Another vacancy on the Santa Barbara County Superior Court bench has been filled by a veteran civil attorney.
Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Karen A. O’Neil, of Santa Barbara County, to serve as a judge.
O’Neil has been president and managing shareholder since 2017 at Kirk & Simas PLC, where she held several positions from 2011 to 2017, including shareholder and associate.
At Kirk & Simas, she has led the firm’s civil litigation and employment law departments.
She also has municipal and public agency law experience, with a niche emphasis on advising and representing public cemetery districts throughout the state.
She previously was an associate and then partner at Twitchell and Rice LLP from 2003 to 2011.
O’Neil was an associate at global firm Littler Mendelson PC from 2002 to 2003, and at O’Brien, Watters & Davis LLP from 2000 to 2002.
She earned a juris doctor degree from the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law, and a bachelor’s degree in political science from San Diego State University.
O’Neil, a Democrat, will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Timothy J. Staffel, who announced his planned departure last summer but has continued to fill in due the backlog of cases stacked up due to the pandemic.
This is the third judicial appointment to fill vacancies in Santa Barbara County in recent months.
In October, the governor appointed Stephen Foley and Denise Hippach to seats.
Foley had been elected to fill retired Judge James Voysey’s seat so the appointment allowed the new judge to step into the role a few months early.
Hippach, who was sworn in Oct. 31, filled the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge James Herman.
Another Santa Barbara County attorney, Catherine Swysen, was appointed to the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court bench.
Santa Barbara County still has at least two judicial seats to fill since Judge Arthur Garcia, who most recently presided over Santa Maria Juvenile Court cases, retired late last year. Judge Gustavo Lavayen has been handling those cases.
Judge Brian Hill, who has served in Santa Barbara, also has retired, although he continues to hear some cases.
Hill’s departure will mean Von Deroian, most recently assigned to Lompoc Superior Court, will move back to hearing cases in Santa Barbara. Foley will begin hearing cases in Lompoc.