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Hon. Jacqueline Connor brings over 25 years of judicial experience in resolving complex legal and factual issues to her mediations. Nationally recognized for her extensive study of juries, Judge Connor’s fluency in the art and business of jury perceptions offer parties an expert assessment of the risks and rewards that they face at the hands of a jury.

Judge Connor’s in-depth knowledge of settlements, judicial decisions, and jury verdicts is enhanced by her ability to connect with parties on a straightforward and honest level. Attorneys have commented favorably on her superb settlement ability, such as “[Judge Connor] was able to work out a deal that was agreeable to everybody. It took a lot of guts for her to do what she did. But she figured out what the case was worth and she settled the case. There [are not] enough judges that do that sort of thing.”

Judge Connor has been honored as “Judge of the Year” by three different legal organizations as well as been recognized as amongst the top legal professionals in both California and the nation, speaks fluent Japanese, and is a proud alumnus of the University of Southern California.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

• Business & Commercial Contract
• Consumer Rights Litigation
• Employment
• Medical Malpractice
• Personal Injury
• Products Liability
• Real Estate

AWARDS & HONORS

2013 Top Neutral Rising Star, Daily Journal
2012 Judge of the Year, Loyola Law School
2007 Top 100 California Leading Lawyers (Daily Journal)
2006 Leading 500 Judges Nationwide (Lawdragon)
2006 Outstanding Jurist of the Year (Los Angeles County Bar Association)
2000 Judge of the Year (Century City Bar Association)
2000 Judge of the Year (Criminal Section – Los Angeles County Bar Association)

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

1988 – 2012 Judge, Los Angeles Superior Court
- Santa Monica Courthouse (Civil Assignment), 2002 – 2012
- Central Criminal, 1989 – 2002
- Pasadena Courthouse,1988
1986 – 1988 Judge, Los Angeles Municipal Court
- West Los Angeles; Metropolitan Courthouse; Central Arraignment
1977 – 1986 Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office
- Head of the Sexual Assault Unit, 1979 -1983

EDUCATION

2012 Pepperdine, Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Mediating the Litigated Case
1976 University of Southern California School of Law, Juris Doctorate
1973 University of Southern California, International Relations and Economics

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

American Bar Association Commission on Juries
American Board of Trial Advocates (Speaker/National Conference Representative)
Association of Business Trial Lawyers (Board Member)
Association of Southern California Defense Counsel (Speaker)
Beverly Hills Bar Association (Presentation Speaker)
California Judges Association (Member; Nominating Committee)
Commission on Judicial Performance (Special Master)
Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (Seminar Speaker)
Judicial Council Task Force on Jury System Improvement
Los Angeles County Bar Association (various committees and task forces)
Los Angeles Superior Court (Executive Committee, Trial Jurors Committee Chair, and ADR Committee)
Santa Monica Bar Association (Presentation Speaker)
Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles (Panelist/Speaker)

Speaking Presentations

Judge Connor has spoken extensively on various legal topics, including:

Jury Innovation and Reforms
Elder Abuse
Evidence
Civil Jury Instructions
Media & High Profile Cases
Technology in the Courtroom
Voir Dire and Jury Strategies
Trial Practice
Cross-Boarder Litigation
Juries and Cyberspace

Publications

Eight Rules for Winning at Mediation, CAALA Advocate Magazine (2016)
Mediation Gangnam Style, Korean Law Journal (2014)
Women in the Trial Trenches, CAALA Advocate Magazine (2012)
If I Had More Time Could I Make It Shorter, ABTL Report (Spring 2012)
Juror Number Eight, CAALA Advocate Magazine; Colorado Trial Lawyers Association Trial Talk (2012)
Millenial Jurors and the Internet, CAALA Advocate Magazine (2012)
Mediation: The Invisible Human Variables, CAALA Advocate Magazine (2011)
CEB California Trial Practice, Civil Procedure Before Trial, Closing Argument (2011)
Mediation: Who Are You Talking To?, CAALA Advocate Magazine (2011)
Expedited Jury Trial Legislation: An Unusual Agreement Between Those Who Usually Disagree, Daily Journal (2010)
CEB California Trial Practice: Civil Procedure During Trial, Judicial Perspectives (2010)
What the Best Advocates Do Right and Why They Win, CAALA Advocate Magazine (2009)
Making the Evidence Code Work for You, ABTL Journal (Fall 2009)
Handling ProPers Like a Pro, Focus, LA Daily Journal (July 27, 2009)
Mandatory Settlement Conferences, CAALA Advocate Magazine (2009)
What Are Jurors Thinking?, CAALA Advocate Magazine (June 2008)
One Day One Trial and What It Means to You, CAALA Advocate Magazine (October 2007)
Handling Trials Efficiently, CEB California Trial Practice, Civil Procedure During Trial (2007)
“One Day, One Trial” Opens Lawyers Eyes About Jury Service, LA Daily Journal (April 25, 2006)
Opening Statements and Jury Deliberations, CEB California Trial Practice, Civil Procedure Before Trial (2009)
Ups, Downs, and All, Serving on Juries, Forum, LA Daily Journal (May 17, 2005)
Jurors Need to Have Their Own Copies of Instructions, LA Daily Journal (February 25, 2004)
One Day, One Trial in Los Angeles, State Bar of California California Litigation (2005)
Jury Service in LA County, Los Angeles County Bar Los Angeles Litigator (Winter 2001)
Jury Innovations, Defense Counsel Journal (April 2000)
Jury Reform, Journal of Legal Advocacy and Practice, University of La Verne Law Review (1999)