California Supreme Court
Overview
This Court, Briefly
The California Supreme Court is the highest court in the California state court system. It is headquartered in the Earl Warren Building in San Francisco, with regular oral argument sessions also held in Los Angeles and Sacramento. Seven justices sit on the court: the Chief Justice of California and six Associate Justices. Justices are appointed by the Governor, confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments, and then serve twelve-year terms subject to public retention election.
Jurisdiction
The court's jurisdiction extends statewide across California. Its decisions bind all other California state courts and are the final word on the interpretation of California state law, as distinct from federal law, which remains subject to federal court review.
What the court hears
The court's primary function is discretionary review of decisions of the California Courts of Appeal, generally granted to resolve important or unsettled legal questions or to secure statewide uniformity in the law. Judgments of death are the one category of case the court is constitutionally required to review, appealed automatically and directly from the trial court, bypassing the Courts of Appeal. The court also exercises original jurisdiction over certain petitions for extraordinary relief, including mandamus, certiorari, and prohibition, and over habeas corpus proceedings.
Practicing before the court
There is no separate application or admission process to practice before the California Supreme Court. Attorneys are certified for admission by the State Bar of California upon meeting its requirements, and that certification is routinely ratified by the court. Admission to the State Bar is what confers the right to appear before the court; no additional court-specific credential is required.
Attorneys
Credentialed to Appear Here
The attorneys listed below hold current admission to practice before this court, the formal credential required to appear here. That standing is distinct from how much the firm has actually argued at this level, addressed separately, and it holds whether the list below runs long or short. Many of the same lawyers who build a matter from its earliest stages carry that credential forward, so a case rarely changes hands on its way to this court.
Matters
Before This Court
The matters below reflect work our attorneys have carried before the California Supreme Court, from petition through argument. Each reflects the same discipline: the record built and anticipated before the first brief was ever filed. This is a record of matters handled here, not a prediction of how the next one will go.
Reversed Insurance Bad Faith Judgment Before the California Supreme Court
trial-verdict2024California
Past results do not guarantee, warrant, or predict a similar outcome in any future matter. Every engagement is unique and must be evaluated on its own facts and circumstances.
From filing to final word.
When the Stakes Reach This Court
A case rarely arrives at the California Supreme Court by chance. The record that earns review here is built years earlier, briefed, indexed, and preserved with the next stage always in view. That same habit shapes our broader admissions record across state and federal courts. If a matter of yours may be headed this direction, we would welcome the conversation.