Jurist in Residence
- JD, Georgetown University Law Center
- BA, University of Southern California
Judge Taylor was appointed to the Superior Court of the State of California, County of San Diego, on January 20, 2005 by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. He practiced law with Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton from 1984 until he was appointed to the bench, having been elected a partner in the Firm’s Trial Practice Group in 1991. During his 20+ years with Sheppard Mullin, he served as chairman of the Firm’s Compensation Committee, and was instrumental in the establishment of the Firm’s office in Washington, D.C. While in practice, he served as counsel of record in the following reported cases:
In Re Southwest Aircraft Services, 53 B.R. 805 (C.D. Cal. 1985) (environmental); Kelly v. William Morrow & Co., 186 Cal. App. 3d 1625 (1986) (libel); S.E.C. v. Hardy, 803 F. 2d 1034 (9th Cir. 1986) (securities); Lubin v. Sybedon Corp., 688 F. Supp. 1425 (S.D. Cal. 1988) (securities); Keith G. v. Bilbray, 43 Cal. Rptr. 2d 277 (1995) (civil rights); Dilley v. Gunn, 64 F. 3d 1365 (9th Cir. 1995) (civil rights); Hendricks v. Dynegy, 160 F. Supp. 2d 1155 (S.D. Cal. 2001) (antitrust); Molski v. Atlantic Richfield Company, 318 F.3d 937 (9th Cir. 2003) (civil rights); Padres L.P. v. Henderson, 114 Cal. App. 4th 495 (2003) (amicus curiae); California ex rel. Lockyer v. Dynegy, Inc., 375 F.3d 831 (2004) (antitrust).
Since his appointment to the bench, Judge Taylor has been assigned to handle criminal cases, family law cases, and civil cases. He has served in the Downtown, El Cajon, and Chula Vista courthouses. He presently has a civil trial assignment; this was preceded by 15 years in a civil independent calendar department. He was Civil Supervising Judge from 2013-2017. Judge Taylor was profiled in the Los Angeles Daily Journal on April 9, 2008 and March 23, 2017, and in the Voice of San Diego on April 12, 2013. He was re-elected without challenge in 2006, 2012 and 2018. He is a Senior Master of the Welsh Inn of Court; and he has served on the ABTL Board of Governors several times.
Areas of Expertise
California Civil Discovery Practice
Honors and Affiliations
Judge Taylor was a member of the California Bar, and was admitted to practice before all four United States District Courts in California, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States Supreme Court, and the U.S. Tax Court. He is also a member of the District of Columbia Bar. He was elected to the Board of Directors of the San Diego Bar Association, Fall 2004; Association of Business Trial Lawyers; Board of Directors, San Diego Region National Kidney Foundation (1988-91); Board of Directors, San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program (1989-1995); William B. Enright Chapter, American Inn of Court (1991-93); Chair, Trial Practice Subcommittee, CEB Joint Advisory Committee (1991-94); four time winner of Wiley Manual Award for pro bono legal services; San Diego County Bar Association Children at Risk Task Force (1996); Commissioner, State Bar Legal Services Trust Fund (1994-1996); State Bar Commission on Access to Justice (1997-1999); Southern District Lawyer Representative, 9th Circuit Judicial Conference (1999-2002).