LOS ANGELES, May 16, 2024 – Judicate West, one of California’s leading providers of private dispute resolution services, has added Judge Yvette M. Palazuelos, formerly of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, to its roster of neutrals. Judge Palazuelos is based out of the Los Angeles office and is available statewide as a mediator, arbitrator, and private judge.
“We are thrilled to offer Judge Palazuelos’ services at Judicate West. There isn’t much she hasn’t seen over her 24 years on the bench, especially when you consider her time as a prosecutor and litigator too,” said Var Fox, Executive Vice President and Co-Founder of Judicate West. “Judge Palazuelos is effective at resolving disputes justly and expeditiously, while also exhibiting a blend of calm, diligence and patience that parties can feel in settlement proceedings. Throughout her highly decorated judicial career, she has been an influential member of the Los Angeles legal community, and because of her track record and golden personality, we expect that she will be welcomed by clients with open arms.”
Judge Palazuelos was appointed to the Superior Court bench in 2000, presiding over the individual civil calendar across all manner of civil matters, including Michael Jackson’s wrongful death lawsuit in 2013. Since 2019, she was tapped to exclusively preside over complex civil cases, including mass torts, class actions and business disputes. For the decade preceding her appointment, Judge Palazuelos served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, prosecuting all kinds of federal criminal matters. She began her career as a litigation associate, defending insurance companies.
Active in the legal community, Judge Palazuelos served on numerous committees for the Los Angeles Superior Court, including the Executive Committee and the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She is a trustee of the Mexican American Bar Foundation, served as a board member for the California Judges Association, and is a founder and past president of the Latino Lawyers Association. Judge Palazuelos received the “Presiding Judge’s Leadership Award” from the Los Angeles Superior Court in 2021; “Judge of the Year” awards from the Korean Community Lawyers Association in 2017 and the Mexican American Bar Association in 2014; and the “Francesca Flores Community Service Award” from the Latina Lawyers Bar Association in 2016.
Judge Palazuelos taught trial advocacy and civil procedure at Southwestern Law School from 2014-2017, and she has served as a judge for the school’s moot court competition. She earned her J.D. from Columbia University (1987) and her B.A. from Stanford University (1984).
