For over 30 years, Judge Joan Lewis has been committed to serving the legal community with compassion, deference, and toughness. During her 20-year judicial career as a Superior Court Judge, she spent five years in the Family Law Division and then presided over a Civil Independent Calendar for the last 15 years until her retirement. Throughout her time on the bench, she handled a multitude of settlement conferences in both the Civil and Family Law divisions. Prior to her appointment, Judge Lewis tried civil cases in private practice for 10 years, focused on representing healthcare professionals in medical malpractice lawsuits.
Judge Lewis has been consistently active in leadership positions on judicial committees, including serving on the court’s Executive Committee and as chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Committee. She has received numerous awards, including the Friend of the Community Award by the Tom Homann LGBT Law Association in recognition of her commitment to LGBTQ rights and, most recently, the Witkin Award for excellence in the practice of law and advancing access to justice.
Judge Lewis is well known for her thoughtful and fair command of the courtroom. A true people person, she is empathetic and compassionate while maintaining a position of neutrality. While there were many who did not want to see her leave the bench, it is a testament to her abilities and the amount of immense respect the legal community holds for her to see that she is being actively sought out as a neutral in the private sector.
- All Types of Medical Negligence
- Business/Contractual
- Catastrophic Personal Injury
- Class Action
- Employment
- Family Law
In her spare time, Judge Lewis enjoys theatre, travel, tennis, and overall physical fitness activities.
- Neutral, Judicate West (2019-Present)
- Judge, Superior Court of San Diego County (1998-2018); Family Law Division (1998-2003); Civil Independent Calendar Judge (2003-2018) Civil Independent Calendar, Assistant Supervising Judge
- Attorney and Partner, handling civil matters with a focus on medical malpractice, Lewis-Brisbois (1990-1998)
- Attorney, Ault Deuprey (1987-1990)
- J.D., California Western School of Law (1984 -1987)
- B.S., Arizona State University (1980)
- San Diego Superior Court Executive Committee, Member
- Association of Business Trial Lawyers (ABTL), Judicial Advisory Board
- California Judges Association (CJA), Executive Committee
- Wallace Inns of Court, San Diego, CA, Master (2017-Present)
- Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Committee, Chair
- Recipient, San Diego Defense Lawyers’ Bench and Bar Honoree (2019)
- Recipient, Bernard E. Witkin, Esq. Award for Excellence in the Adjudication of Law (2017)
- Recipient, Friend of the Community Award, Tom Homann LGBT Law Association (2014)
- Co-Author with Heather Hanson, John Gross, Steven Garfin, M.D., “Legal Implications and Strategies for Managing Complications in Spinal Surgery,” Book Chapter: “Complications of Pediatric and Adult Surgery” (2004)
Consumer Class Action
- Mediated a nationwide class action case regarding violations of the False Advertising Laws and Automatic Renewal Law.
Breach of Contract
- Mediated a dispute in which an employee was accused of breach of duty of loyalty, conversion, misappropriation of confidential business information, and data theft.
PAGA
- Mediated an employment case alleging pregnancy discrimination of a teacher at a religious school with class action and PAGA wage and hour claims. The issues included ministerial exceptions/ immunity defenses in state and federal laws.
Sexual Harassment
- Mediated a sexual harassment case involving three single women with children.
Family Law Issues
- Handled numerous settlement conferences during Judge Lewis’s five-year tenure in the Family Law division.
Employment Issues
- Mediated a case involving a malicious prosecution, defamation and interference with prospective economic damages by an attorney against a NFL player.
Medical
- Tried civil cases for 10 years in private practice prior to her appointment, with a focus on representing healthcare professionals in medical malpractice lawsuits.
- Mediated a case invlolving the wrongful death of a middle-aged woman who underwent a liposuction procedure resulting in perforations of the bowel and an ultimately death.
Real Property
- Mediated a case where the plaintiff, a public entity, was gifted a high-end property that they want to sell.
Elder Abuse
- Mediated a pre-litigation case involving elder neglect and abuse with a resident elopement.
General Negligence
- Handled a multitude of settlement conferences during her time on the bench, involving a wide range of personal injury disputes.
- Mediated a significant bullying case with the distibution through various electronic means.
- Mediated a case involving wrongful death and elder neglect/abuse, including a sudden cardiac arrest of a resident in a skilled nursing facility.
PI Auto
- Mediated numerous personal injury cases, encompassing a wide range of incidents such as auto accidents, slip and falls, premises liability, assault and battery, sexual assault, and wrongful death.
Premises Liability
- Mediated a strict liability case against a bike manufaturer and a distibuter that resulted in catastrophic injuries.
Wrongful Death
- Mediated a dispute involving the death of an individual known to the defendant to have dementia, who was residing in an independent living facility and was later found deceased outside the property.
