Candidate for
Superior Court Judge; County of El Dorado; Office 5

Like many others in El Dorado County, I am a transplant from Los Angeles, where I was born and raised. My husband and I found our home in Garden Valley on our honeymoon in November, 1980; I closed my law practice in the San Fernando Valley to relocate to the beautiful foothills in February, 1981. We have raised our family here; our daughter is in her first year of college, and our son is completing his second year of high school.

I have always had a solo practice, devoted to representing a wide variety of clients - minors, adults, defendants, plaintiffs, corporations and individuals. I have offered comprehensive legal services to parties, in court and jury trials, appellate cases, administrative hearings before the County of El Dorado, Social Security Administration, Federal Aviation Administration, and the Dalkon Shield trust fund, acted as an escrow agent for the sale of businesses and guardian ad litem for minors.

I have a wide variety of legal experience, having practiced civil (including contracts and equine law), family law (child custody, visitation, support, spousal support, restraining orders, division of assets and debts, parental relationship, district attorney family support), domestic violence, civil harassment, probate, conservatorship, guardianship, personal injury (plaintiff and defense), dependency (Welfare & Institutions Code Section 300), delinquency (Welfare & Institutions Code Section 602), criminal, bankruptcy, real estate, eminent domain, unlawful detainer (landlords and tenants), business matters and estate planning.

Having served as a judge pro tem since 1981, I have heard small claims, traffic and misdemeanor cases. Since 1984, El Dorado County Superior Court Judges appointed me to serve as an alternate dispute conference judge pro tem and arbitrator. I occasionally act as a sign language interpreter for deaf parties and witnesses in various matters, upon the request of the court. The State Bar of California appointed me to represent El Dorado County on the Board of Directors of Legal Services of Northern California, from 1993 to 1999, when my term maximum expired.

My volunteer time is divided between serving my congregation as secretary for 12 years, and pro bono legal services to clients of various public agencies, such as Legal Services of Northern California, El Dorado County Women's Center, Legal Services for the Elderly and Disabled of El Dorado County, NorCal Center on Deafness (Sacramento), Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Greater Los Angeles Council on Deafness and the Center for Law and the Deaf (Fremont).

I am a member of California Women Lawyers and the El Dorado County Bar Association since 1980, and have served as its Treasurer. I am a member of the Family Law Section of the El Dorado County Bar Association, and currently serve as treasurer.