Candidate for
California State Court of Appeal; District 4; Division 3

In February 2002, Governor Davis' appointment of Richard D. Fybel as an Associate Justice of the Court of Appeal was unanimously confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments. Justice Fybel was a judge of the Orange County Superior Court since April 2000, serving in the North Justice Center in Fullerton. His assignments included court and jury trials in criminal and civil cases, pretrial conferences, NJC Master Misdemeanor Calendar, felony preliminary hearings, civil law and motion, and NJC Felony Master Calendar.

Justice Fybel grew up in Southern California. He is a graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles (A.B. 1968) and the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law (J.D. 1971; Law Review; Order of the Coif).

Justice Fybel is a member of the California Supreme Court's Advisory Committee on the Code of Judicial Ethics. He is also a member of the Kleps Award Committee (honoring contributions made by California courts to the administration of justice), the UCLA Foundation Board of Councillors, and the Warren J. Ferguson American Inn of Court. He also served as a mock trial judge for the Constitutional Rights Foundation, UCLA School of Law and Chapman Law School; as a speaker in programs for students and parents sponsored by the Orange County Education Department, including Drive S.A.F.E.; and as a member of a UCLA Law School Committee on selection of recipients for scholarships for under-represented minority law students. Justice Fybel was a member and officer of the Board of Trustees of the Orange County Public Law Library and a member of the Budget and Judicial Orientation Committees of the Orange County Superior Court.

Prior to his judicial appointment, Justice Fybel was a partner in the law firm of Morrison & Foerster LLP. For almost 30 years, Justice Fybel specialized in cases involving complex civil business litigation. He represented financial institutions in class actions and a broad range of clients in cases involving contract, energy, trade secret, and labor issues. Justice Fybel also had extensive experience in Alternative Dispute Resolution, including mediation and arbitration.

Justice Fybel was the Managing Partner of Morrison & Foerster's Los Angeles office from 1988 to 1993, the firm-wide Managing Partner for Personnel in 1993, and the firm-wide coordinator for lateral partner hiring from 1994 to 1996. From 1996 through 1998, he was a member of the Board of Directors of the firm. In 1998, Justice Fybel was the President and member of the Board of Directors of the UCLA Law Alumni Association. From June 1990 to June 1991, he served as the Chair of the Professional Responsibility and Ethics Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association.