Laurie D. Zelon is an associate justice of the California's Court of Appeal, 2nd District, Division Seven.California Judicial Counsel, Division Seven: JUSTICE LAURIE D. ZELON, http://www.courts.ca.gov/2487.htm Zelon was appointed to the

Los Angeles Superior Court The Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, is the California superior court with jurisdiction over Los Angeles County, which includes the city of Los Angeles. It is the largest single unified trial court in the United States. The ...

in 2000, and she was elevated to the Court of Appeal in 2003.California Bar Journal, November 2010, "Justice Laurie Zelon honored with Benjamin Aranda Award" Zelon is a past President of the

Los Angeles County Bar Association The Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA) is a voluntary bar association with more than 21,000 members throughout Los Angeles County, California, and the world. Founded in 1878, LACBA's goal has been to meet the professional needs of lawye ...

and has served on a variety of statewide judicial committees, including the California Commission on Access to Justice.

Education

Zelon received her B.A. from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

in 1974. She graduated from Harvard Law School in 1977, and was admitted to the

California State Bar The State Bar of California is California's official attorney licensing agency. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law, investigating complaints of professional misconduct, prescribing appropriate disciplin ...

later that year.Metropolitan News-Enterprise, 9-23-2010, "Justice Laurie Zelon to Receive 2010 Aranda Access to Justice Award," She was an associate, and then a partner at the Beardsley, Hufstedler & Kemble law firm and its successors from 1977 to 2000. While in private practice, she specialized in complex litigation involving scientific and technical issues, fiduciary obligations, and large-scale commercial disputes.

Awards

An award for pro bono legal advocacy is named after Zelon — the Laurie D. Zelon Pro Bono Award of the Pro Bono Institute of Washington, D.C. — and she was the first recipient. Zelon has also received the William Reece Smith, Jr. Special Services to Pro Bono Award, the Charles Dorsey Award from the National Legal Aid & Defenders Association, and Loren Miller Legal Services Award from the State Bar of California, and the Benjamin Aranda Access to Justice award.

References

Living people Cornell University alumni Harvard Law School alumni Judges of the California Courts of Appeal 20th-century American judges 21st-century American judges Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American women judges 21st-century American women judges {{California-state-judge-stub