Hon. Lizanne Padula is a judge for the Pierce County District Court in Washington. She was elected to the bench in 2018.
Padula received a B.A. in psychology from the University of Denver in 1988. She then completed a J.D. at the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 1993.
Padula began her legal career as a deputy prosecuting attorney with the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, where she worked as a domestic violence prosecutor before entering into solo practice in 1999. Padula also practiced for several years as an attorney at Goddard, Wetherall, Wonder & Padula (2003 to 2007) and as the founder and principal attorney at Padula & Associates (2007 to 2018), where she specialized in criminal law.
In addition to her private practice work, Padula sat as a pro tem judge in the Pierce County District Court.
Padula taught as a continuing legal education instructor and was a former reserve police officer.
She has donated her time as a pro bono attorney to underrepresented minorities and victims of domestic violence. Padula was also a Palmer Scholar Mentor, a Youth Soccer coach, and a volunteer for the Mary Meyer Life Fitness Triathlon and Washington Coast Cleanup.
Padula grew up in Florida and later relocated to Washington in 1994.