Family-Law Lawyer Seeks Judgeship

Family-law attorney Cathleen Drury on Friday declared her candidacy for the Superior Court seat held by suspended Judge Robert Bradley and already sought by a top county prosecutor.

The announcement of Drury, 46, that she will run to replace Bradley--who was arrested twice in a month on suspicion of drunk driving--sets up a race between civil lawyer Drury and chief Assistant Dist. Atty. Kevin McGee.

McGee, 44, announced his candidacy Wednesday, coming to the race with the backing of the county’s top law-enforcement officers--Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury, Sheriff Larry Carpenter and the chiefs of police in Oxnard, Ventura, Simi Valley and Santa Paula.

But Drury says the Ventura County bench is already packed with law-and-order judges who are former prosecutors, and needs more civil lawyers. Her election would also bring more gender balance to the bench, because only four of 27 judges presiding over the Municipal and Superior courts are women, Drury said.

“Law and order is only a piece of what goes on in the courts, and it’s not the majority piece,� she said. “Most citizens in this county are going to have an experience with the legal system in a civil matter and most likely a family-law matter.�

The problem is that local judges--unlike those in some larger jurisdictions--have no family-law experience, she said. They don’t like the assignment and rotate out of the family-law court regularly, never acquiring a true expertise in the difficult matters of divorce and child custody, she said.

“Family law is still treated like a second-class citizen in Ventura County,� Drury said. “Judges don’t want to be there. And that does families a disservice.�

Civil attorney David Shain, president of the Ventura County Bar Assn. in 1996, said Drury’s message resonates with many local lawyers. Indeed, officials estimate that about 90% of the members of the 1,100-lawyer local bar are civil lawyers and at least 25% are women.

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“The governor has appointed a couple of civil lawyers lately, but I think diversity and balance are important to any bench,� Shain said.

Shain supported Drury when she ran a longshot race for a judgeship against former Chief Deputy Dist. Atty. Donald Coleman in 1996 and got 43% of the vote.

“Cathleen is someone I’ve supported before, and I think she would be a great judge,� Shain said. “Kevin McGee is well-respected and would make a fine judge. But I would like to see more civil judges, and it’s important that we get more women on the court.�

Whether lawyer endorsements carry any clout is another matter. In 1994, the bar supported defense attorney James Farley 3 to 1, but Assistant Dist. Atty. Colleen Toy White won in a landslide. The bar decided to forgo an endorsement in the Drury-Coleman race, Shain said, and may decide to pass this time too.

On the other hand, those endorsed by Bradbury have either won at the polls or gained appointments from the governor. Only in the last couple of years, when the local bar has pushed strongly for civil lawyers, has Gov. Pete Wilson overlooked candidates supported by Bradbury.

Drury said she realizes that she will be considered an underdog. But she thinks her 1996 race struck a cord with many people and that she will be successful this time.

She describes McGee as only “the latest in a long line of district attorney candidates,� and said: “It’s important to have a law-and-order county, but it’s also important to have a family-oriented county. This race is about who brings what experience to the bench.�

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McGee, a 1979 graduate of Loyola Law School, was a civil lawyer for 2 1/2 years before joining the district attorney’s office in 1982, where he rose through the ranks handling misdemeanor and sexual assault cases. He became a supervisor in 1988 and succeeded White as Bradbury’s top assistant in 1994.

Drury, on the other hand, practiced criminal law for three years after graduating from La Verne College of Law in 1983. Based in Thousand Oaks, she has concentrated primarily on family law since then.

She is president of the East County Bar Assn., a member of the board of directors of the county bar association and has served as a temporary judge on both the Municipal and Superior courts.

A third veteran lawyer, Deputy Public Defender Gary Windom, has also said he may run for the Bradley seat, and his announcement is expected next week. The filing deadline is Feb. 4.

It is not clear whether Bradley, 56, will seek reelection, although his candidacy seems highly unlikely.

A judge since 1983, he had declared himself a candidate for a third six-year Superior Court term Jan. 8, just days after leaving a monthlong rehabilitation program. He was then cited for drunk driving a second time. His attempt to work his way out of the crisis was cut short when he was suspended last week for apparently showing up for work under the influence of alcohol.

So far, the judge has not declared himself out of the race. His attorney, George Eskin, has said Bradley is concentrating on getting well.

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Both Drury and McGee said they will run even if Bradley decides to seek reelection.

Drury had refused to run against Bradley despite his two drunk-driving arrests, but she said her reservations disappeared when he was suspended.

“I do have great respect for Bob Bradley and wish him well,� she said. “But at that point it became a credibility thing. Judges are supposed to avoid even the appearance of impropriety.�

Like McGee, Drury said she has raised no money for the spring campaign. She said it will take at least $50,000 to do it right.

This year, nine judgeships are up for grabs and will be on the June 2 ballot, if contested. Candidates must declare their intention to run between Jan. 26 and Feb. 4 to qualify in the race for four $107,390-a-year Superior Court positions. Five Municipal Court posts, which pay $98,100 a year, are also available.

In all, there are 15 judges on the Superior Court and 12 on the Municipal Court.