Judge Vincent H. Okamoto: Professional Background and Legal Expertise

CA Bar #: 59816 (June 1974)

Appointed By: Gov. Joseph Graham Davis, Jr.

Biography

The Hon. Vincent H. Okamoto (deceased) was a judge for the Los Angeles County Superior Court in California. He was appointed to the bench by former Governor Gray Davis in 2002, filling the vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. Richard Kalustian. Okamoto passed away on September 29, 2020.


He attended the University of Southern California, where he graduated with a B.A. in international relations in 1967. The following year, Okamoto volunteered for the Vietnam War, serving in the United States Army as a Second Lieutenant. He holds the distinction of being the most highly decorated Japanese American soldier in the Vietnam War who was not killed in action, having received a Distinguished Service Cross, a Silver and Bronze Star, as well as three Purple Hearts. He was discharged from the Army in 1970 and held the rank of Captain.


Okamoto went on to complete a J.D. from the University of Southern California, Gould School of Law in 1973.


After graduating from law school, he joined the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, where he worked as a deputy district attorney for four years.


Okamoto left the public arena in 1978 to enter into private practice as a partner at Okamoto, Wasserman, & Torii, where he remained for eight years. He made an unsuccessful bid for District Attorney in 1981 and later founded the Pacific Heritage Bank in 1986, where he served as the financial institution's president and CEO for nine years.


Okamoto also served as a Garden City councilman and mayor pro tem and was a founding member of the Japanese American Bar Association.


In 2016, Okamoto was honored as the Hero of America by Washington D.C.'s American Veteran's Center, and in 2007, he was inducted into the Army Ranger Hall of Fame. He also received a presidential commendation from President Ronald Reagan for his work with veterans suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Drawing from his valiant military experience, he authored two books about the Vietnam War.


Okamoto was born in a World War II Japanese internment camp in Arizona. After being released from the prison camp at the end of the war, his family eventually moved to California when he was a young boy.

Recent Cases by Hon. Vincent H. Okamoto

On June 22, 2015 a small claims (limited jurisdiction) case was filed in the jurisdiction of Los Angeles County. Judge Vincent H. Okamoto presiding.

Filed

Jun 22, 2015

Status

Judgment on Appeal

Judge

Hon. Vincent H. Okamoto Trellis Spinner 👉 Discover key insights by exploring more analytics for Vincent H. Okamoto

Court

Los Angeles County

County

Los Angeles County, CA

Category

Small Claims (Limited Jurisdiction)

Practice Area

Small Claims

Matter Type

General Small Claims

Case Last Refreshed

Oct 19, 2023

Please wait a moment while we load this page.

New Envelope