Case Manager: Christie Woo
Judge Miller graduated first in her class of 375 from Loyola Law School in 1979, summa cum laude with the highest grade-point average in the school’s history at that time. She was the Chief Articles Editor of the Loyola Law Review and published a comment.
Judge Miller was the recipient of the following awards for academic excellence: the Aggeler Award “for superior scholarship and noteworthy achievement,”; the J. Rex Dibble Honor Award; the Loyola Law School Scholarship for Excellence in the Study of Law; the Loyola Law School Scholarship for Academic Achievement and Financial Need; a Bancroft-Whitney Award; an American Judicature Society Award; and four American Jurisprudence Book Awards. She was also a member of the Alpha Sigma Nu Honor Society and the St. Thomas More Law Honor Society.
Judge Miller joined the Downtown Los Angeles firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson as an Associate upon graduation from law school in 1979 and was made a partner after five years. She remained at the firm until she was appointed to the bench in 2000.
Judge Miller specialized in complex civil litigation and had extensive experience in many areas, including legal malpractice, entertainment litigation, insurance coverage, insurance bad faith, commercial disputes, and land use litigation.
Judge, Los Angeles Superior Court, 2000-2018
Judge Miller was appointed to the bench by Governor Gray Davis in June 2000. For more than 14 years, she presided over an Independent Calendar general civil courtroom in Downtown Los Angeles. Previous judicial assignments included Limited Civil Jurisdiction, Misdemeanors, Traffic, and Proposition 36 (Drug) Court.
Trial Judge of the Year (2012), Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles
Justice Pro Tem, California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, 2009, 2013-2015
Judge Miller served as a Justice Pro Tem of the California Court of Appeal from 2013-2015 and for several months in 2009, hearing arguments and issuing opinions as a member of Division One of the 2nd Appellate District.
Judge Miller has served on several professional and community organizations, in the following capacities: member of the Executive Committee of the Court; editor for more than 10 years of Gavel to Gavel, a magazine published by and for bench officers of the Los Angeles Superior Court; member of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers’ Judicial Advisory Committee and the Board of Directors; founding member of the Loyola Law School Civil Justice Program; member of the Board of Directors of Family Assistance Involving the Homeless; member of the Standing Committee on Group Insurance of the State Bar of California; Secretary of the Human Rights Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association; member of the Board of Governors of Loyola Law School; member of the Board of Directors of the Cowboy Lawyers Association; and Judicial Advisor to the Civil Jury Project at NYU Law School.
For many years, Judge Miller served as Special Counsel to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors assisting the Board by investigating and participating in the publication of semi-annual public reports concerning the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The work involved evaluation of whether the department had implemented reforms designed to achieve gender neutrality in promotions, job assignments, and work evaluations. This necessarily also involved review of practices that might discriminate against other groups. The work also included investigation of incidents of sexual harassment and how the department performed in addressing these incidents and their root causes.
Judge Miller also served as a Hearing Examiner for the Los Angeles Police Department, adjudicating police officer discipline and/or suspension matters and presiding at Police Department license revocation hearings. These hearings involved police misconduct including sexual harassment, improper use of force, utilization of the trappings of office for personal gain, and other claims.
Judge Miller has spoken and taught extensively at events for several organizations such as the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, the Loyola Law School Civil Justice Program, the Litigation Section of the State Bar of California, Continuing Education of the Bar, the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and many others.
She has published several scholarly and more colloquial articles, as well as being an author of the California Judges Benchbook series.
“Judge Miller is hardworking and a joy to work with. We will certainly use her again.”
“Thank you for the extraordinary job you did yesterday dealing with the law, the personalities and the mechuganehs on both sides. Your expertise, but also charisma and inner, subtle, strength were obvious throughout the long drawn out event. In addition, your generosity in working overtime—overtime as long as the time technically on the clock—was not unnoticed and was above and beyond!. I hope to work with you again soon. You are now on my list of go-to judges.”
“Judge Miller is one of the best . We had a very difficult client and the case did not settle but Judge Miller is and was fantastic.”
“Judge Miller was very professional and understood the issues. She helped facilitate a resolution that came after the mediation.”
“Judge Miller did a phenomenal job and has been very thorough in her follow-up as well. Will definitely use her again and encourage other Plaintiff’s lawyers to do so too.”
“Judge Miller was terrific in all respects.”
“Judge Miller is a top-notch mediator and we always enjoy working with her.”
“I used Judge Miller as an arbitrator in a complex commercial merger dispute that settled a week before the arbitration was scheduled to finish. In the 45 years I’ve been trying cases, she ranks probably at the top of my list of judges I would want to return to if I want to get a fair and complete hearing on the issues. She is extremely smart and extraordinarily well prepared. Judge Miller made good use of her judicial experience but always did so in a very respectful manner. I can’t remember a single decision that she made throughout – win or lose – that I didn’t feel as though I had a complete opportunity to develop my record and to develop my argument. I want to say she was wrong when she ruled against me, but I can’t think of any situation where that was true.”
“I used Judge Miller to settle sexual abuse and sexual harassment cases. She’s one of the best mediators I’ve worked with in my 40-year career. She’s seen all kinds of cases, and she’s seen all kinds of lawyers. I think she figures out the sides and what’s either nonsensical or what’s practical or what’s in line with the law, and then she tries to advise the parties accordingly, so they can at least attempt to settle. Judge Miller really shines in cases where a neutral needs to go deep into the weeds. If you have a case that’s complex, I think she’s a really good pick.”
“I tried a case in front of Judge Miller about 10 years ago and have since used her to mediate several disputes. Her judicial experience remains an important asset. Judge Miller is very smart both in terms of understanding the law and the issues, but she’s also a good people person in terms of being able to communicate effectively and understanding what the parties and the attorneys are most focused on.”