This live presentation will discuss how to respond to biased comments from the bench, coaching self-represented litigants who may hear biased comments, and how to make complaints following bias. The presentation will discuss recognizing and responding to bias in the courtroom. This webinar will be eligible for 1 hour of Recognition and Elimination of Bias MCLE credit.

Presented by Judge Erica Yew and Mr. Gregory Dresser.

Judge Erica R. Yew was appointed to the bench by Governor Gray Davis in 2001 and has since served on the Superior Court of Santa Clara County. Prior to joining the bench, Judge Yew spent many years as an attorney. She was president of the Asian Pacific Bar Association of Silicon Valley, served on the California State Bar Board of Trustees and Pro Bono Project of Silicon Valley, and provided leadership to the Asian Law Alliance, the Legal Aid Society, and the Silicon Valley Campaign for Legal Services. Judge Yew served a previous term on the Judicial Council from 2009 to 2012. She also served on the Commission on Judicial Performance and was appointed by the California Supreme Court to the Committee on Judicial Ethics Opinions in 2019. Additionally, Judge Yew has taught classes on judicial ethics, the elimination of bias in the court system, language access in the legal system, and the function and work of collaborative courts for a wide group of organizations, including the Judicial Council’s Center for Judicial Education and Research.

Gregory Dresser serves as Director-Chief Counsel of the California Commission on Judicial Performance. In this role, he oversees the intake and investigation of complaints and the commission examiner’s handling of formal proceedings. The Director-Chief Counsel is also the primary liaison between the commission and the judiciary, the public, and the media. Previously, Mr. Dresser has served as Interim Chief Trial Counsel for the State Bar. Before joining the State Bar, he was a litigation partner at Morrison & Foerster.