Romany McNamara is a Partner at Coopers, where she dedicates her practice to representing individuals who have suffered serious injuries. Combining relentless courtroom advocacy with deep empathy for her clients, she brings a fierce commitment to justice to each of her cases.
Romany comes to Coopers with a wealth of trial experience. Before joining Coopers, Romany served twenty years as a public defender in Alameda County. During her tenure, she tried numerous high-stakes, serious felony cases, developing sharp courtroom instincts, and mastering the art of persuasive trial advocacy. This intensive trial experience gives her a distinct advantage when facing powerful corporations and insurance companies in civil court.
An accomplished cyclist who intimately understands the specific vulnerabilities, mechanics, and logistics of biking, Romany brings firsthand perspective to representing injured cyclists. She has placed seventh at the Masters World Championships in cyclocross, twice won the overall Grasshopper series (pro category), and won the Wente 8 Hour mountain bike race (pro solo category). She couples this deep technical insight with a philosophy of empathetic listening, ensuring that every client feels heard, protected, and fully supported throughout the legal process.
Romany earned her Juris Doctor from the New York University School of Law, where she received the Ann Petluck Poses Memorial award for outstanding clinical work. She is the long-time co-author of chapter eighteen of the CEB California Criminal Law Procedure and Practice, addressing selected pretrial motions.
Prior to her legal career, she competed at the highest levels of collegiate athletics, winning an NCAA Division 1 National Championship title in rowing, and four consecutive PAC-10 titles for the University of Washington. She excelled in both academics and athletics and graduated with Honors degrees in both History and Philosophy. Before attending Washington, Romany represented the United States at two consecutive Junior World Championships as part of the Junior National Rowing Team—a testament to the discipline, grit, and teamwork she now channels into fighting for her clients.
She lives in Berkeley with her two children and spends her free time riding bikes of all kinds, trail building, and coaching her daughter’s mountain bike team.
New York University School of Law, 2006
Juris Doctor
University of Washington, 2022
BA Honors History, Honors Philosophy, minor Architecture
Lowell High School, 1997
San Francisco, CA
- California State Bar
- California Public Defender’s Association
- Alameda County Bar Association
- California Youth Defender Center
- New York University School of Law, 2006
Ann Petluck Poses Award for Excellence in Clinical work - Alameda County Public Defender’s Association
“The Wrench”
- Co-author of chapter 18 (selected pretrial motions) of CEB Criminal Law Procedure and  Practice, 2012 – present
- Various MCLE trainings including handling eyewitness identification at preliminary hearings; organizing heavy felony cases for trial and preparing a juvenile case for transfer hearing.