Wednesday, October 24, 2001
Page 3
Santa Monica Lawyer Joseph Deering to Seek Open Superior Court Seat
By a MetNews Staff Writer
Joseph Deering Jr., a partner in a Santa Monica law firm, said yesterday he will seek an open seat on the Los Angeles Superior Court.
Deering had originally taken out papers to run for the seat vacated by Judge William McVittie, who retired last December. But the governor recently appointed Richard Kirschner, a former federal prosecutor, to fill the vacancy, and Deering told the MetNews he didn’t want to run against an incumbent.
Deering indicated he will run instead for the seat being vacated by Judge Michael Pirosh, who is retiring in January, or that of Judge Michael Kanner, who said he will retire when his term ends in January 2003.
The candidate said he has not retained a professional consultant, and doesn’t know whether he will do so.
Deering is a former president of the Santa Monica Bar Association, and was a trustee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He is an alumnus of Hastings College of the Law, and was president of its local alumni chapter.
He was also involved in the founding of the paralegal program at California State University-Los Angeles, where he has lectured on legal ethics, and served on the board of a senior citizen’s housing project in Santa Monica.
Having once practiced with his late father, he is currently a partner in the firm of Deering, Walther and Sands. His brother, the late Robert Deering, was a senior attorney with the State Bar.
Although he’s had a broad civil and criminal practice over a career of 30 years, he said, he now concentrates on wills, estates, and real estate matters.
Serving on the bench, Deering said, “has always been a goal of mine.” Having “had a good life” as a lawyer, he said, “I’d like to give some of it back and do some public service.”
Applying for a judicial appointment, he added, isn’t a viable option because he’s a lifelong Republican. He served as vice president of the Santa Monica Republican Club and was a member of the Los Angeles County Republican Central Committee for one term.
Copyright 2001, Metropolitan News Company