Judge Rachel Juarez

Biography

Judge Rachel Juarez serves as one of three judges on CBS Media Ventures’ Emmy-nominated syndicated court show HOT BENCH, created by Judge Judy Sheindlin. Now in its 10^th season, HOT BENCH is the #1syndicated court show in original production, averaging nearly two million viewers. It ranks in the top 10 first-run shows in all of syndication, and delivers the sixth most loyal audience in syndication, with 26% of its audience watching the show at least three times a week.

A Los Angeles native, Juarez is a graduate of Yale University and Stanford Law School.  Following graduation from Stanford Law School, Juarez joined litigation powerhouse Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP, where she gained considerable experience in all aspects of complex civil litigation with a specific emphasis in trial work. 

In the early years of her career, Juarez participated in several high-profile trials and other matters, representing clients such as Google, Samsung, Mattel, and Trust Company of the West (TCW).  In 2016, Juarez co-founded a family law practice specializing in the representation of high net worth and high-income individuals in complex divorce and other family law matters. After several years of managing her own law firm, Juarez was appointed to serve as a Temporary Judge by the Los Angeles County Superior Court Temporary Judge Program.

Juarez’s unique talent and passion for trial advocacy has led to significant success in the courtroom.  As a business litigator, family law litigator, and volunteer prosecutor, Juarez has successfully first-chaired jury trials, non-jury trials, and arbitrations; her nuanced understanding of both trial strategy and trial procedure have enabled her to seamlessly integrate preparation for a possible trial into all aspects of her cases. Juarez has been named a Super Lawyers “Rising Star” each of the last six years. She is also a graduate of the Los Angeles County Bar Association's “Trial Advocacy Project” (TAP), making her eligible to serve as a volunteer prosecutor for prosecutorial agencies across the City of Los Angeles. Through the TAP program, Juarez spent considerable time working with the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office to prosecute misdemeanor jury trials, gaining further experience in everything from jury selection through verdict.

Since the beginning of her career, Juarez has devoted a considerable amount of time to educating and training up-and-coming attorneys and to giving back to both the legal and non-legal communities. While at Yale and Stanford, Juarez enjoyed tremendous success in trial advocacy competitions, winning both individual awards and major tournaments at every level of national competition. Armed with that experience, she spent several years as Head Coach (and, later, Attorney Coach) for the undergraduate Stanford University Mock Trial team, which grew to prominence as a top-ten nationally ranked program by the end of her time leading the program. Juarez also mentored, coached, and trained law students in both trial and appellate advocacy, serving as both President and Training Director of the Stanford Law School Mock Trial team and as the Vice President of the Marion Kirkwood Moot Court program. 

Juarez also spent significant time during her law school career working as a student advocate through the Stanford Three Strikes Project (Criminal Defense Clinic) at the Mills Legal Clinic, where she represented clients facing conviction or seeking to appeal convictions under California’s Three Strikes law.  

Most recently, Juarez was appointed as a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s President’s Advisory Committee on Women in the Legal Profession, where she works with other attorneys to support and promote the full participation of women lawyers in the legal profession.

Juarez resides in Los Angeles with her husband Rob, three children and stepdaughter.

HOT BENCH is an Emmy-nominated syndicated court show, created by Judge Judy Sheindlin and executive produced by David Theodosopoulos. Belinda Jackson and James Glover are co-executive producers. Yodit Tewolde, Rachel Juarez and Michael Corriero comprise the three-judge panel. HOT BENCH is produced by Big Ticket Pictures and Queen Bee Productions. It is distributed by CBS Media Ventures.

PRESS CONTACT:

Lindsay Colker

Elevate Communications

lindsay@elevateprco.com