Hon. Katherine A. Bacal
Judge
Judge Katherine Bacal is the supervising civil judge of the San Diego Superior Court and also presides over an independent calendar civil department. Throughout her time on the bench, she has also handled family law, felony arraignment, and criminal trial departments. Judge Bacal was appointed to the bench in 2008. Judge Bacal studied liberal arts at the University of Redlands, where she earned her BA in 1985. She began doctoral program in history at the University of California, San Diego, but left to attend law school. Judge Bacal then earned her J.D. in 1991, from the University of Texas School of Law in Austin. After graduating law school, Judge Bacal joined Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher as an associate in its San Diego office, where she focused on general business litigation. When Gibson Dunn closed the San Diego office in 2000, she joined Baker & McKenzie, becoming a partner/principal. Judge Bacal is a past president of Lawyers Club of San Diego and received its Belva Lockwood Award in 2015.
