In the summer and fall of 2017, we conducted one-on-one interviews of the nine Bay Area Complex Litigation Judges on behalf of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers (ABTL). Our goal was to provide a comparative perspective for practicing lawyers about the respective Judges’ case mix, standard pretrial and trial practices, their likes and dislikes concerning lawyer conduct, and other as-yet-unpublished feedback for counsel. The interviewers asked the Judges a common set of prepared questions on these topics.
The Judges interviewed were Hon. Mary E. Wiss and Hon. Curtis E. A. Karnow of San Francisco County; Hon. Marie S. Weiner of San Mateo County; Hon. Brian C. Walsh and Hon. Thomas E. Kuhnle of Santa Clara County; Hon. Winifred Smith, Hon. George C. Hernandez, and Hon. Brad Seligman of Alameda County; and Hon. Barry P. Goode of Contra Costa County.