Hon. Candace Cooper (Ret.) has nearly three decades of judicial experience and has earned a reputation as a highly accomplished judge with a common sense approach to resolving disputes. Justice Cooper brings an ideal temperament and a wealth of legal expertise in handling complex, often highly publicized cases.

She served for nine years on the California Court of Appeal, Second District, most recently as Presiding Justice of Division Eight from 2001-2008, and as a Superior and Municipal Court judge prior to that. Justice Cooper has also served on the Los Angeles Superior Court for 12 years, handling a variety of assignments, ranging from court management, civil master calendar and civil trials to felony criminal and death penalty trials to juvenile dependency and delinquency.

During her noteworthy career, Justice Cooper has also made tremendous contributions to the legal community through her dedicated involvement in educational and professional associations. She served as president of the California Judges Association from 1988-1989. She was the second African-American, as well as the second woman, to head the nearly 2,000-member voluntary professional association representing all judicial officers throughout the state from the California Supreme Court to the remaining Justice Courts.

Justice Cooper also served as a faculty member for the Continuing Judicial Studies Program, the Judicial College and the New Judges Orientation, teaching courses in evidence, jury selection, fairness and elimination of bias.

Representative Matters

• Arbitration
• Unconscionability
• Required disclosures for binding arbitration agreements
• Scope of arbitrator power
• Action to enforce arbitration award
• Attorney Fees
• Award of experts witness fees against municipality
• Award of attorney fees against board of homeowners association
• Attorney fees under Intervenor Compensation Provisions
• Determination of prevailing party
• Attorney Malpractice
• Companion malicious prosecution case
• CEQA / Class Action Litigation
• Class certification
• Commercial/Business Litigation
• Contract interpretation
  • Course of performance
  • Implied-in-fact contracts
    • Ownership of employee inventions
• Contract performance
  • Exclusive distribution rights
• Misappropriation
• Intellectual Property
• Conflict of Laws / Discovery Disputes
• Scope
  • Privacy
  • Trade secrets
  • Attorney-client privilege
  • Clergy-penitent privilege
• Sealing and protective orders
• Construction
• Construction Services Licensing Law
• Construction defect
• Election Law
• Compliance with Election Code
  • Ballot requirements
• Initiative requirements
  • Revision vs. amendment of State Constitution
  • “Single Issue” limitation
• Employment Law
• FEHA
  • Wrongful termination/employment discrimination
  • Attorney fee awards
  • Expert fee awards
• B&P 1700
• Workers compensation
  • Unreasonable delay
• Wage & Hour
• Family Law
• Professional goodwill as community asset
• “In Kind” property division
• Foreign Judgment
• Uniform Foreign Money Judgments Recognition Act
  • Finality of foreign judgment
  • Public policy
• Insurance
• Coverage
  • “Duty to defend”
  • Excess policy coverage
  • Subrogation
• Liability
• Intellectual Property
• Unauthorized commercial appropriation of name, photo or likeness
• Right of publicity/right of privacy
• Copyright Act
• Uniform Trade Secrets Act
• Misappropriation of patents/trademarks
• Licensing
• Infringement
• Agreement to disclose abstract idea
• Good will
• Medical Malpractice
• Standard of care
• Statute of limitations
• Negligence
• Existence of duty
• Assumption of risk
• Probate
• Creditor claim vs. will challenge
• Product Liability
• Design defect/manufacturing defect
• Failure to warn
• Real Property
• Premises liability
  • Dangerous condition
• Condominium association
  • Interpretation of CC&Rs
  • Liability of homeowners association board
• Escrow
  • Misappropriation of trust assets by escrow agent officers and employees
• Subdivision and Map Acts
• Landlord-tenant
• Statuses of Limitation
• Delayed discovery
• Water Law
• Allocation of storage space in Central Basin water resource
• Wrongful Death
• Responsibility of amusement park as “common carrier”

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

• Honoree, National Bar Association Hall of Fame, 2015
• Roger J. Traynor Memorial Award, Appellate Justice of the Year, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, 2003
• Bernard S. Jefferson Judge of the Year Award, California Association of Black Lawyers, 2002
• Crystal Heart Award, Loved Ones of Homicide Victims, 2000
• Justice Joan Dempsey Klein Distinguished Judge Award, California Women Lawyers, 1997
• Alumni Merit Award, University of Southern California, General Alumni Association, 1994
• Outstanding Trial Jurist, Los Angeles County Bar Association, 1992-1993
• Criminal Court Judge of the Year, Century City Bar Association, 1992
• Silver Achievement Award, Los Angeles Y.W.C.A., 1991
• Superior Court Judge of the Year, Los Angeles County Bar Association Criminal Justice Section, 1990
• Ernestine Stalhut Award, Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, 1989
• Board of Councilors, University of Southern California Law Center, 1997-present; Chair, 2001–2003; Vice-Chair, 1999-2000; General Alumni Association; Board of Directors, 1995
• Judicial Council Select Committee on Judicial Retirement, 1993
• The State Bar of California: Commission on the Future of the Legal Profession and the State Bar, 1992-1995
• Judicial Council Advisory Committee on Racial and Ethnic Bias in the Courts, 1991-1997
• Judicial Council Advisory Committee on Private Judges, 1989-1990
• ABA Advisory Committee for "Understanding the Courts" Videotape Project, 1988-1990
• President, California Judges Association, 1988-1989; Executive Committee, 1987-1988; Chairperson, Annual Meetings Seminar Committee, 1986
• Municipal Court Judges Association, Planning & Research Advisory Committee, 1984-1987; Marshal's Committee, 1982
• Board Member, LAC/USC Institutional Review Board, 1981-1988
• Life Member, National Bar Association, 1980-present
• Member, Los Angeles County Bar Association, 1974-present
• Panelist, California State Bar Association Annual Meeting, 1998, 2008
• Lecturer, Los Angeles County Bar Association, 2004
• Lecturer, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, 2003
• Lecturer, California Statewide Conference on Race and Ethnic Bias in the Court, 2002
• Lecturer, Judicial College, 1981, 1982, 1987, 2002 (Bernard Witkin Lecture)
• Faculty, Continuing Judicial Studies Program (CJSP) 1982, 1984, 1986, 1998
• Lecturer, Continuing Education of the Bar, 1992, 1994, 1996
• Lecturer, Center for Judicial Education and Research (CJER), 1981-1982
• Received comprehensive training in JAMS in-house Entertainment Law workshops including, but not limited to:
  • “Net Profits and New Media: The Future of Entertainment Litigation”
  • "Legal Issues and Developments in Video Game Law"

ADR Profiles

• "Knack for Settlements," ADR Profile, Daily Journal, January 27, 2017
• "Minority Powerbrokers Q&A Series with Justice Candace Cooper," Law360, November 5, 2014
• "Peacekeeping and Persistence," ADR Profile, Daily Journal, August 21, 2009

Background and Education

• Presiding Justice, California Court of Appeal, Second District, Division Eight, 2001-2008
• Associate Justice, California Court of Appeal, Second District, Division Two, 1999-2001
• Judge, Los Angeles County Superior Court, 1987-1998
• Judge, Los Angeles Municipal Court, 1980-1987
• Associate, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, 1974-1980
• Summer Associate, O’Melveny & Myers, 1972
• Law Clerk, Occidental Petroleum Oil Company, 1971
• J.D., University of Southern California, Gould School of Law, 1973
• B.A., University of Southern California, 1970