VOTE411 Voter Guide

My background combines military service, advanced legal education, litigation experience, teaching, and extensive public service.

I enlisted in the United States Navy at eighteen and served as a Master-at-Arms performing law enforcement and security duties both in the United States and overseas. That experience instilled discipline, accountability, and respect for the rule of law that continues to guide my professional life.

I earned my Juris Doctor and later obtained a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in International Taxation with concentrations in Financial Services and Wealth Management, providing advanced training in complex financial and fiduciary matters.

As an attorney, I founded a practice focused on estate planning, probate, trust administration, conservatorships, and guardianships. These matters often involve vulnerable populations and require careful statutory interpretation and court oversight. My work includes both advisory and contested matters, and throughout my career I have appeared in a variety of courts and proceedings, including probate, civil, family, criminal, and administrative matters.

In addition to private practice, I serve as a professor and Director of Clinical Programs at Thomas Jefferson School of Law where I supervise law students providing legal services through several clinics, including the Veterans Legal Assistance Clinic.

Public service has also been a central part of my career. I founded Women Veterans Engaging the Nation to support women veterans and developed outreach programs, including a jail initiative assisting justice-involved women veterans. I have also served as a mentor in Veterans Treatment Court and regularly volunteer at Stand Down for Homeless Veterans and senior legal clinics.

These experiences have prepared me to approach judicial service with fairness, discipline, and respect for the rule of law.

San Diego County courts have many strengths. One of the most notable is the dedication and professionalism of the judges, commissioners, and court staff who manage a very high volume of cases each year. Despite heavy caseloads, the courts continue to move matters forward and provide a forum where disputes can be heard fairly and impartially.

Another positive development has been the continued expansion of online services and digital access. The court’s website offers user friendly self help resources that provide forms, guidance, and step by step information for individuals navigating the court system without an attorney. These tools expand access to justice for self represented litigants and help people better understand court procedures before appearing in court.

I have also been encouraged by the court’s continued investment in judicial education. Judges regularly participate in ongoing training to remain current on developments in the law as well as research addressing the human impact of judicial decisions. Recently, I observed a judge reference a clinical study discussing the effects of courts ordering therapy for children who show no clinical need for it. That moment reflected a thoughtful and informed approach to decision making and demonstrated the judiciary’s commitment to staying informed on issues that affect the people appearing before the court.

Where improvement is needed is largely operational. Like many courts across California, San Diego has faced the effects of statewide budget constraints. Continued investment in staffing, technology, and case management systems would help the courts keep pace with the large volume of filings and further improve efficiency for litigants, attorneys, and court personnel.

I am one of the only fifty-five (55) Legal Specialists in Civil Trial Advocacy in the State of California. This is an earned credential (not an award or membership) conferred upon me by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. I hold a second Board Certification in Complex Litigation, conferred upon me by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. My intimate familiarity with our Civil Discovery Act, Evidence Code, and trial procedures, would allow me to contribute meaningfully to our Superior Court’s ongoing Herculean efforts to cope with its crushing caseload. I received my legal education at the University of Texas School of Law, one of our nation’s best law schools. I have been in sole practice in San Diego since the 1990s, and have successfully litigated against multi-billion-dollar companies represented by 1,000-lawyer law firms. My work has often involved representation of employees (and groups of employees) who have not been paid properly, as well as class-action and commercial litigation. (I have successfully tried class actions to judgment in our own Superior Court.) I very much enjoy volunteer work leading trial advocacy workshops offered through California’s premier non-profit trial advocacy CLE provider.

WORKING WELL: Our judiciary in San Diego County consists of some of the brightest, hardest-working, and overall best judges in the country. (I have appeared in courts in many other places, so I know this.) They have great wisdom, and they treat the lawyers, litigants, witnesses and jurors with courtesy and respect. NEEDS IMPROVEMENT: The crown jewel of our court system has been the 1990 Trial Court Delay Reduction Act, which promised that Californians would have meaningful access to the courts. But ever since the so-called “Great Recession”, the Legislature has starved the Judicial Branch of the funding and personnel it needs to function. From budget years 2007-2008 to 2025-2026, the percentage of the State’s budget allocated to the Judicial Branch has declined from 3.585% to 2.21%. (State Budget Line 250 divided by General Fund Expenditures.) Thus, it would take a 62% increase to restore Judicial Branch funding to its pre-Great Recession levels. (2.21 x 1.622 = 3.585.) The budget for our Superior Court today (just under $226 million) is LOWER than it was in 2008 (just under $232.5 million) – BEFORE adjusting for inflation! Adjusting for inflation, the budget for our Superior Court today is about HALF what it was in 2008. The number of judges in San Diego County was set at 128 in 2002, and hasn’t been increased at all since our current unified court system was created in 2003. (The County’s population has substantially increased over that 23 years.) There are currently around 32,300 civil cases assigned to our 20-or-so Civil Independent Calendar Departments. That is about 1,600 cases per Civil Independent Calendar Judge. (Before the Great Recession, each Civil Independent Calendar Judge had “only” about 650 cases.) I estimate that the time it takes for a case to go to trial has increased by around 50% since the Great Recession. EVERYONE at the Superior Court is working as hard as they can. There just aren’t enough of them.

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