DJ profiles 4/2's PJ Ramirez

In A Grand Vision: Attorneys describe 4th DCA Justice Manuel Ramirez as a man of substantial gravitas today's DJ profiles 4/2's PJ. (The DJ also profiled him back on 12/17/2009.)

• After 70 years in San Bernardino, Division 2 broke ground on a new building in Riverside in 1998 and moved in a year later. Without a precedent to provide guidelines for building a courthouse dedicated to an appellate court, Ramirez literally wrote the book on how to design and construct a Court of Appeal, a document entitled “The Appellate Court Facilities Guidelines” that outlines everything from the dimensions of an entryway rotunda to the “psychology of space” when it comes to the courtroom. ... “I wanted to create an environment that when you walked through those doors you could take as close to a complete cleansing breath and exhale as possible, so that when you step up to that microphone, you’re going to give us your best argument.”

• 

  “I live my life with that same level of intensity to make sure
  that the litigants and the taxpayers both get their
  best possible day in court from this court” 

  Ramirez said his court has seen “the greatest upheaval” in its history in the last two years, starting with the retirement of Justice Betty Ann Richli in 2015 and exacerbated by the retirement of Justice Thomas E. Hollenhorst last summer. Ramirez said the court also lost four senior staff attorneys, including both writ lawyers whose combined experienced totaled more than 50 years. In August, the Commission on Judicial Appointments filled the vacancy left by Hollenhorst when it confirmed Gov. Jerry Brown’s nomination of former Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael J. Raphael and brought the number of Division Two justices to eight. But Ramirez said ultimately the court will need 12 justices to handle the influx of cases. ... According to records kept by the court, it has transferred over 1,800 cases since 2005 [to other divisions to help with the backlog].
• In 1991, he established one of the state’s first appellate mediation programs, run by retired judges, volunteer attorneys and the court’s own justices. Ramirez said some 1,500 cases have been settled since the program began, saving roughly $750 million in taxpayer dollars that would have been spent on court-appointed attorneys, filing fees and the like.

Want to join the fun in 4/2? The DJ Classifieds have an ad that 4/2 is accepting applications for a Chambers Attorney. See www.courts.ca.gov/careers JOB #4189. Applications due 10/19. Ideal candidates will have a background of criminal, civil, and appellate experience.