Candidate for
Judge - Superior Court; County of Santa Clara; Office 9

INTRODUCTION:

This section is long, with important information. You can skim, or read thoroughly. It contains:

George's WORK history (until this campaign, spent past six years exclusively prosecuting -- every case was one of the following -- rapes, child molestations, career criminals facing life sentences, and felony sex offenses, all as the trial D.A. on the case), see below;

George's ACADEMIC history (Yale undergrad, Santa Clara Law), see below;

and other QUALIFICATIONS (see below); you might be surprised to find George does not fit a stereotype.

Please visit George's web site, www. chadwick4judge.com. Please read as much as you can; many voters have told George that they are less informed about judicial candidates than about any other candidates. Seeking election to be a judge is almost a contradiction in terms. However, in this campaign George has met dedicated people who are in politics and are devoted to the idea of public service. You can be very proud of the people serving you in this County.

George was the top vote getter in the March 5 primary, receiving over 40 percent of the vote, and is now in a runoff with the second-place candidate. George has hired no campaign consultant. George accepts no monetary contributions for the March 5 or November 5 election, even though many friends who support him because of his ethics and ability are eager to contribute financially. George is seeking a position which will be another pay cut (see work history below) to further his dedication to public service. George has written, typed, and edited every word of this website and his campaign web site, http://www.Chadwick4Judge.Com, and all other campaign materials.

PUBLIC EVENTS:

You can meet George at the League of Women Voters Candidate Forums: October 17, 7:00 p.m., Mt. View City Offices; October 19, 10:00 a.m., Campbell Community Center; October 19, 3:00 p.m., Muslim Community Center, on Scott Blvd.; October 23, 8:00 p.m., Quinlan Center, Cupertino. Also, Campbell Chamber of Commerce, October 14, 6:00 p.m., Campbell City Hall Council Chambers. Please bring your toughest questions and be prepared for honest answers.

You can even follow George around in court in George's current assignment at the DA's office; George has coached many times, and taught Sunday School, a fifth grade civics class, and law to college students. George enjoys showing citizens the workings of the criminal justice system. Your taxes pay for it, you might as well see it. (George likes being a tour guide; he was the designated student host at Yale for visiting speakers such as Moshe Dayan, Sen. Kassebaum, Sen. Hart, Robert Redford, Shirley Temple Black, and Jack Kemp, and George and three friends played African drums to welcome General Haig to the school). Showing you the courts would be a public service, and adds no additional inconvenience to George's work day.

George's biography:

LEGAL WORK HISTORY:

Broad-based civil AND criminal law experience:

1980-82: Paralegal, Choate Hall & Stewart

1986: Summer Associate, Jeffer Mangels & Butler; believed to be the first summer associate to receive permanent offer from firm.

1987-1988: Litigation attorney, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, San Francisco office: general civil litigation attorney; labor law; pro bono work. George left this successful position to return to San Jose.

1988-1990: Litigation attorney, Pillsbury Madison & Sutro, San Jose office. George handled cases involving state and federal Public Records Acts (represented major metropolitan newspaper in several First Amendment disclosure cases), attorney malpractice involving a major San Jose firm, libel, patent infringement, franchisee law. Specialized in theft of trade secrets and breaches of software licensing agreements. Advised clients and supervised attorneys abroad regarding transactions in U.S., Australia, Korea, Canada, and Taiwan China. Left successful position, and an offer to be the #2 lawyer in a high-tech company, to begin career in public service.

1990-present: Deputy District Attorney, Santa Clara County.

Twelve years as trial prosecutor. Outstanding trial record. Extensive experience and excellent instincts in distinguishing true predators from rehabilitatable.

Past three years, 1998-2001, George exclusively prosecuted rapists, child molesters, and other felony sex offenders. Several of George's prosecutions on this assignment resulted in life sentences for the perpetrators, based on the viciousness of the assaults. Advised on multidisciplinary interviews of child molest victims with police officers and social workers. In every case, George handled each case as the sole prosecutor once the case was filed, not only responsible for trying the case, but also for guiding the victim through the legal process, through preliminary examination, trial, sentencing, and liaison with victim-witness and counseling services. Facts of cases are confidential. Outstanding record on what many call the most difficult assignment in the office.

