Judge Shelley L. Kaufman

Judge Shelley L. Kaufman serves on the Los Angeles Superior Court at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, having been appointed by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. in December 2013. She earned her undergraduate degree from Pitzer College and her law degree from Loyola Law School, and holds California State Bar number 100696. Her pre-bench career spanned over three decades of civil litigation practice, including work at multiple private firms and an extended tenure as a senior attorney and partner at Geragos & Geragos from 1997 to 2013, where she focused on civil litigation in both state and federal courts. Judge Kaufman's professional background is rooted in civil litigation advocacy. Before joining the bench, she represented clients across state and federal forums, giving her direct experience with the procedural and substantive demands placed on civil litigants. Her involvement with the Women's Caucus for the Consumer Attorneys of California reflects engagement with plaintiff-side civil advocacy organizations prior to her appointment. Because no analyzed rulings, attorney observations, or ingested content are currently available for Judge Kaufman, this profile is based exclusively on her verified biographical and career data. Attorneys should treat the strategic guidance below as grounded in her documented professional background rather than in observed judicial behavior, and should supplement this profile with direct courtroom experience or peer intelligence as it becomes available.

Judge Kaufman spent the majority of her pre-bench career as a civil litigator, including over fifteen years at Geragos & Geragos handling civil matters in state and federal court. Attorneys appearing before her should be prepared for a judge who understands civil procedure from the practitioner's perspective. Well-organized, procedurally precise filings and arguments are consistent with the expectations of a judge who practiced in the same courts she now presides over. Her background at plaintiff-oriented civil litigation firms, including her affiliation with the Consumer Attorneys of California's Women's Caucus, reflects familiarity with plaintiff-side civil advocacy. Attorneys on both sides of civil disputes should be prepared to address the practical realities of litigation — damages, discovery disputes, and case management — with specificity rather than abstraction. Because no ruling data or attorney observations are currently available, attorneys should not draw firm conclusions about her tendencies on specific motion types, evidentiary rulings, or settlement posture from this profile alone. Direct research into her current department's standing orders, local rules compliance requirements, and any publicly available tentative ruling records from the Stanley Mosk Courthouse is strongly advised before any appearance.

• critical

  Review Department Standing Orders and Local Rules

  No ruling data is available to identify Judge Kaufman's specific procedural preferences. Attorneys must independently obtain and review her department's standing orders and any supplemental local rules at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse before filing or appearing.

• critical

  Research Tentative Ruling Records

  Check the Los Angeles Superior Court's online tentative ruling system for Judge Kaufman's department to identify any available rulings that can inform motion strategy and argument framing.

• important

  Prepare Procedurally Precise Filings

  Given her extensive civil litigation background in state and federal courts, ensure all filings strictly comply with procedural requirements, page limits, formatting rules, and citation standards.

• important

  Gather Peer Intelligence from Practitioners

  Because no attorney observations are available in this profile, consult colleagues who have appeared before Judge Kaufman to supplement this data-limited profile with firsthand courtroom experience.

• important

  Prepare Substantive Civil Litigation Arguments

  Her career focused on civil litigation in state and federal courts. Arguments should be grounded in substantive legal analysis and practical litigation realities rather than purely abstract legal theory.

• ›Comply strictly with all procedural and filing requirements — her background as a civil litigator in the same court system means procedural missteps are unlikely to go unnoticed.
• ›Be prepared to address practical litigation issues such as discovery, damages, and case management with specificity, consistent with the expectations of a judge who handled these matters as a practitioner.
• ›Review and follow the Stanley Mosk Courthouse department-specific standing orders before any appearance, as local compliance requirements vary by department.
• ›Treat courtroom time efficiently — a judge with decades of litigation experience is familiar with how long arguments and presentations should take.