Hon. Raul Ramirez (Ret.)

T: 310.203.8200
F: 310.203.8211

In the past sixteen years, Judge Raul Ramirez has presided over three thousand mediation/arbitration proceedings in California and other states. While most cases involved the resolution of issues dealing with employment claims, personal injury and wrongful death, Judge Raul Ramirez has also specialized in resolving disputes involving insurance coverage, professional malpractice and complex business and commercial litigation matters. Having dedicated his post judicial career to alternative dispute resolution efforts, Judge Raul Ramirez’s peers and clients have seen fit to vote him as one of the Top 50 Mediators in California.

EDUCATION:

LL.B., 1970, University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law
B.A., 1967, California State University at Los Angeles

JUDICIAL EXPERIENCE:

(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.

LEGAL CAREER:

(1990-Present) Since leaving the federal bench in 1990, Judge Raul Ramirez has 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); insurance coverage disputes; personal injury and wrongful death claims; professional malpractice; 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.
(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.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE:

Employment claims (wrongful termination, sex, race, age and handicap discrimination); insurance coverage disputes; personal injury and wrongful death claims; professional malpractice; and complex business/commercial disputes.

BAR ADMISSIONS:

United States Court of Appeals (Ninth Circuit)
United States District Court (N.D., C.D., E.D., S.D., Cal.) California Supreme Court

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

HONORS / AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS:

Selected as one of California's Top 50 Mediators, Daily Journal 2003
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

INTERESTS:

All sports, sports cars, weight training, mechanics, and gardening

AVAILABLE:

Throughout California

Download Judge Raul Ramirez's Profile (PDF)