Temporary Judge Program

Please Note

Pursuant to Rule 2.818(b)(1)(a), an attorney may not serve as a court-appointed temporary judge: (1) If the attorney, in any type of case, is appearing on the same day in the same courthouse as an attorney or as a party; (2) If the attorney, in the same type of case, is presently a party to any action or proceeding in the court; or (3) If, in a family law or unlawful detainer case, one party is self-represented and the other party is represented by an attorney or is an attorney. Orange County temporary judge policy exception: Temporary judges and settlement officers in family law cases are exempt from rule 2.818(b)(3) of the California Rules of Court, and settlement officers who assist with settlement conferences, but who perform no judicial functions such as placing the settlement on the record, are exempt from rule 2.818(b)(1) and (b)(2).

Temporary Judge Program

Temporary Judges Policy

Recruitment and Application Information

Orange County recruits new temporary judges on a 3-year cycle. A new cycle began on July 1, 2010. The recruitment and application process will not resume until the latter part of 2012.

Training

Orange County requires all temporary judges to attend two live courses, 1) Ethics and 2) Bench Conduct and Demeanor. These courses are only offered every three years. The next training sessions will take place in May 2013 (specific dates to be determined) following the recruitment and application process.

Online Training Link

Required substantive training for Small Claims and Traffic Trials is available online from the California Center for Judicial Education and Research (CJER) at: http://www2.courtinfo.ca.gov/cjer/protem.htm.

New Temporary Judge E-mail Address

Please use the following email address for questions, notifying staff of changes regarding information such as telephone numbers, address, and e-mail addresses, or any other issues that you consider important to our Temporary Judge Program.

Temporaryjudgeprogram@occourts.org

Court Contact Information

Central Justice Center:	(657) 622-7358	Civil Panel for General Civil
		Central Panel for Traffic, Civil or Small Claims

Civil Complex Center:	(657) 622-5313 / 5314

Harbor Justice Center
Laguna Hills:	(657) 622-5768
Newport Beach:	(657) 622-5499 / 6460

Lamoreaux Justice Center:	(657) 622-6516	for Probate & Mental Health
	(657) 622-6114 / 5566	for Family Law

North Justice Center:	(657) 622-5627

West Justice Center:	(657) 622-5949

Program Coordinator

For any additional information, concerns or questions, please contact Patti Welch, Program Coordinator Specialist at (657) 622-7143.