Introduction
For over 30 years, Judge Joan Lewis has been committed to serving the legal community with compassion, deference, and toughness. During her 20-year judicial career as a Superior Court Judge, she spent five years in the Family Law Division and then presided over a Civil Independent Calendar for the last 15 years until her retirement. Throughout her time on the bench, she handled a multitude of settlement conferences in both the Civil and Family Law divisions. Prior to her appointment, Judge Lewis tried civil cases in private practice for 10 years, focused on representing healthcare professionals in medical malpractice lawsuits.
Judge Lewis has been consistently active in leadership positions on judicial committees, including serving on the court’s Executive Committee and as chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Committee. She has received numerous awards, including the Friend of the Community Award by the Tom Homann LGBT Law Association in recognition of her commitment to LGBTQ rights and, most recently, the Witkin Award for excellence in the practice of law and advancing access to justice.
Judge Lewis is well known for her thoughtful and fair command of the courtroom. A true people person, she is empathetic and compassionate while maintaining a position of neutrality. While there were many who did not want to see her leave the bench, it is a testament to her abilities and the amount of immense respect the legal community holds for her to see that she is being actively sought out as a neutral in the private sector.
Practice Areas
- All types of Medical Negligence
- Catastrophic Personal Injury
- Business/Contractual
- Employment
- Class Action
- Family Law
Hobbies & Interests
In her spare time, Judge Lewis enjoys theatre, travel, tennis, and overall physical fitness activities.
Testimonials
"Judge Lewis was efficient, practical, and persistent, including post-mediation communications with counsel to get the cases settled."
- Attorney on an Employment/Wage Hour Class Action
"Judge Lewis is an excellent mediator. I like her style and approach. She worked very hard to get this difficult case settled. "
- Attorney on a Business/Contractual case
"Judge Lewis effectively managed some very strong, conflicting personalities. She worked nonstop, essentially mediating three disputes (P v. D1, P v. D2, and D1 v. D2) efficiently and effectively."
- Attorney on an Elder Abuse Matter
"Judge Lewis is experienced and very effective. This was a very difficult case and she was knowledgeable, patient, experienced, and effective. Highly impressive skills."
- Attorney on a Family Law case
"Judge Lewis was excellent."
- Attorney on a Commercial Breach of Privacy case
"Judge Lewis was extremely patient with this very difficult Family Law case, listened to my client, who needed to vent, and then miraculously resolved the case where the parties were millions of dollars apart. Both opposing counsel and I were in awe, as neither of us believed the case would settle. "
- Attorney on a Family Law case
"Judge Lewis boiled down the dispute to its essential elements, addressed those head-on, and pushed firmly for a realistic resolution. The different Zoom rooms worked effectively and we were able to communicate efficiently."
- Attorney on a Comerrical Employment Sexual Harassment matter
"Judge Lewis did a great job on a case that had more issues than we originally anticipated. Both sides had various difficulties to deal with in terms of coming to an agreement and new unexpected problems arose throughout the day, but Judge Lewis took it all in stride and handled everything with ease. Judge Lewis is able to maintain the delicate balance of being both friendly and firm and it helped us get the job done. "
- Attorney at a Top, Civil Law Firm in CA, with Offices Statewide
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