in winning many of the highest verdicts and settlements in police abuse cases. Buelna won a $21 Million verdict in a federal jury trial in 2022 against the Fremont Police Department for the officer shooting of Elena Mondragon. He won a $6 Million verdict in 2021 against the San Jose Police Department for officers striking a man with a police car that was running away.
He has secured many of the highest settlements in police and jail abuse cases throughout California. In 2025, Buelna achieved a $9.5 million settlement and permanent training and policy changes for the death of Maurice Monk in a California Jail which was the number one jail settlement in California.
Buelna was named one of Daily Journal’s Top 100 Lawyers in its 2024 issue.
Buelna co-founded Lawyers For The People out of a longstanding commitment to serve people and communities that have been under represented and under resourced. Before dedicating his career to civil rights work, Buelna spent a year living and teaching at an orphanage in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was also a public school teacher in the Bronx, New York City for the Teach For America program.
In 2023 and 2024, Buelna was selected as a Rising Star by SuperLawyers which is awarded to only 2.5% of attorneys. Buelna has spoken at Stanford Law School, U.C. Hastings Law School and other venues regarding civil rights trials and strategy.
Education:
St. Mary’s College of California – High Honors
UC Law San Francisco – Honors
Instagram: @lawyersftp
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“Law interested me because I always saw it as being a tool to equalize society so that the West Oaklands of the world could have the resources like the Piedmonts or Beverly Hills of the world.”
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