Hon. William Kearse McGill

Judge W. Kearse McGill is a Judge in the Review Department of the California State Bar Court, which is the nation’s only trial and appellate court system dedicated solely to adjudicating attorney discipline cases. He was first appointed to the position by the California Supreme Court on November 1, 2016, and re-appointed on August 18, 2022. Previously, Judge McGill served as a Hearing Department Judge in the court from May 2015 through October 2016. He also served as the Acting Presiding Judge of the State Bar Court from November 2021 through August 2022.

Judge McGill graduated, magna cum laude with senior departmental honors, from Clemson University in 1988 with a double major in Political Science and German. In 1991, he graduated from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. Prior to his appointment to the State Bar Court in 2015, Judge McGill was a Workers’ Compensation Judge for ten years in Stockton, the last two as the presiding Judge. Before that, he was legal counsel to a California State Senator and was in private practice for ten years.

Since 2006, Judge McGill has presented numerous seminars to local, state, and national attorney and judicial organizations, primarily in the subject area of professional responsibility and legal ethics. Past CEB speaking engagements include two statewide webinars: “Calling It Quits: Ethical Issues When Ending the Legal Representation of Your Client,” (February 23, 2021) and, “Ethical Considerations When Taking on a New Client,” (November 9, 2022). Articles Published • "A Personal Perspective (and Journey) on Judicial Civility," The Judges' Journal, The American Bar Association (May 5, 2023) • "Privilege and Confidentiality Issues," Ethics Guidebook for Workers' Compensation Practitioners, The State Bar of California, Workers' Compensation Law Section Executive Committee (2015 ed.) • “Liar, Liar, Your Client’s Pants Are on Fire! – The Ethical Dilemma of the Lying Client,” The California Bar Journal, (May 2014) • “Caution: Increased MCLE Audits Ahead,” Workers’ Compensation Quarterly, Vol. 25, No. 4, The State Bar of California (January 2013) • “Ignorance is Not Bliss: A Review of Selected California Rules of Professional Conduct,” Workers’ Compensation Quarterly, Vol. 23, No. 2, The State Bar of California (June 2010)