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Fresno County, CA June 3, 2014 Election
Smart Voter Full Biography for Charles F. Magill

Candidate for
Superior Court; County of Fresno; Judicial District 15

This information is provided by the candidate

Charles Magill has defended, fought and protected the rights of the accused while establishing himself as one of the central San Joaquin Valley's esteemed law voices for the last quarter of a century. As a result, Magill is positioned to become the next Fresno County Superior Court Judge.

Magill, known for his tenaciousness in and out of the courtroom and well-rounded legal mind, has spent his entire legal career defending those accused of crimes in the Fresno area. He co-founded Magill & Guzman Magill with his wife, Laura Guzman Magill, in 2002. Together the couple defended clients with outside-the-box strategies that earned the firm a highly respected reputation before Laura's passing in 2013 after a long fight with breast cancer.

Magill's relentless and creative style of legal service has resulted in more than 150 jury and court trial victories. Because of his uncanny ability to explain complex legal cases with unmistakable clarity, many news organizations, including FOX, ABC, CBS, NPR, NBC, The Wall Street Journal and The Fresno Bee, have sought his concise legal insight in interviews.

In addition to his work as an attorney, Magill is an artist, philanthropist and active member of the Fresno community. His work with various youth law programs has helped shape the future of central San Joaquin Valley's legal fraternity. He has shared decades of legal experience and expertise with aspiring legal minds as both a coach and scoring attorney in the Fresno County Mock Trial Program and as a judge for high school debate and forensics competitions. He has also served as a judge for Fresno State Mock trial contests.

Magill has also become a staunch advocate in the fight against breast cancer, a disease wife Laura once survived only to have it reappear months later. Spurred by his personal experience with the disease, Magill has become a patient advocate for the Pacific Medical Center of Hope, a cancer treatment facility in Fresno. Magill has also become well versed in patient rights, once again assuring civil liberties are upheld.

An active member of his church, Magill has served as a Sunday School Teacher and Young Life Leader, a program that includes taking teens to summer camp. Christian faith has led Magill to fight for First Amendment rights on many occasions, including early in his career when he defended individuals arrested for protesting at abortion clinics for the Rutherford Institute. Challenging such arrests under the First Amendment has earned Magill the Carlson-Parker Award from the Pacific Justice Institute, an honor given to a lawyer who best exemplifies a willingness to defend religious freedoms.

Having attended law school at San Joaquin College of Law, Magill has had an eye on valley issues since his career's inception. He has served as a Pro Tem judge for Fresno County Superior Court and serves as appointed council for indigent defendants in Fresno County. Magill has volunteered for the San Joaquin College of Law Barrister's Ball's planning committee and on the fundraiser committee for the Alumni Mixer at Borba Ranch.

Now, Charles Magill wants to take his dedication to the bench. Throughout his 25-year career as a trial attorney in Fresno County, Magill has shown his commitment to the people of Fresno and the Constitution time and time again. Excited to bring those qualities to a new chapter of his life, Magill is primed to be Fresno County's next Superior Court Judge.

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: May 8, 2014 12:25
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