Sharon Baumgold

Sharon Baumgold is an expert in the arcane science of California appellate writs. She spent nearly four decades as a writs attorney on the California Court of Appeal’s Second District. There, she reviewed, analyzed, and advised appellate justices on more than 10,000 appellate writ petitions in all areas of state law, including arbitration, business and commercial litigation, employment, entertainment, government, insurance, real estate, and probate law. Frequent topics included jurisdiction, service of process, pleading, class certification, discovery (including e-records), expert witnesses, summary adjudication and summary judgment, attorney fees and costs, enforcement of judgment, and others.

She “wrote the book” on writs — literally. Sharon authors the Action Guide: Handling Civil Writs in the Courts of Appeal for California’s CEB, Continuing Education of the Bar, and has done so every year of publication since 1992, including the latest 2019 edition.

Sharon also writes and lectures widely on writ practice in California. She chaired the Appellate Courts Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association for two years. Sharon has presented on writs practice to the Los Angeles County Bar Association, California Center for Judicial Education and Research, Women Lawyers’ Association of Los Angeles, the Administrative Office of the Courts, and the Beverly Hills Bar Association, and other groups. In addition to her work for CEB, Sharon has published articles on writs for the Association of Business Trial Lawyers and in Los Angeles Lawyer.