--- title: "Joseph M. Lipner | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/joseph-m-lipner" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Joseph M. Lipner Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles · Civil Trial Judge eligible for trial assignment from Department 1, Stanley Mosk Courthouse, Department 731 ## Profile - Court: Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles - State: California - Role: Civil Trial Judge eligible for trial assignment from Department 1, Stanley Mosk Courthouse, Department 731 - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-28 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, 2018-present - Los Angeles County Superior Court, having been appointed in 2018 by former Governor Jerry Brown to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Judge Carol B. Goodson (Ret.),. - He then joined Irell & Manella LLP in Los Angeles, becoming a partner in 1996 and serving until his judicial appointment in 2018 - He clerked for Justice Ruth I. Abrams at the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court from 1988 to 1989 ### Education - magna cum laude — Harvard University — 1988 - J.D. magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1988. - Lipner graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in English and literature from Yeshiva University in 1985 ### Additional information - He is a registered Democrat and has been re-elected to his position without appearing on the ballot in 2026. - In 2023, he recused himself from the high-profile Measure ULA transfer tax lawsuit due to a potential conflict of interest stemming from his prior work at Irell & Manella, which represented a party in the case The Real Deal. - Judge Lipner presides over a variety of cases in Los Angeles County, including administrative mandamus and civil litigation. - He continues to handle other significant cases in the county court system. - After his clerkship, Lipner held a position as a litigation associate for Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz, assisting in criminal and civil appeals. - During his tenure, he chaired the firm’s appellate practice group and ethics committee and litigated cases at both state and federal levels. - He has also lectured on professional responsibility, legal ethics, and intellectual property law at UCLA School of Law and USC Gould School of Law. ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### small claims digital evidence Scope: courtwide For Los Angeles Small Claims matters, the court provides a system to upload, exchange, view, and present evidence for a hearing. Evidence excerpt: allows Small Claims litigants to upload, share, view, and present evidence for a specific hearing [Los Angeles Superior Court Digital Evidence System](https://www.lacourt.org/digitalevidence/) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### small claims evidence exchange Scope: courtwide Los Angeles Small Claims parties must upload evidence and share it with other parties at least ten days before the hearing. Evidence excerpt: Upload their evidence to the Court's Digital Evidence System (DES) ... at least ten (10) days prior to the scheduled hearing date and share the evidence with the other party or parties [Second Amended Standing Order re Evidence Exchange, 2024-SJ-006-00](https://lascpubstorage.blob.core.windows.net/cpw/LIBOPSSmallClaims-21-2024-SJ-006-00-2ndAmendedStandingOrderReEvidenceExchange.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### audiovisual evidence Scope: statewide A party offering an electronic sound or sound-and-video recording must provide the court and opposing parties a transcript and provide opposing parties a duplicate of the recording. Evidence excerpt: the party must provide to the court and to opposing parties a transcript of the electronic recording and provide opposing parties with a duplicate of the electronic recording [California Rule 2.1040, Electronic recordings presented or offered into evidence](https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/two/rule2_1040) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### remote proceedings Scope: statewide California courts should permit remote participation in covered civil proceedings, subject to the statute, local rules, and controlling orders. Evidence excerpt: courts should permit parties to appear remotely at conferences, hearings, and proceedings in civil cases consistent with Code of Civil Procedure section 367.75 [California Rule 3.672, Remote proceedings](https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/three/rule3_672) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### remote participants and witnesses Scope: statewide Covered civil parties and witnesses may appear remotely, and the court may conduct proceedings in whole or in part using remote technology. Evidence excerpt: that party or witness may appear remotely and the court may conduct conferences, hearings, and proceedings, in whole or in part, through the use of remote technology [California Code of Civil Procedure section 367.75](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=367.75.