Judge Darrell S. Mavis: Professional Background and Legal Expertise

The Hon. Darrell S. Mavis is a judge for the Los Angeles County Superior Court in California. He was appointed to the bench in 2006 by former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. He filled the vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. Jacob Adajian.

Judge Mavis graduated with his B.S. in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1988. He went on to earn his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1991.

After graduating from law school, Mavis joined the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office as a clerk in 1991. After his clerkship, he became a deputy district attorney for the office in 1992. He was assigned to the Hardcore Gang Unit before transferring to the D.A.'s Major Crime Division. In 1998 he joined the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of International Affairs where he served as an attorney liaison as part of the D.A. offices' exchange program. Mavis returned to the D.A.'s office in 2000 and remained there until his appointment to the Superior Court in 2006.

During his time on the Superior Court, Judge Mavis was a supervising judge for the Northeast and North Central Districts.

A prolific speaker, Judge Mavis has spoken at the California State Bar Association, the California Center for Judicial Education and Research, as well as for the Los Angeles Superior Court Judicial Education Seminars.

Judge Mavis taught the art of persuasion and trial advocacy as an adjunct professor at Southwestern Law School, Los Angeles.

He has also taught for the B.E. Witkin Judicial College of California and served as a lecturer for the University of California Gould School of Law.

In 2008 Judge Mavis was named the Judge of the Year by the Constitutional Rights Foundation.