Education:

University of San Diego School of Law, J.D. 1983
University of California, Davis, B.A. 1980

Appointment Date:

September 8, 2006

Current Assignment:

Judge, Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo, since September 8, 2006
Presiding Juvenile Court Judge: January 2019-Present

Previous Judicial Assignments:

Presiding Judge, January 2017-December 2018
Assistant Presiding Judge, January 2015-2016
Civil Law and Motion Judge, July 2015-January 2016
Presiding Juvenile Court Judge, 2010-2014
Presiding Criminal Court Judge, 2009-2010
Family Court Judge, 2008-2009
General Criminal Court Judge, Misdemeanors, Pre-trials, Preliminary Hearings, 2006-2007

Professional Work History:

Deputy District Attorney, San Mateo County, December 1984- September 7, 2006
Graduate Legal Attorney, Sacramento County District Attorney's Office, January-December 1984

Judicial Volunteer Activities:

CASA, San Mateo County (Court Appointed Special Advocate) Quarterly Volunteer Instructor for Legal Training in the area of Dependency and Juvenile Justice. (2019-present)
CASA, San Mateo County (Court Appointed Special Advocate) Quarterly Swearing-In of New CASAS (2019-present)
Member, Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Prevention Commission (2010-2014) (2019-present)
Presenter for the San Mateo County Bar Association, MCLE, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015
Judicial Facilitator for the 2011 Supervising Judges Institute
Judicial Volunteer for High School Mock Trials (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015)
Judicial Volunteer for Citizens' School (Mock Trial for Grade School Students) (2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015)
Judicial Volunteer for East Palo Alto Youth Court (2010, 2011)

Previous Legal Teaching:

Faculty Member-San Francisco Law School 2012-2013-Criminal Procedure Course
Faculty Member, College of San Mateo, 2002-2008, Fall 2012
Principles and Procedures of the Criminal Justice System
Laws of Evidence
Instructor, National College of District Attorneys, Advocacy Center, University of South Carolina, Trial Advocacy Courses, 1990, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006
Instructor, California District Attorneys Association, 1989-2003
Instructor for the San Mateo County Basic Dispatcher Academy, 2001, 2002, 2003
Instructor for the College of San Mateo Police Reserve Academy, 1999-2003
Instructor for the South Bay Regional Public Safety Training Consortium, 1995, 1997, 2002
Instructor for the San Mateo County Police Agencies on Domestic Violence Law and Investigations, 1987-1988

Previous Volunteer Activities:

San Mateo Legal Aid Society, Board Member (2004-2006)
California Women Lawyers, Board Member (2003-2005)
Member of the San Mateo County Bar Association, Women Lawyers' Section (2003-2006)

Committee/Advisor Activities:

Insurance Fraud Technical Advisor, California District Attorneys Association 2002- 2003
California District Attorneys Association, Insurance Fraud Committee, 2001-2003
California District Attorneys Association, Insurance Fraud, Training sub-Committee, 2001-2003
California District Attorneys Association, Homicide-Special Circumstance Committee, 1997-2001

Education:

A.B. in political science from University of California, Berkeley
J.D. from University of California, Berkeley Law

Appointment Date:

November 2, 2017

Current Assignment:

Single Assignment Civil Judge, CEQA Judge, Supervising Judge of Central Branch, Civil Grand Jury Judge

Previous Assignments:

Preliminary Hearing Judge, Trial Judge, Law and Motion

Background & Professional Associations:

Background & Professional Associations: Judge Fineman started her legal career at Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold, an insurance defense firm. She then spent the rest of her legal career at the law firm now known as Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP. She is a frequent lecturer on legal matters. She serves on the Judicial Council Civil Law Curriculum Committee and the 2019 and 2020 Cow County Judge Institute Workgroup. She served as a trustee of the California State Bar, a member of the Judicial Nominees Evaluation Committee, a member of the San Mateo County Bar Association Board of Directors, The President and a member of the San Mateo County Women Lawyers' Educational Foundation as well as other state and local bar positions. She was also active in many community organizations and her sons' schools. She is a past President and current board member of the Alumni Association for Berkeley Law.

