California governor appoints Indian-American Superior Court judge

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California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced Jan. 2, the appointment of 12 California superior court judges, including an Indian-American, all of them Democrats.

The 12 judges include Indian-American Vedica Puri to the San Francisco County Superior Court; two in Alameda County; one in Contra Costa County; one in Fresno County; five in Los Angeles County; one in Santa Clara County; and one in Solano County.

Puri becomes the first Indian-American judge ever appointed to the San Francisco County Superior Court. She fills the vacancy created by the elevation of Judge Tracie L. Brown to the Court of Appeal.

Puri, 47, of San Francisco, has been a partner at Pillsbury & Coleman LLP since 2005, where she was a senior associate from 2002 to 2005. Prior to that, she was a trial lawyer at Drinker, Biddle & Reath from 2001 to 2002, at Sedgwick LLP from 2000 to 2001 and at Alborg, Veiluva & Cannata from 1996 to 1999.

Puri earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Santa Clara University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Xavier’s College.

Her law firm describes her as an experienced trial attorney with an expertise in high-stakes builder’s risk, property and technology errors and omissions claims.

“As Bay Area native, she has a greater understanding of the new and emerging risks inherent to Silicon Valley businesses and universities,” says Pillsbury & Coleman. Puri has counseled many companies and risk managers on issues involving protection against technology failures, cyber liability, directors’ and officers’ liability as well as handling claims under these policies.  Her in-depth experience involves coverage disputes arising from catastrophic natural disasters, most recently the San Bruno pipeline explosion (2010) and the North Bay Wildfires (2017), the website says.

Some of the highlights of her achievements include securing combined settlements and verdicts well in excess of $50 million for clients; Obtaining precedent-setting trial court ruling in technology errors & omissions case; Serving as an appointed Judge Pro Tem for San Francisco Superior Court (since 2004); and being selected as a Northern California Rising Stars 2010 and a Super Lawyer from 2011-2015.