State Bar prosecutor to lead Commission on Judicial Performance

The Commission on Judicial Performance has named Gregory Dresser, one of the State Bar’s top prosecutors, its next director-chief counsel.

Dresser, a deputy chief trial counsel based in San Francisco, will replace Victoria B. Henley when she retires from the judicial watchdog agency at the end of the year.

The bar announced last week that Dresser had accepted a promotion to become the chief court counsel for the agency’s court, starting Oct. 23. State Bar Court Presiding Judge Catherine D. Purcell wrote in an email to staff Thursday she was surprised by the news he will no longer be taking the post.

1st District Court of Appeal Presiding Justice Ignazio J. Ruvolo, chair of the CJP, said Thursday that Dresser “brings an exceptional complement of skills and experience to the unique role of Director-Chief Counsel.

“His work in the attorney discipline system as well as his years as a partner at a major law firm will greatly benefit the commission in the challenges it faces,” Ruvolo continued in a statement.

Dresser worked at Morrison & Foerster LLP as a litigation partner for more than a decade. He joined the bar’s prosecutorial office in the spring of 2015, and he was named interim chief trial counsel after Jayne Kim resigned in the spring of 2016.

Though Dresser applied for the permanent top prosecutor position, the bar named Steven Moawad to the post in April.

“As testimony to his expertise and dedication, he was sought after by both the State Bar to serve as Chief Court Counsel to lead the State Bar Court and by the commission for its Director-Chief Counsel,” Ruvolo said of Dresser. “The commission is fortunate that Greg ultimately determined to join us and we look forward to working with him.”

Dresser, who did not respond to requests for comment, said in a statement issued by the CJP that he was honored to be chosen for the post.

“I am looking forward to doing what I can to fulfill the commission’s mission of protecting the public, enforcing high standards of judicial conduct, and maintaining public confidence in the integrity and independence of the courts,” Dresser said.

He will take the reins of a judicial agency that has faced scrutiny in recent months and is fighting a court battle to limit the access the state auditor can secure to disciplinary records in order to conduct a review.

Dresser will start at the CJP on Oct. 30, Henley said, but he won’t initially assume the top position.

“He will be in a temporary position classification, at the Director-Chief Counsel salary, to give us two months of overlap to allow him to get oriented,” Henley wrote in an email.

The CJP director-chief counsel position pays $230,000 as of Oct. 1, Henley said.

Dresser is making $236,328 at the bar and his pay was going to rise to $240,000 once he assumed the State Bar Court position, bar spokeswoman Rebecca Farmer said recently.

Farmer said Thursday that Dresser was an excellent lawyer and the bar was grateful for his strong leadership.

“We will miss him at the State Bar and especially in OCTC, but we are pleased that he will use his significant skills to ensure the integrity of the judicial branch,” Farmer wrote in an email.

The agency will promptly reopen the search for a new chief court counsel and seek applications from candidates throughout the state, she said. Colin Wong retired last month after serving in the role for many years.

Arthur Margolis, a Los Angeles discipline defense attorney, said the bar should seek someone for the court role who has years of experience at the agency.