Judge Joel Pressman served the legal community as a civil trial attorney and judge for over 45 years and is now available to serve as a mediator, arbitrator, and private judge. As an attorney, he represented plaintiffs and defendants in diverse civil litigation matters, including international matters in the state and federal courts, and is a longtime member of ABOTA. As a judge, he earned himself a reputation as a practical and knowledgeable settlement judge and mediator in hundreds of cases, including complex cases statewide. As an independent civil trial calendar judge, he was responsible for managing a caseload of over 1,000 diverse civil cases. Judge Pressman also served as a leader in the court as Supervising Judge of the Vista Superior Court and also spent many of those years on the Court Executive Committee. He is regarded as a judge with common sense, practical experiences, and a genuine understanding of the dynamics of difficult cases and clients as well as the related costs (financial and otherwise) of litigation. As both a trial lawyer and a judge, he presided over the trials of catastrophic personal injury cases, business and commercial disputes, medical and legal malpractice matters, employment wage and hour, harassment, ADA, and civil rights. Judge Pressman has extensive experience in insurance coverage, insurance bad faith, and real estate litigation and class actions, including antitrust actions.
According to Judge Pressman, "I see private dispute mediation as a continuation of those aspects of my judicial career which I found most satisfying and in which I was most successful. To resolve a dispute without the emotional and monetary cost of trial is a wonderful thing."
- All Types of Personal Injury
- Class Actions
- Complex Business/Contractual
- Construction Defect
- Elder Abuse
- Employment
- Insurance Coverage/Bad Faith
- Intellectual Property
- Professional Malpractice
- Real Estate/HOA
In his spare time, Judge Pressman has a passion for traveling to exotic places, music, theatre, opera, and exploring natural parks and beaches.
- Neutral, Judicate West (2017-Present)
- Judge, Superior Court, San Diego (2002-2017)
- Civil Independent Calendar Judge (2010-2017)
- Executive Committee of Court (2008-2014)
- Supervising & Assisting Judge, North County Branch (2006-2010)
- Criminal & Civil, North County Branch (2002-10)
- Partner, Kolodny & Pressman, APC, San Diego (1983-2001)
- Partner, Hadfield, Van Berolding, Graubart & Pressman, San Francisco (1972-1982)
- J.D., Hastings College of Law (1972)
- B. A., University of California Berkeley (1969)
- Association of Business Trial Lawyers, ABTL (1992 – Present) Executive Committee/Board of Directors (2012-Present)
- Settlement Conference Dynamics, Pepperdine University School of Law/Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution
- Lopardo American Inn of Court, Member (2002-10)
- ABOTA, Member (1999-Present)
- AV/Preeminent rating with Martindale Hubbell
- In 2017, Judge Pressman was awarded Judge of the Year by both Consumer Attorneys of San Diego and San Diego Defense Lawyers. He is the only judge in history to receive this honor from both plaintiff and defense attorneys in the same year.
- Bernard Witkin Award, San Diego Law Library Foundation (2015)
- Outstanding Trial Lawyer, San Diego Trial Lawyers (1992)
Consumer Class Action
- Consumer class action alleging violation of zip code statute requiring retailers to refrain from requesting a zip code until the transaction is finished.
- Consumer class action law student alleged fraud and misrepresentation by the school in publishing post-graduate employment figures.
- Nationwide class action. Plaintiff alleged failure to properly warn consumer of cold therapy devices. Improper product warning and design allegedly caused sever harm to users of the product.
- Consumer protection class action litigation.
Construction Breach Of Contract
- Lawsuit for breach of construction contract alleging non-payment for as-built extras to contract.
Discrimination
- Employment discrimination involving public employee.
Wrongful Termination
- Wrongful termination lawsuit alleging discrimination and failure to accommodate.
Public Policy
- Mandamus action involving interpretation of Waste Management Act and a landfill.
Medical
- Medical malpractice alleging significant damages arising from medical negligence and supervisor.
- Medical malpractice involving minor.
Landlord/Tenant
- Class action by tenants of mobile home park owned by a city. This lawsuit lasted for ten years. Tenants alleged that they were entitled to relocation damages from the city.
Aviation
- Aviation catastrophic wrongful death in which two private planes crash, allegedly caused by control tower negligence. All cases were brought together and resolved.
Catastrophic Injury
- Plaintiff injured while attending concert during which disc jockey leapt from the stage and landed on plaintiff causing traumatic spinal injury.
