Judge Gary M. Pohlson: Professional Background and Legal Expertise

The Hon. Gary M. Pohlson is a judge for the Superior Court of Orange County in California. He was appointed by former Governor Jerry Brown on June 28, 2016, filling a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Caryl A. Lee.

Pohlson earned a B.A. from Santa Clara University. He then earned a J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law.

Pohlson began his legal career in 1975, serving for one year as a deputy city attorney with the Office of the City Attorney in Los Angeles, California. He briefly joined Keesal, Young and Logan as an associate before moving to the Office of the District Attorney of Orange County in 1976. Four years later he became a founding partner of Pohlson, Horan and Moorhead, a position he held until 1985 when he helped found Pohlson, Moorhead and Goethals in 1987. Two years later he helped found Pohlson and Moorhead, serving as a partner until 2014 when he became the owner of the Law Offices of Gary M. Pohlson, a firm that specialized in criminal defense.

He was a resident of Laguna Niguel, California at the time of his appointment to the Superior Court of Orange County.

Pohlson was raised in Arcadia, California and attended the La Salle Christian Brothers School.

As president of the Orange County Bar Association in 1995, he founded Project SELF, a program designed to give Santa Ana High School students the opportunity to explore a future legal career by interning with a law firm or a government agency.

He is registered to vote as a Democrat.