SANTA ANA, Calif., Aug. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Judicate West, one of California’s leading providers of private dispute resolution services, has added California Fifth District Court of Appeal Justice M. Bruce Smith to its roster of neutrals. Justice Smith is available statewide as a mediator, arbitrator and private judge.
“Justice Smith has the perfect blend of experience as a civil litigator, a superior court judge, and an appellate court justice. He has had a distinguished legal career spanning four decades and has presided over thousands of matters across his 25 years on the bench,” said Rosemarie Chiusano Aubert, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Co-Founder of Judicate West. “Justice Smith is as great a person as he is a jurist, and he has a history of routinely giving back to the legal community, earning the high regard of his former judicial colleagues. As a neutral, he is always thoroughly prepared and exudes a judicial temperament well suited for mediation and arbitration. We are excited to welcome Justice Smith to the Judicate West family and offer his incredible services to our clients.”
Appointed by former Gov. Jerry Brown in 2014 as an Associate Justice on the Fifth District Court of Appeal, Justice Smith’s legal career spans more than 40 years. In his more than 10 years on the appellate panel, he published approximately 30 opinions and oversaw matters including antitrust, employment, real estate, insurance and bad faith, and medical malpractice. Before his tenure on the Court of Appeal, Justice Smith spent 14 years with the Fresno County Superior Court, holding numerous assignments, including Presiding Judge and Supervising Judge of the Unlimited Civil Division. Over the course of his 25 years on the bench, he presided over thousands of matters in all areas of law. He began his career as a trial deputy with the Fresno County District Attorney Office before spending the following 12 years in private practice trying a variety of civil litigation matters.
Justice Smith served on numerous court committees, including the Appellate Practice Curriculum Committee (2018-2025) and the Appellate Advisory Committee to the California Judicial Council (2015-2025). He has been a member of the California Judges Association since 2000 and the California Association of Black Lawyers (CABL) since 2010. He received the Judicial Excellence Award from CABL in 2021. Justice Smith earned his J.D. from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (1981) (formerly UC Hastings Law) and his B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara (1978). He received mediation training from the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at the University of Pepperdine School of Law in 2025.
About Judicate West
For more than 30 years, Judicate West has been one of California’s leading providers of private dispute resolution services with a distinguished roster of proven neutrals, including retired state and federal court judges plus professional attorney mediators and arbitrators from a wide variety of practice areas. Founded in 1993, the firm prides itself on maintaining the utmost integrity in delivering innovative solutions to all types of civil disputes. The firm’s successful formula involves top-tier neutrals, a great company culture and an experienced team of ADR professionals dedicated to delivering gold standard service in alternative dispute resolution (ADR).
Contact:
Melody Kleiman
Judicate West
(714) 852-5189
melody@judicatewest.com
