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Judith A. Epstein, whose legal career has spanned
media, corporate and environmental law, is the newest review judge on
the State Bar Court. She took the place of Ronald Stovitz, who was
elevated to presiding judge last year.
The 59-year-old Epstein began her career as a
clerk for California Supreme Court Associate Justice Wiley Manuel and
became the first home-grown woman partner at Oakland's Crosby,
Heafey, Roach & May, where she specialized in media law. She
served as general counsel for Valent U.S.A., a subsidiary of Sumitomo
Chemical Ltd. of Japan, overseeing its legal affairs from 1991 to
1998.
Epstein also has taught legal ethics for the last
five years at the Univer-sity of San Francisco Law School, was a
volunteer staff counsel at the Nature Conservancy and was East Bay
executive director and fellow of The Commonwealth Club.
She has a longstanding interest in issues of
ethics and professional responsibility, beyond the kinds of ethical
breaches which give rise to attorney discipline. The law "is a
tremendously changing profession," Epstein says, pointing to
developing multidisciplinary and multijurisdictional practices as
sources of cutting-edge ethical issues.
She describes her new post as "the opportunity
of a lifetime to bring together all the different facets of my career
in a very meaningful way and to try to give serious and informed
consideration to issues of legal ethics and professional
responsibility."
She also sees the job as a chance to "get to
know more of the community and to hear their concerns, and to try to
make more visible whatever concerns the bar may have relating to
professional responsibility."
Epstein was appointed by the Supreme Court to a
term which lasts until November 2004.
The terms of two current judges, review Judge
Madge Watai and hearing Judge Paul Bacigalupo, expire Nov. 1 and the
process of filling those jobs, whether by reappointment or with new
judges, begins this month. Watai's position will be filled by the
Supreme Court and Bacigalupo's is by appointment by the Speaker of
the Assembly.
The State Bar Court, which consists of three
review judges and five hearing judges, adjudicates attorney discipline
matters.
The review judges and two of the hearing judges
are appointed by the Supreme Court and the remaining hearing judges
are appointed by the governor, speaker of the Assembly and the Senate
Rules Committee. |