Previous three years: Exclusively prosecuted career criminals with multiple serious and violent felonies on their records; in every case the perpetrator faced a potential life sentence. No acquittals. For facts of some of George's cases on this assignment, see George's answers to the NAACP questionnaire on http://www.sjnaacp.org. (George is proud to have received an "above average" rating from the NAACP, even though he is, among all the candidates in both judicial races, by far the most vocal advocate of tough sentencing schemes for sex offenders and violent felons, and the only candidate who spoke to the NAACP about how a citizen review board should have members who understand police work, and the only advocate for two-tiered treatment programs for violent versus non-violent drug users). Before that assignment, George previously handled exclusively robbery, assault, and theft felony trials, no acquittals.

What is the relevance of trial records of candidates? An excellent trial record for a prosecutor may merely mean the prosecutor does not take hard cases to trial. However, a prosecutor who takes many hard and serious cases to trial and takes more serious cases to trial than other prosecutors, yet has an outstanding trial record, is a prosecutor who exercises good judgment before trial, yet is also a passionate defender of justice in those cases that require trial. In 2000, George's last full year on the sexual assault team, perhaps the office's most difficult assignment, George spent more days in trial than any other prosecutor (except one) out of the 200 or so prosecutors in the entire office.

Close to one hundred trials overall. Thousands (give or take) of cases handled overall.

George has worked closely with victims and their families from all racial, economic, and ethnic backgrounds, of all ages, and from all areas of this county, visiting them in their homes, guiding them through the system, to protect them from immediate and future harm, to achieve justice, and to help them understand and end cycles of abuse.

In early years at office, George was the #2 Deputy District Attorney at the Gilroy and Los Gatos branches of the D.A.'s office, handling those communities' criminal complaints from inception through trial, issuing and trying cases in each community.

George earlier served in Juvenile Court, where George learned about the causes of crime in various neighborhoods in our community, and the resources available -- and not (yet) available -- to prevent crime and rehabilitate youthful offenders.

EDUCATION:

Santa Clara University School of Law, J.D. (with honors), 1987. Graduated in top five percent among day students. Three American Jurisprudence awards. Member Inns of Court.

Yale University, B.A. Economics and Political Science 1980. William McKim Prize (academics). Timothy Dwight Cup for service to college. Master's Aide. President Delta Kappa Epsilon, founded 1844 at Yale (initiated attempts to involve Yale varsity athletes with Big Brother program). Captain All-New England All-Star lacrosse team. Full (non-athletic) scholarship.

PERSONAL:

Four children, public schools.

COMMUNITY SERVICE:

While a full-time trial prosecutor, George has taught the Criminal Procedure course for the San Jose City College Administration of Justice program twice. George has volunteered to coach six youth sports teams (so far), three times head coach. Member Sierra Club. Supporter of Planned Parenthood.

ETHICS:

George's ethics have been called "beyond reproach." He is known for his honesty and integrity in trial. George has a lifelong appreciation for diversity. George has worked as: a counselor for underprivileged/disturbed inner-city children; a roughneck on oil wells in the West Texas desert on a team of Mexican nationals (except for George, of course), where George learned the hard work and dedication of people from other countries who truly value the American dream; foreman for a painting contractor; a paralegal; one of a team of three assistant sales team managers who brought a sales office for a major media corporation from 10 percent in the red to 10 percent in the black in a year, with a 90 percent diverse sales force and diverse management team. George is endorsed by the President of his lawyers' union, who is also the President of the new statewide prosecutors' organization; George is co-endorsed by the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council, Building & Trades, and Neil Struthers, CEO of Building & Trades, and his predecessor John Neece. George is also endorsed by the CEO of the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce, Jim Cunneen. Healthy businesses need healthy workers, and this reduces crime.

George lists among his supporters in the criminal defense attorney community those who have fought hard battles with high stakes against George, because they know that George treats all litigants as human beings with unique backgrounds, and all lawyers with respect and full communication.

George knows that in our County's largest city, the majority of households do not speak English at home. George has visited many homes in our poorest neighborhoods as a Deputy D.A., and has protected residents of all backgrounds; George has learned that every single neighborhood in this County comprises people who work hard to provide for their families. George intends to work to improve access to, and understanding of, the courts for all residents. This reduces crime. George previously represented businesses in his career as a civil litigator. In 2002 in Silicon Valley, the interests of all of the above groups are more aligned than ever. A judge who tries to understand the concerns of all segments of our economy and our society will make sure to try to understand the concerns of all of the litigants that appear before her or him.

George accepts no monetary contributions for the March 5 or November 5 election. George intends to conduct this campaign consistent with the seeking of judicial office and the kind of judge George intends to be if elected.

(E-mail: gchadwick@dageneral.da.co.santa-clara.ca.us (Web: http://www.Chadwick4Judge.com) (Phone: 408 313 8593)