&lawCode=CCP) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### recording and broadcasting Scope: statewide Court proceedings may not be photographed, recorded, or broadcast except as Rule 1.150 permits. Evidence excerpt: Except as provided in this rule, court proceedings may not be photographed, recorded, or broadcast. [California Rule 1.150, Photographing, recording, and broadcasting in court](https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/one/rule1_150) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### expedited jury trial presentations Scope: statewide In expedited jury trials, parties may use slides, electronic presentations, projections, exhibit notebooks, and other methods approved at the pretrial conference. Evidence excerpt: the parties may present summaries and may use photographs, diagrams, slides, electronic presentations, overhead projections, individual notebooks of exhibits for submission to the jurors, or other innovative methods of presentation approved at the pretrial conference [California Rule 3.1551, Case presentation](https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/three/rule3_1551) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### expedited jury trial pretrial agreements Scope: statewide Voluntary expedited jury trial submissions must identify party agreements concerning electronic presentations and other proposed presentation methods. Evidence excerpt: Any agreements of the parties to use photographs, diagrams, slides, electronic presentations, overhead projections, notebooks of exhibits, or other methods of presenting information to the jury [California Rule 3.1548, Pretrial submissions for voluntary expedited jury trials](https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/three/rule3_1548) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### exhibit admission Scope: statewide An exhibit must be admitted by the judge before it may be used in the case. Evidence excerpt: The judge must to allow you to admit the exhibit as evidence in order for you to use it in your case. [How to introduce exhibits at a trial](https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/how-introduce-exhibits-trial) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://lascpubstorage.blob.core.windows.net/cpw/LIBOPSCivil-133-JudgesHearingCivilTrialsAssignedfromDepartment1.pdf) - [Official roster](https://lascpubstorage.blob.core.windows.net/cpw/LIBOPSCivil-133-JudgesHearingCivilTrialsAssignedfromDepartment1.pdf) - [Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles official judicial roster](https://lascpubstorage.blob.core.windows.net/cpw/LIBOPSCivil-133-JudgesHearingCivilTrialsAssignedfromDepartment1.pdf) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/14247/joseph-mark-lipner/) - [General Order for Assignment of Personal Injury Cases](https://lascpubstorage.blob.core.windows.net/cpw/LIBOPSCivil-119-GeneralOrderReAssignmentandTransferofPersonalInjuryCases%28EffectiveMay17%2C2024%29.pdf) - [Stanley Mosk Courthouse Department Renumbering](https://www.lacourt.ca.gov/pages/lp/courthouse-department-renumbering) - [California Rule 2.1040, Electronic recordings presented or offered into evidence](https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/two/rule2_1040) - [California Rule 3.672, Remote proceedings](https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/three/rule3_672) - [California Code of Civil Procedure section 367.75](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=367.75.&lawCode=CCP) - [California Rule 1.150, Photographing, recording, and broadcasting in court](https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/one/rule1_150) - [California Rule 3.1551, Case presentation](https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/three/rule3_1551) - [California Rule 3.1548, Pretrial submissions for voluntary expedited jury trials](https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/three/rule3_1548) - [How to introduce exhibits at a trial](https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/how-introduce-exhibits-trial) - [Los Angeles Superior Court Digital Evidence System](https://www.lacourt.org/digitalevidence/) - [Second Amended Standing Order re Evidence Exchange, 2024-SJ-006-00](https://lascpubstorage.blob.core.windows.net/cpw/LIBOPSSmallClaims-21-2024-SJ-006-00-2ndAmendedStandingOrderReEvidenceExchange.pdf) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/14247/joseph-mark-lipner/) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/joseph-m-lipner", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/joseph-m-lipner", "name": "Joseph M. 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[Official source](https://courts.ca.gov/system/files?file=file/roc-title-3_3.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [California Criminal Rules](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-f6b70a7925331d01ac4f3da8) — Criminal proceedings only. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://courts.ca.gov/system/files?file=file/roc-title-4.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [California Family and Juvenile Rules](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-b35daaa50a3da8133dcea76d) — Family and juvenile proceedings only; a general Superior Court assignment does not establish a personal family/juvenile assignment. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://courts.ca.gov/system/files?file=file/roc-title-5_3.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [California Probate Rules and Mental Health Rules](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-7c869f3fd279fe758c2d41be) — Probate and mental health proceedings only; a general Superior Court assignment does not establish a personal probate assignment. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://courts.ca.gov/system/files?file=file/roc-title-7.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [California Rule 2.1040, Electronic recordings presented or offered into evidence](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-cece5afa480bc6cbddca965c) — Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/two/rule2_1040). Collected 2026-07-26. - [California Code of Civil Procedure section 367.75](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-e40ba2699f4d3d815dac46ca) — Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=367.75.&lawCode=CCP). Collected 2026-07-26. - [California Rule 1.150, Photographing, recording, and broadcasting in court](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-e59897426ff892cfcd8e0103) — Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://courts.ca.gov/cms/rules/index/one/rule1_150). Collected 2026-07-26.