Education:
LL.B., 1970, University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law
B.A., 1967, California State University at Los Angeles
Experience:
1990-Present
Ramirez Arbitration & Mediation Services: Since leaving the federal bench in 1990, I have specialized in the resolution of legal disputes with primary focus on the mediation/settlement of the following: employment claims (wrongful termination, sex, race, age and handicap discrimination); civil rights disputes; personal injury and wrongful death claims and complex business/commercial disputes.
1990-1996
Senior Litigation Partner, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe: (Sacramento Office). Primary focus on complex litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution procedures, i.e., court appointed settlement master, mediator, private settlement conference judge, neutral and party arbitrator.
1980-1990
Federal District Court Judge, Eastern District of California; Appellate Judge, by appointment, to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
1977-1980
Municipal/Superior Court Judge, Sacramento County, California.
1970-1977
Extensive representation of clients in the areas of tort litigation and defense of major crimes, both at the state and federal court levels. During this period, had cause to successfully represent clients before the state courts of appeal and the California Supreme Court. During the course of my experience as a civil litigator, jurist, and private judge, I had cause to try or otherwise preside over 3000 or more jury trials, settlement conferences and/or mediations.
Lecturer/Panelist:
Have lectured extensively on the subjects of trial practice and procedure for the California Continuing Education of the Bar, local and federal bar associations, trial lawyer associations, and various law schools including The University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, The University of California at Davis, Martin Luther King Law School, and Northwestern School of Law, Sacramento. Among the more notable lectures are the following:
- Author/Speaker - "The Nuts and Bolts of Federal Trial Practice", sponsored by the Federal Bar Association, 1989 - current; Board of Advisors, faculty member/lecturer, Orientation In American Law Program, University of California at Davis, 1990 - current;
- Faculty member and Chair, National Employment Law Institute (NELI) 1990 - current;
- Speaker, Sacramento County Bar Association Minority Hiring & Retention Committee, Summer Fellowship Program 1990 - current;
- Speaker/Panelist KVIE Channel 6 In Person Series "Ethics in The Media - Hard News, Hard Choices", Sacramento; Speaker, CJA Panel Program, "Representing a Client in Grand Jury Proceedings", Sacramento; Speaker, Bridging The Gap Program, sponsored by the Barristers Club of Sacramento and The Daily Recorder; Speaker, Equal Employment Advisory Council (EEAC), San Francisco; Speaker, Employment Discrimination Actions, Sacramento City Attorneys Office; Speaker/Panelist, Mediation - Timing, Tactics, Effective Approaches to Settlement, Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company, Carmel, CA; Speaker/Panelist, Alternative Dispute Resolution in Environmental Matters, OH&S Environmental Seminars, San Francisco and Sacramento.
- Judge - mock trails, McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific and University of California at Davis, Martin Luther King Law School, 1990 - current.
Admitted:
- United States Court of Appeals (Ninth Circuit)
- United States District Court (N.D., C.D., E.D., S.D., Cal.) California Supreme Court
Achievements, Awards, Hobbies and Interests:
- Selected as one of California's Top 50 Mediators, Daily Journal
- First Hispanic Appointed to the Federal District Court in California;
- Youngest Judge to be appointed to the Sacramento Municipal Court;
- Youngest Judge to be appointed to the Federal District Court;
- Distinguished service award, Sacramento City Council, Police Practices Committee;
- All sports, sports cars, weight training, mechanics, gardening.