Hon. Ruth Kwan (Ret.)

  After more than four decades in the legal profession, including 31 years of judicial service, the Honorable Ruth Kwan (Ret.) brings extensive experience in civil litigation, trial risk, judicial decision-making, case management, and dispute resolution to her work as a mediator, arbitrator and referee.

Judge Kwan was appointed to the East Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1995 and elevated to the Los Angeles Superior Court in 1998, becoming only the second Chinese-American woman to serve on the California Superior Court bench. She spent the last 19 years of her judicial career presiding at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse.

Her civil experience is particularly substantial. Judge Kwan spent 14 years in an Independent Calendar Court, where she presided over business and commercial disputes, real estate matters, construction defect, insurance bad faith, personal injury matters including wrongful death and traumatic brain injury, sexual abuse, asbestos and products liability, and employment matters including class actions, PAGA, FEHA, and wage-and-hour claims. She later served in a Long Cause Civil Trial Court and also served as Assistant Supervising Judge of the Civil Division.