2003-4-4

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Governor Davis Announces Appointment of Lawrence John Appel to the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda

Contact: James Brighton, Bureau Chief, Planning, Research and Court Services, Superior Court of California, County of Alameda at (510) 272-5093

Governor Gray Davis yesterday announced the appointment of Lawrence John Appel as a Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda.

Admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the California Supreme Court, the Fifth and Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and various United States District Courts, Mr. Appel is also a member of the Alameda and American Bar Associations and serves as President of Saint Mary's East Bay Scholarship Fund, a non-profit corporation based in Oakland that provides financial assistance to students attending Saint Mary's College.

Mr. Appel, 60, of Oakland, is a sole practitioner. His practice emphasizes complex civil litigation, including unfair trade practices, breach of contract, fraud, antitrust, defamation, securities and intellectual property disputes. He also has extensive experience with alternative dispute resolution testifying before the California Senate Judiciary Committee regarding arbitration reform. He previously worked with Joseph L. Alioto and the firm of Alioto & Alioto from 1969 to 1985, and as a sole practitioner from 1985 to 1999. From April 1999 to January 2001, he served as general counsel to a Silicon Valley company.

Married with four children, Mr. Appel resides in Oakland, California. Mr. Appel earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Saint Mary's College in 1964, and a Juris Doctor degree from Hastings Law School in 1969.

Mr. Appel will fill the vacancy created by the elevation of Judge Sandra Margulies to the Court of Appeal.