Hon. Wayne L. Peterson
The Honorable Wayne L. Peterson was the Presiding
Judge of the San Diego Superior Court, and Chair of the Superior Court’s
Executive Committee, for the period October 1998 through December 2001.
The San Diego Superior Court is the second largest trial court in
California and the third largest trial court in the United States, with
128 judges, 25 commissioners and referees, 1,600 employees and a budget
of $250 million.
Judge Peterson also served as the Assistant Presiding Judge;
the Supervising Judge of the Criminal Division; and the Presiding Judge
of the Appellate Division. He was Chairman of the Superior Court Master
Plan Committee representing the Court’s interest in San Diego County’s
site selection, design and construction of the Hall of Justice.
During his 20 years on the bench Judge Peterson served six
years in the Criminal Division and ten years in the Civil Division,
managing an inventory of 525 - 600 cases, including those dealing with
employment law, professional malpractice, business disputes, real
property, personal injury, class actions, toxic torts and the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
During 2000 and 2001 he served, by appointment of the Chief
Justice, as Chair of the Trial Court Presiding Judges Advisory Committee
to the State Judicial Council, the policy-making body of the California
judiciary, and as such served as a member of the Judicial Council. The
Chief Justice also appointed him a member, and Chair, of the Task Force
on Judicial Ethics Issues.
He was one of four judges appointed by the Chief Justice to
sit as a member of the Court Facilities Task Force, a legislative body
created in 1998 to advise the legislature with regard to ownership,
maintenance and design of all court facilities in California; and served
as Chair of the Task Force’s Subcommittee on Court Facilities Design
Standards.
Judge Peterson was the recipient of the California Judges
Association 2001 President’s Award for outstanding service to the state
judiciary, and the recipient of the San Diego County Bar Association’s
Legal Professional of the Year Award in 2001. In 1998 the Consumer
Attorneys of San Diego named him Trial Judge of the Year. The San Diego
Defense Bar selected him as its Distinguished Jurist of 2008. He is a
Master of the American Inns of Court, William B. Enright chapter; and
serves on the Board of Directors of the San Diego Inn of Court. He is a
also a member of the San Diego chapter of the Association of Business
Trial Lawyers, and is a past member of its Board of Directors.
Judge Peterson, during his term as Presiding Judge, was
instrumental in the implementation of a successful court-sponsored
mediation program. He has taught and lectured on mediation in Third
World countries on behalf of the U.S. State Department and the World
Bank. He participated with the Subordinate Courts of Singapore in its
innovative transpacific judicial video settlement conference program.
In 2006 and 2007 Judge Peterson was selected by the Los
Angeles Daily Journal as one of the top forty mediators in California.
Since joining ADR Services, Inc. in February 2004, Judge
Peterson has successfully mediated cases resulting in settlements in the
millions of dollars; he has also acted as a private judge and arbitrator
in medical malpractice, business and real property matters.
He is a former Deputy District Attorney for the County of San
Diego and Research Attorney for the Fourth District Court of Appeal. He
was in private practice for 17 years, specializing in litigation, real
property and Fire District law. He served on the Alpine School District
Board of Trustees from 1972 to 1983, with two terms as President of the
Board.
Judge Peterson received his Bachelor of Science degree from
San Diego State University and his Juris Doctor degree from California
Western School of Law, which named him its Alumnus of the Year in 2002.
He is a past President of the alumni association.
Governor George Deukmejian appointed Judge Peterson to the
Municipal Court in 1984, and elevated him to the Superior Court in 1986.
This page was last modified in December 2007
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