Division Four: Associate Justice Helen Zukin

Associate Justice Helen Zukin was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom to the Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division Four, on May 19, 2023. Justice Zukin was unanimously confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments after receiving an “exceptionally well qualified” rating from the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation.

In 2018, Justice Zukin was appointed to the Los Angeles Superior Court by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr., where she served for five years. Justice Zukin presided over family law, general jurisdiction civil trials, and an unlimited independent civil calendar court. She also served as the West District Site Judge for the Beverly Hills Courthouse.

At the Los Angeles Superior Court, she worked to establish the court’s Judicial Mentor Program and was involved in the development of the California Judicial Mentor Program. Also at the Los Angeles Superior Court, she served as an active member of the Diversity & Inclusion, Access and Fairness, and Community Outreach Committees, as well as the Equity and Inclusion and Civil Engagement Initiative Working Groups, and the New Judicial Officers Judicial Education Seminar Subcommittee. She has lectured on a broad range of legal subjects to judges, attorneys, and law students.

Justice Zukin was born and raised in Los Angeles. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree with high academic honors from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and her law degree from Loyola Law School.

After law school, Justice Zukin began her legal career as an associate at Greene, O’Reilly, Agnew & Broillet. She moved to Simke, Chodos, Silberfeld & Anteau, where she became a partner. Justice Zukin joined Kiesel Law in 2006, becoming a partner in 2010. Throughout her career, Justice Zukin practiced plaintiffs complex civil litigation, including mass toxic torts, pharmaceutical and defective device actions, product liability, environmental property damage, and health care actions.

Justice Zukin’s community engagement includes serving as Chair of the State Bar of California’s Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation (JNE) and Chair of its Review Committee. She has served as Chair of the LACBA Judicial Appointments Committee (JAC), Chair of the United States District Court, Central District of California Merit Selection Panel (MSP), and currently is Chair of the Los Angeles Judicial Selection Advisory Committee (LA JSAC). Justice Zukin served as a member of the Board of Governors of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles. She is a current member of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers’ Board of Directors. Justice Zukin is a long-time member of the LACBA Litigation Section Executive Committee and served as its Chair in 2017. Justice Zukin has served as President of the Los Angeles Ethics Commission.