San Mateo — Judge Fineman's Resume

Source: https://sanmateo.courts.ca.gov/system/files/civil/dept4_resume.pdf

NANCY L. FINEMAN San Mateo Superior Court, Department 4 400 County Center Redwood City, CA 94063 Tel: (650) 261-5104

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

December 2017– Present Judge, San Mateo Superior Court • Current Assignment: Single Assignment Civil Judge, CEQA Judge. • Past Assignments: Supervising Judge of Central Courthouse; Judge for 2022-2023 Civil Grand Jury; Law &Motion (2020); Trials and Preliminary Hearings (2018-2019). Also, as assigned from 2018-2019 to Arraignments, Pre-Trial Conferences, Law & Motion, Case Management Conferences, Settlement Conferences, Civil Harassment Hearings, Pathways (mental health),Bridges (drug & alcohol), and Penal Code § 1370. Committees: Executive Committee (2021-present); Jury Trial Committee (2020-present); Security Committee (2019-present);Commission Selection Committee (2019).

February 1989 – May 1992; July 1993 – November 2017 Partner (from 1996), Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP, Burlingame • Civil litigation, primarily represented plaintiffs in complex business, securities, and consumer cases, including trials and appeals.

October 1992 – June 1993 Research Attorney, San Mateo County Superior Court • Researched and made recommendations to judges about motions on the Civil Law and Motion and Presiding Judge’s calendar, ex parte motions and appeals from the Municipal Court. (Temporarily left Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy)

October 1986 – January 1989 Associate Attorney, Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold, San Francisco • Civil litigation on behalf of insurance companies and their insureds. Predominantly litigation involving injury, environmental, medical malpractice and insurance coverage.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES (partial list)

• Member of the Cow County Institute Workgroup (CJER 2019-present) • Member of the Civil Curriculum Committee (CJER 2020-present) • President of the Berkeley Law Hall School of Law Alumni Association (2014-2016) and past member of the Board of Directors; past Chair of its Annual Fund; member 20th and 25th Reunion Committees.

• President and board member of the San Mateo County Women Lawyers Section Educational Foundation (2000-2014). • Trustee of the California State Bar Board (September 2011-September 2014). • Board member of the California Bar Foundation (2011-2013). • Board member of the San Mateo County Bar Association (2006-2011). • Member of the San Mateo County Civil ADR Advisory/Oversight Committee (2007- 2012). • Chair of the San Mateo County Bar Association Professional Equality Committee (2000- 2003). • Member of the California State Bar Judicial Nominees Evaluation Commission (1996- 2000). • Judge Pro Tem for San Mateo County Superior Court (1996-2017).

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS & PUBLICATIONS (partial list)

• Speaker on experts, CJER Judicial College (2023, 2024) • Speaker on class actions, CJER Trial Court Judicial Attorney Institute (2024) • Panelist on CJER Class Action/PAGA Update, Complex Civil Litigation Roundtable (November 8, 2021) and Annual Statewide Complex Courts Symposium event (December 7, 2021) • Panelist, Status San Mateo Courts (San Mateo County Bar, multiple presentations 2020) • Panelist, Civil Court Judicial Forum (NBI, October 25, 2019). • Panelist, Civility Matters (San Mateo County Bar Association January 24, 2019). • Speaker, Motions in Limine (San Mateo Trial Lawyers’ Association September 27, 2018). • Planning Committee and Moderator, Annual California Complex Courts Symposium (ABTL and Santa Clara Bar Association October 24, 2017). • Speaker, Complex Litigation: Practical Approaches to a Legal Labyrinth (CEB March 24, 2015). • Speaker, Cutting-Edge Trial Techniques for the 21st Century (Belli Seminar - October 10, 2014). • Speaker Using and Responding to CCP §998 Offers – (CEB February 26, 2014). • Speaker, Running on Empty: Work/Life Balance Strategies from Parents Who Stayed in the Race (Alameda County Bar Association January 30, 2014). • Speaker, Torts Practice: Recent Developments (CEB 2001-2009). • Speaker, Litigating Your First Civil Case and similar topics (NBI 2008, 2006, 2004, 2003). • Co-author with Joseph W. Cotchett, Persuasive Opening Statements and Closing Arguments (CEB 2015, 2019, 2021 editions).

HONORS & AWARDS (partial list)

• 2023 Trial Judge of the Year from the San Mateo County Trial Lawyers Association
• 2020 Elinor Falvey Award from San Mateo County Women Lawyers’ Section
• 2015 Anti-Defamation League Distinguished Jurisprudence Award
• 2015 George R. Corey Trial Lawyer of the Year Award from the San Mateo County Trial
Lawyers’ Association
• 2014 Public Justice Trial Lawyer of the Year.
• 2014 San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association Trial Lawyer of the Year.
• 2012 Consumer Attorneys of California Women's Caucus Woman Trial Lawyer of the
Year.
• Recognized by California Women Lawyers as a 2010-2011 Woman of Achievement.
• “Litigator of the Week” by the Am Law Litigation Daily, March 3, 2011.

EDUCATION

1986, J.D., Berkeley Law, University of California • American Jurisprudence Award in Evidence. Legal Extern to the Hon. John H. Sutter, Law and Motion Department, Alameda County Superior Court. (Spring Semester 1986). Various pro-bono law student activities.

1981, B.A. Political Science, University of California, Berkeley • Member of Speech and Debate Team with awards in individual speaking and debate.