If everything seems under control, you’re not going fast enough.”
~ Mario Andretti
Stephen B. Roberts
Senior Partner
Stephen Roberts, a partner and shareholder in the firm, grew up in the small Central Valley town of Turlock, California. He attended UC Davis where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural and Managerial Economics. Steve then attended law school at the University of San Francisco. He worked for a short time in a couple of different areas of law before landing at a workers’ compensation firm in Sacramento representing injured workers. After relocating to Fresno, he joined Emerson & Yrulegui in 1996 and has been working in all aspects of workers’ compensation defense ever since. He is proud of arguing and winning one of the first published Court of Appeals cases addressing the changes made by SB899 (Marsh v. WCAB (2005) 130 Cal.App.4th 906). In his spare time, Steve enjoys spending time with his family and working around the house. (His wife made him say that second part.)
Areas of Practice
Practice is in Workers’ Compensation defense, with primary emphasis on the following areas:
- Self-Insured Employers
- Third Party Administrators
- Public Entities
- Serious & Willful Allegations
- Labor Code §132a
- Medicare Set-Asides
- Seasonal Employees
- Impairment Ratings
Certified Specialist, Workers’ Compensation, The State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization.
Trial experience includes a full range in all phases of workers’ compensation litigation; Appellate Court Hearings and Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board Trials.
Employment History
1996 – Present
Yrulegui & Roberts | Partner
Fresno, CA
Education
University of San Francisco School of Law
San Francisco, CA – 1992
Juris Doctor
University of California
Davis, CA – 1989
Bachelor of Science, Agricultural Economics
Admissions
1992 – The State Bar of California
Professional Affiliations
- The State Bar of California
- Professionals in Workers’ Compensation
- Fresno Industrial Claims Association
- Central Valley Safety Society
- Valley Industrial Claims Association
- Public Agency Risk Management Association
- Association of Workers’ Compensation Professionals
- California Coalition on Workers’ Compensation
Published Cases
- Marsh vs. WCAB (2005)
- 130 Cal.App.4th 906, 70 CCC 787
Mr. Roberts argued on the winning side of one of the early cases arising out of SB 899