Countywide : Superior Court Judge Takes Oath

Surrounded by law partners, family and Ventura County judges, a Westlake attorney took an oath Friday to become Ventura County’s newest Superior Court judge.

Richard Dennis Aldrich, 52, viewed as one of the top trial lawyers in the state, took the oath to fill the Superior Court seat vacated last month when Gov. George Deukmejian elevated Judge Kenneth R. Yegan to the state 2nd District Court of Appeal’s 6th Division.

After being sworn in by Superior Court Presiding Judge Edwin M. Osborne, Aldrich received congratulations from his wife, Joan, court staff and his fellow judges.

“I’ve been asked many times since the governor called me why I wanted to be a judge of the court,” Aldrich said in a brief speech.

Through 27 years as a lawyer, Aldrich said, “I felt I’ve gained more than I could ever give back, but I felt it was time to give something back. . . . I felt I could dispense justice fairly and that’s what I promise I will do.”

Aldrich said in an interview he is slightly nervous, but “very excited and elated” about his new post, which carries a $96,344 annual salary. He said he will take the bench sometime in the next three weeks, as soon as he closes up his civil practice in Westlake.

Deukmejian’s decision to pass over local prosecutors and Municipal Court judges in favor of Aldrich surprised many in the Ventura County legal community. The governor has chosen eight assistant prosecutors, one public defender and only two civil attorneys to fill the 11 municipal and superior court judgeships that opened up during his 8-year administration.

Aldrich, a graduate of the UCLA Law School and the father of three, was recently named 1990 California trial lawyer of the year by the American Board of Trial Advocates, and California Lawyer magazine listed him as one of the state’s most respected lawyers.

He has specialized in general civil litigation, including business fraud, attorney malpractice, medical malpractice and personal injury.