John Martel passed away July 20th at his beloved River House in Ben Lomond. An Air Force pilot turned lawyer, he was a co-founder of the Farella, Braun & Martel law firm in San Francisco. Consistently singled out as one of the top trial lawyers in the country, he served as a Regent of the American College of Trial Lawyers. In his storied career, he saved the Robert Mondavi Winery, not only successfully defending it against a suit brought by Joe Alioto on behalf of the Charles Krug Winery, but also obtaining a judgment for damages and a court order dissolving Krug, which led to a favorable settlement. In another landmark case, he successfully defended the SF Chronicle and the SF Examiner in a major antitrust trial.

He also wrote and performed music under the name Joe Silverhound (listen on all streaming platforms), and wrote legal thrillers, starting with the bestseller Partners (1989), publishing five novels. True to the title of his memoir, ‘Driven’ (2024), John achieved great things in every field he set his sights on. In 1988 he was awarded “The Certificate of Honor” from San Francisco Federal Judge, Lowell Jensen, for his work on behalf of the homeless at the Episcopalian Homeless shelter. In 1997, he won the Masters Championships 100M hurdle race for the 66-70 age group, setting a world-fastest mark for that year. Beyond his ambition, John was wonderful company, with a brilliant wit—no one was more fun to celebrate with—who consistently demonstrated great loyalty and generosity to his friends and family. He enjoyed life to the fullest and squeezed every drop out of it.

He is survived by his wife, Bonnie, two siblings, Lloyd Martel (Jill) and Mary Eggleston (Don), two children, Jay (Sarah Hemphill) and Melissa, a stepson, Jeff Lantis, three grandchildren, Riley, Cleo and Julian Martel, and a step-granddaughter, Sarah Lantis, who all miss him deeply.