Education:

J.D., University of San Francisco, 1984
B.S., University of California, Berkeley, 1981

Appointment Date:

February 25, 1997

Current Assignment:

Civil Direct Calendar Judge

Previous Assignments:

Presiding Judge 2013-2014; 2007-2008
Assistant Presiding Judge 2011-2012; 2005-2006
Supervising Judge of Family Law Division 2011-2012
Supervising Judge of Commissioners 2011-2012
Supervising Judge of Civil Division, A.D.R and Case Management 2004-2006
Supervising Judge of Criminal Division 2003
Civil Settlement Judge 2015-2018
Law & Motion Judge 2005
Criminal Presiding Judge 2000
Family Law Judge 1998-1999

Background & Professional Associations:

Board of Governors, American Business Trial Lawyers Association
Board of Directors, San Mateo Law Library
Judicial Council Court Facilities Advisory Committee

Judge of the Superior Court

September 19, 2014 to present

Commissioner of the Superior Court

January 31, 2000 to September 18, 2014

Education:

Hastings College of the Law, J.D., 1984
Claremont Men's (McKenna) College, B.A., 1981

California Bar Admission:

1984

Current Assignments:

Superior Court Judge
Civil Court Judge - March 2023 to present
Supervising Family Law Judge - January 2022 to present

Previous Assignments:

Probate Judge - October 2022 to January 2023
Criminal Presiding Judge - January 2020 to December 2021
General Trial Judge - July 2019 to December 2019, January 2022 to October 2022, and January 2023 to March 2023
Law and Motion Judge - January 2018 to June 2019
Supervising Family Law Judge - June 29, 2017 to December 2019
Family Court Judge - September 19, 2014 to December 2017

Commissioner and Judge Pro Tem:
Criminal Court (Parole Revocation Hearings), Family Court, Small Claims Court, Traffic Court 2013 to September 18, 2014
Family Court 2012 to 2013
Criminal Court (Misdemeanor Arraignments, Pre-Trials, Motions, Preliminary Hearings), Drug Court, Family Court, Small Claims Court, Traffic Court, Treatment Court, Unlawful Detainer Court, Lanterman-Petris-Short Act Court, Assignments from Master Calendar 2000 to 2012

Professional Work History:

Law Offices of Susan L. Greenberg, Sole Practitioner, 1991 to 2000
Law Offices of Philip H. Schecter, Associate Attorney, 1987 to 1991
San Mateo County Deputy District Attorney, 1984 to 1987

Present Activities

Kiwanis International, Past Lt. Governor, Past Club President
Notre Dame High School, Board Member

Previous Activities

California Court Commissioners Association, Member - Board of Directors
San Mateo County Bar Association, Member - Board of Directors and Secretary, Member - Women Lawyers Section
Judge Pro Tem, San Mateo County, Municipal Court and Superior Court
Faculty Member, Golden Gate University
Commencement Speaker, Golden Gate University
Attorney Coach, Mock Trial High School Teams, Westmoor and Sequoia High Schools
Service League of San Mateo County, Past President and Member, Board of Directors

Education:

J.D., University of Texas School of Law
M.S., Stanford University, Civil Engineering - Construction Management
B.S., Stanford University, Civil Engineering

Appointment Date:

February 10, 2020

Current Assignment:

Civil Direct Calendar Commissioner

Background:

1995 - 2014 Litigator practicing in the areas of complex commercial, trade secret, patent, insolvency, landlord-tenant, construction defect, and class action litigation.
1995 - 2007 Folger Levin & Kahn LLP (Associate 1995 - 2003, Partner 2003-2007).
2008 - 2014 Law Office of Ernst Halperin.
Volunteer Judge Pro Tem, San Francisco Superior Court conducting settlement conferences for the civil and unlawful detainer calendars (2007 - 2011) and hearing discovery motions (2012 - 2014).
2014 - 2020 Assistant District Attorney, White Collar Crime Division of the San Francisco District Attorney's Office litigating Unfair Competition Law and False Advertising Law civil enforcement actions and prosecuting criminal cases.

Reported cases handled as counsel in the Superior Court: The People ex rel. George Gascón, as District Attorney v. HomeAdvisor, Inc. (2020) 49 Cal.App.5^th 1073

Publications:
MATTHEW BENDER PRACTICE GUIDE: CALIFORNIA E-DISCOVERY AND EVIDENCE (LexisNexis 2009). Author of Chapter 9, "Gathering and Producing Electronically Stored Information." Update Author for the practice guide, 2009 - 2019.