Metropolitan News-Enterprise

 

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

 

Page 1

 

Governor Brown Names Four to Los Angeles Superior Court

Local Appointees Among 13 Chosen Statewide

 

By KENNETH OFGANG, Staff Writer

 

H. JAY FORD III

Superior Court Judge-Designate

JULIE FOX BLACKSHAW

Superior Court Judge-Designate

GREGORIO ROMAN

Superior Court Judge-Designate

DOUGLAS W. STERN

Superior Court Judge-Designate

 

Gov. Jerry Brown yesterday named 13 judges to superior courts around the state, including four to the Los Angeles Superior Court.

The four are Julie Fox Blackshaw, H. Jay Ford III, Gregorio Roman and Douglas W. Stern.

Blackshaw, 59, has served as deputy counsel to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa since 2010. She was a federal court special master from 2002 to 2010.

Blackshaw served as deputy general counsel to the Rampart Independent Review Panel at the Los Angeles Police Commission in 2000. She served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Criminal Division from 1987 to 1994, after having been an associate at Tuttle and Taylor from 1984 to 1987 and at Overland Berke Wesley Gitts Randolph and Levanas from 1983 to 1984.

She was a legislative assistant to then-Rep. Leon E. Panetta from 1982 to 1983 and was an associate at Sellers Connor and Cuneo from 1979 to 1982.

She is a graduate of Stanford University and Hastings College of the Law. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Joan Comparet-Cassani.

Court Commissioner

Ford, 52, has been a commissioner of the court since 2005. He was an associate and shareholder at Tyre Kamins Katz and Granof Law Corporation from 1987 to 2005.

Ford, whose undergraduate and law degrees are from the University of Utah, was an associate at Adams Duque and Hazeltine from 1985 to 1987. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Carl West.

Roman, 53, has served as deputy alternate public defender and senior trial attorney at the Alternate Public Defender’s Office since 1994. He was a deputy public defender from 1991 to 1994, having previously worked at Lum Roberts and Gutierrez in 1991 and as a deputy district attorney in 1989.

He was a law clerk and associate at Lewis D’Amato Brisbois and Bisgaard from 1986 to 1989, and holds an undergraduate degree from Yale University and a law degree from UCLA. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Rose Hom.

Stern, 59, began his own practice earlier this year after joining Gibbs Giden Locher Turner and Senet LLP last year. He worked in multiple positions at Fidelity National Law Group from 2009 to 2012, including vice president, litigation manager and senior trial counsel.

Stern was a litigation partner at Fulbright and Jaworski LLP from 1990 to 2009 and was a partner at Pepper Hamilton and Scheetz, which he joined in 1982 and left in 1989. After earning undergraduate and law degrees at UCLA, he worked as an associate at Miller and Mandel from 1978 to 1982.

Stern served on the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council from 1999 to 2011 and was mayor in 2003 and 2008. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Gary R. Hahn.

Other Courts

Appointed to other courts were:

Latham and Watkins partner Patricia Guerrero, 41, and Deputy Public Defender Michael J. Popkins, 62, to the San Diego Superior Court;

Deputy Public Defender Erin K. Alexander, 39, and Supervising Deputy District Attorney Lisa M. Rogan, 50, to the San Bernardino Superior Court;

Antonio A. Reyes, 60, a Visalia sole practitioner, to the Tulare Superior Court;

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracie L. Brown, 42; Harry M. Dorfman, 56, managing attorney of the District Attorney’s Homicide Unit; and Chief Deputy Attorney General Rochelle C. East, 56, to the San Francisco Superior Court; and

Private practitioner and contract public defender Denny Forland, 59, of Chico to the Butte Superior Court.

East is registered decline-to-state. All of the other appointees are Democrats.

The current salary of a superior court judge is $178,789.

 

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