Pacione Joins Superior Court

by Hon. Susan M. Gill

Lisa Pacione was sworn in as a Court Commissioner in the Kern County Superior Court on March 15, 2021. Because of COVID-19, there was no public swearing in or publication of the event. A mere four months later, she was appointed to the Kern County Superior Court Bench by Governor Newson. But, wait – WHO IS LISA PACIONE?

Lisa Pacione has been well known to the bench and bar in Mojave and Lancaster for many years. It is now time to introduce her to all of the Kern County Bar Association.

Judge Lisa Pacione was born in Chicago. However, when she and her brother were young, her Italian and Polish parents sought a return to a simpler life, and they moved the family to Poland. Judge Pacione’s fi rst language was Polish, and she remains bilingual. When Judge Pacione was ten, her family came to the United States to visit Disneyland. A trip through the desert caused her parents to fall in love with the desert landscape, and the family settled in Lancaster.

Unlike many lawyers, Lisa Pacione loved math. At the age of 12, she started taking math classes at the local Community College. She received her Associates of Arts degree two weeks before graduating from high school at the age of 16, and thus entered UCLA as a junior. She was admitted to UCLA as pre-med major. Fortunately for Kern County, she decided to change course, and she graduated from UCLA with a degree in Sociology. Not one to slack off when she arrived at Pepperdine University School of Law, she earned both a J.D. and a Masters degree in Alternative Dispute Resolution. Judge Pacione was sworn into the California State Bar at age 21. For 20 years Judge Pacione was a solo practitioner, devoting her practice primarily to Family Law and Probate matters in Lancaster and Mojave. When East Kern Commissioner Jason Webster was appointed to the bench in December of 2020, Lisa Pacione applied for the Commissioner position. The Mojave Judges were enthusiastic in their recommendations that she be hired. Lisa Pacione’s career as a Court Commissioner was shortlived, however, as Judge Newsom appointed her to the Kern County Superior Court bench in July of 2021.

In Ridgecrest, Judge Pacione has been hearing all kinds of cases–family law, criminal, civil, small claims, and traffi c cases. She is well-versed and comfortable in Family Law, having practiced in that fi eld for many years. However, she says criminal law is growing on her. As a judge she hopes she can make lives easier or better for the people who appear before her. Judge Pacione explained, “People don’t realize what a life-changing event it is to come to court. The judge can make a huge difference in their experience.”

Judge Kenneth Pritchard did not know Judge Pacione before she came to the bench, but he said she quickly became a friend. He described Judge Pacione as “a hard worker who is eager to learn. She takes on all challenges in a courtroom and fi nishes the day asking for more assignments in that area, to be sure she learns how to handle that area of the law.”

Judge Pacione is married to a criminal defense attorney who she describes as the love of her life. They have two children, a 14-year-old high school freshman and a two-year-old toddler. Judge Pacione is open to any tips on raising teenage girls. (Here’s mine: Hold your breath and hang on, and remember that a few years from now she will be your best friend.) Judge Pacione also has three dogs who were rescued from the pound, one fi sh (before this article was published, Nemo passed on to septic tank fi sh heaven, although the toddler has yet to make this discovery), and a miniature hamster that she says “has escaped twice and survived on the run from the dogs.”

Judge Pacione looks forward to meeting more of the Kern County Bench and Bar. Almost everyone is excited about her addition to the Kern County Superior Court Bench. The only exceptions are the clerks in the East Kern Court, who are worried that this wonderful judicial offi cer, who is such a pleasure to work with, may now leave Ridgecrest for another Kern County court. That lone exception tells us how lucky we are that Lisa Pacione is a Kern County Superior Court Judge.

AREAS OF PRACTICE GUIDE Advertise in this area. Contact the KCBA at info@ kernbar.org for details.

Paul Lafranchise

The Lafranchise Law Firm plafranchise@gmail.com (661) 549-2737 Employment law on behalf of employees only, including wrongful termination, employment discrimination, and wage-and-hour violations.