This is an archive of a past election.
See http://www.smartvoter.org/ca/alm/ for current information.
Alameda County, CA June 5, 2012 Election
Smart Voter Full Biography for Catherine Haley

Candidate for
Superior Court Judge; County of Alameda; Office 20

[photo]
This information is provided by the candidate

  • Legal experience

Our courts need judges with deep and diverse experience of the many complex legal issues that arise in our courts. I will that kind of judge. I have the breadth and depth of experience required to be a great judge.

I bring broad and varied expertise, gained from working on the both sides of the bench. My practice of law has taken me into all of the courthouses in Alameda County. This expertise can only be gained through work and experience; it cannot be learned in judge school.

As a general practice attorney with my own small firm in downtown Oakland for 19 years, I have served ordinary people, like you and me, like your neighbors and friends. Not corporations, not the rich and famous.

I have been a Judge Pro Tem for the past ten years presiding over trials in small claims court and arraignments and trials in traffic court in Alameda County.

Throughout l9 years of practice, I have offered free legal services to people who could not afford a lawyer, and reduced fee services to those with low incomes. I believe that justice is for all of us.

My experience includes jury and judge trials, arbitration and mediation. I have written and defended appeals in the District Courts.

I have represented many people in Family Law matters. My civil litigation experience includes personal injury, real estate, landlord-tenant, civil rights violations. In criminal law , I have litigated juvenile felony matters and represented adults in matters from DUIs to domestic violence.

  • Roots in Alameda County

I am the third generation in my family to live and work here. As a single mother with custody of two small children, I earned my law degree in 1992 while juggling parenting, work and finances. From personal experience, I understand what it is to struggle.

My roots in Alameda County run deep. My grandparents settled here in the 1930s. My grandfather traveled the local area as a shoe salesman to support his family. My father was the first in our family to graduate from college and then law school. He was a fighter for the legal rights of the people of Alameda County for more than 40 years. My brother has also been an attorney in Oakland for the past 30 years.

  • Education

University of San Francisco Doctor of Jurisprudence 1992

California State University, East Bay: Master's of Public Administration 1996 Dean's List Honoree Specialization in court administration; Internship with the Alameda County Superior Court

University of Southern California, Bachelor of Arts 1972 Dean's List Honoree

  • Community Service

Oakland Ballet Company Board member, 2010 + present

Heather Ridge Way Neighborhood Association, Oakland, CA Recording Secretary, 2004 + present Founding member of organization for the safety and welfare of the neighborhood community

Elizabeth House, Oakland Auxiliary Board Member, 2006 + 2008 Serving this non-profit agency providing housing and food for families headed by single women transitioning from welfare.

Lincoln Child Center Board Member, 2001 + 2005 Serving this non-profit agency dedicated to emotionally disturbed children who need to stabilize away from their families, providing appropriate therapy and reunification

Volunteer Legal Services of Alameda County Bar Association from 1993 + 1995.

Seascape Community Board, Aptos, CA Member, 1986 + 1988 Served on this five person committee for the safety and welfare of the neighborhood community

Volunteer for Girls, Inc. annual event

Next Page: Political Philosophy

Candidate Page || Feedback to Candidate || This Contest
June 2012 Home (Ballot Lookup) || About Smart Voter


The League of Women Voters does not support or oppose any candidate or political party.
Created from information supplied by the candidate: May 7, 2012 22:34
Smart Voter   <http://www.smartvoter.org/>
Copyright © League of Women Voters of California Education Fund   http://ca.lwv.org