News Releases

State Bar Court Presiding Judge Catherine Purcell Starts Next Chapter at the Board of Parole Hearings

Following her appointment last month by Governor Gavin Newsom to the Board of Parole Hearings, State Bar Court Presiding Judge Catherine Purcell’s final day was Friday, November 12, announced Michelle Cramton, Clerk of the State Bar Court. First appointed to the court in 2008 by the California Supreme Court as a review judge, Judge Purcell was elevated to presiding judge in 2014.

“Judge Purcell’s work at the State Bar has been exemplary, and the decades of public service she has dedicated her professional life to will continue with her appointment to the Board of Parole,” said Ruben Duran, Chair of the State Bar’s Board of Trustees. “We thank Judge Purcell for her steady leadership and wish her well.”

Purcell led the court during the height of the pandemic when remote proceedings were first instituted. Last year, the court conducted more than 1,300 events remotely.

Purcell served as a judge at the Kern County Superior Court from 2001 to 2008 and was a Deputy District Attorney in Kern County from 1989 to 2001.

She was a Judicial Attorney Clerk for the Honorable Malcolm M. Lucas at the California Supreme Court from 1985 to 1986. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from Pepperdine School of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from California Lutheran University.

California is the only state with an independent professional court dedicated to ruling on attorney discipline cases. Since 1989, the State Bar Court has used full-time judges appointed by the California Supreme Court, the Legislature, and the Governor.

The court has two departments: a Hearing Department, with five judges, and a Review Department, with three judges, headed by the presiding judge. The State Bar Court adjudicates disciplinary actions initiated by the State Bar's Office of Chief Trial Counsel against attorneys whose actions allegedly involve misconduct.

The California Supreme Court will appoint a new presiding judge in 2022. The court’s General Order designating the acting presiding judge is available on the Current Notices page on the State Bar Court website.

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The State Bar of California's mission is to protect the public and includes the primary functions of licensing, regulation and discipline of attorneys; the advancement of the ethical and competent practice of law; and support of efforts for greater access to, and inclusion in, the legal system.