Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Donna Geck will receive the Deborah Talmage Attorney of the Year Award at the Santa Barbara Women Lawyers annual dinner Dec. 12 at the Canary Hotel.
Each year, this honor is bestowed on an outstanding legal professional who is dedicated to the success of women, mentors her colleagues and other women, committed to the highest level of ethics, has achieved professional excellence and who is committed to the Santa Barbara community.
Judge Geck excels on every point. She was appointed to the bench in June 2010. She originally handled criminal arraignments in Department 8 and currently presides over a civil calendar in Department 4.
Before her elevation to the bench, Judge Geck was licensed to practice in four states, including North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and California. She was a partner at the Santa Barbara firm of Hager & Dowling with a civil litigation practice including jury trials, court trials, arbitrations and mediations.
Geck was the first female president of the local California Coast Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates. She was also a board certified as a civil trial specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.
Geck also has enriched the Santa Barbara community as a whole. She continues to serve as a Teen Court judge, a program she has supported for many years. She is a former Santa Barbara Women Lawyers Board member, has served as a settlement master for the Superior Court and is a master at the William L. Gordon Inns of Court.
Additionally, Geck has positively impacted the lives and careers of many colleagues and other women lawyers in the community. She has steadfastly mentored and encouraged other lawyers to pursue their professional and personal goals.
“Judge Geck is not only someone I look up to as a role model for my legal education and career, but also is an amazing woman in general,” a former colleague said. “I feel extremely grateful to have met Judge Geck and learn and work with her over the years.”
Geck has also firmly supported Santa Barbara Women Lawyers and other legal organizations in Santa Barbara and richly deserves the Deborah Talmage Attorney of the Year Award.
— Angela Roach represents Santa Barbara Women Lawyers.