SAN DIEGO, March 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Judicate West, one of California’s leading providers of private dispute resolution services, has added retired San Diego County Superior Court Judge James A. Mangione to its roster of neutrals. He is now available statewide as a mediator, arbitrator and private judge.
“After four and a half decades of combined legal experience, Judge Mangione has seen just about everything possible for a lawyer and a jurist. He has a stellar reputation with both plaintiffs and defense attorneys from his tremendous experience as a trial lawyer, working on both sides of the bar, and as a judge, overseeing all kinds of family and civil matters,” said Mark Kaufman, Executive Vice President of Market Development at Judicate West. “Judge Mangione is a staple in the San Diego legal community, and he is a total culture fit here at Judicate West. We are excited to welcome him and his well-rounded expertise to our roster, and we think our clients will find him to be a terrific neutral.”
Judge Mangione spent more than a decade on the San Diego County Superior Court bench, serving in both the family and civil courts and presiding over matters including personal injury, employment, family law and business litigation. Before his appointment to the bench in 2015, Judge Mangione spent 34 years representing both plaintiffs and defendants in civil litigation. He began his career as a partner at Mitchell & Mangione in 1981, where he practiced for 13 years. He then handled insurance matters at Luna Brownwood & Rice for five years. Following a three-year period leading his own private practice, the Law Offices of James A. Mangione, he joined Wingert Grebing Brubaker & Walshok LLP as a partner, a position he held until his appointment to the bench.
Judge Mangione has been a member of the San Diego Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) since 1998, serving as president of the chapter’s board of directors in 2018. He has been a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers since 2015. In 2025, Judge Mangione was named “Judge of the Year” by the San Diego Defense Lawyers. He was also a board member of Defenders Inc. and served as president of the board in 2015. He was recognized by The Best Lawyers in America from 2003-2015. Judge Mangione earned his J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law (1981) and his B.A. from the University of California, San Diego (1977). Since 2005, he has taught trial skills as an adjunct professor at California Western School of Law.
About Judicate West
For more than 30 years, Judicate West has been one of California’s leading providers of private dispute resolution services with a distinguished roster of proven neutrals, including retired state and federal court judges plus professional attorney mediators and arbitrators from a wide variety of practice areas. Founded in 1993, the firm prides itself on maintaining the utmost integrity in delivering innovative solutions to all types of civil disputes. The firm’s successful formula involves top-tier neutrals, a great company culture and an experienced team of ADR professionals dedicated to delivering gold standard service in alternative dispute resolution (ADR).
Contact:
Melody Kleiman
Judicate West
(714) 852-5189
melody@judicatewest.com
