SAN FRANCISCO Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd partner Sanford Svetcov, a fixture in the Bay Area appellate bar, lost his battle with pancreatic cancer Friday. He died at his home in Larkspur at age 72.
Svetcov pioneered the role of appellate chief at the Northern District of California U.S. attorney’s office during the 1980s and argued nearly 400 appeals during his career, primarily at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He also organized the court’s pro bono volunteers for more than 20 years.
