The Honorable Kenneth J. Medel recently retired from the San Diego Superior Court after 14 years of judicial service. Judge Medel first worked as a San Diego County Deputy District attorney from 1980 to 1987, the last two years in the newly formed and innovative Gang Prosecution Unit, handling violent felony crimes committed by street gang members. The 40 jury trials he completed at the D.A.’s office, including two murder trials, formed the foundation for his life in trial thereafter, both as an attorney and a judge. 

In 1987, Judge Medel was lured away from the D.A.’s office by Ault, Midlam & Deuprey, a large San Diego civil litigation defense firm, where he was exposed to most areas of civil litigation. As an associate and then a partner, he focused primarily on defending healthcare practitioners in medical negligence cases, representing municipal police departments in civil rights cases, and defending entertainment businesses in general civil litigation. 

In 1997, Judge Medel started his own small firm with a partner which evolved into the Medel Law Firm a few years later with Judge Medel as its principal. With the support of three excellent associate attorneys, Judge Medel continued to represent doctors and other healthcare professionals in civil malpractice cases, assisted doctors as to California Medical Board disciplinary actions, defended entertainment venues and their security companies, and represented a local Indian Tribe in casino litigation. Over his 23 years as a civil attorney, Judge Medel tried 40 more jury trials. 

In 2010, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Judge Medel to the San Diego Superior Court bench. He was first assigned to a criminal misdemeanor arraignment department at the South County Courthouse but moved quickly to a criminal trial department. He feels his most important assignment was the four years he spent at Juvenile Court handling Dependency cases, helping children whose parents had lost the ability to care for them. 

Judge Medel will be most recognized for his eight years of presiding over civil litigation matters, for one year in the South County Courthouse, and for seven years in the Hall of Justice in downtown San Diego. Over that time, Judge Medel handled many high-profile cases including the NFL quarterback who sued his jeweler, the former mayor’s wife who sued the city after falling on a sidewalk, the San Diego restaurants and bars that challenged the governor over COVID restrictions,  the controversy over 4th of July fireworks over the sea lions in La Jolla, and the victims’ suit against a gun manufacturer and gun seller after shootings at a synagogue, to name a few. 

In addition to handling a full Independent Calendaring Department, Judge Medel was elected by his judicial colleagues to serve three consecutive terms on the Court’s Executive Committee. 

“Judge Kenneth Medel served our court with skill, enthusiasm, kindness, and strength for 14 years across Criminal, Juvenile Dependency, and Civil assignments. Judge Medel is known for his humor and professionalism throughout the many challenging cases that came before him. He cared deeply about his role as a judge and about the lawyers and parties who appeared before him,” said San Diego Superior Court Presiding Judge Maureen F. Hallahan. “Judge Medel was always prepared, patient, and strived to be fair, clear, and honest in his decision making. He served his peers on the Court’s Executive Committee and served his community through his annual involvement in the San Diego County High School Mock Trial Competition where he either coached a team or judged a trial. His enthusiasm for the law and the next generation of lawyers and judges was contagious. He made a lasting impact on our bench, and we will miss him greatly.”

Committed to trial practice, Judge Medel has enjoyed long associations with and served as president of the San Diego Inn of Court, the San Diego Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates, and the Louis Welsh Chapter of the American Inns of Court. He has routinely judged mock trial competitions at the high school, college and law school levels and was a founding father of the Patrick Henry High School Mock Trial Team where he coached for seven years. As an attorney, he was awarded “Attorney of the Year” by the San Diego Defense Lawyers Association and “Top Attorney” by the San Diego Daily Transcript. He was recently recognized as San Diego Consumer Lawyers “Judge of the Year” and the Welsh Inn of Court honored him by renaming an “Academy Awards-style” program recognition as the “Judge Kenneth J. Medel Award for Creativity.” 

“What an incredible privilege and rewarding experience it has been to serve our community, its litigants and attorneys, in what I, and many others, believe is the finest court in the State of California,” said Judge Medel. “My goals have been to pursue justice, adhere to the law, be true to who I am, make the legal process more enjoyable to all involved, and nurture the professionalism and collegiality of our close-knit San Diego legal community. I am hopeful that objectively, and in the eyes of those I served, that I met those aspirations.”

Judge Medel will continue to work in the legal community but delights at the prospect of spending more time, including more travel, with Debbie Medel, his wife of 43 years. He also hopes to advance his proficiency in guitar, piano, photography, and videography.