Honorable Pamela S. Gates

Pam was appointed by Governor Jan Brewer in September 2009 to serve on the Maricopa County Superior Court. Prior to rotating to a criminal calendar in January 2013, she served as the Associate Presiding Judge for Family Court (Downtown).  She will begin service as the Associate Presiding Criminal Judge in July 2015.  Pam serves on numerous state-wide committees including the Advisory Committee on the Rules of Evidence, the Court Leadership Institute of Arizona, the Steering Committee on Arizona Case Processing Standards, and she chaired the Superior Court Records Retention Schedule Revision Committee.  Pam is also an active member of the Our Courts Arizona committee, which focuses on developing outreach programs to help individuals learn about our justice system and judges.  She is also serving on a committee at the Maricopa County Superior Court to improve access to justice and reform the Court’s resource center.  Pam also served as the Co-Chair of the Judicial Education Day in 2012 and is a frequent speaker at various organizations.  Prior to becoming a judge, Pam worked as a partner at Bryan Cave LLP.  Over time Pam’s practice evolved from general litigation to more specialized environmental litigation, including individual and mass toxic tort litigation, cost recovery actions, environmental insurance coverage, and enforcement defense.  In addition, Pam provided pro bono assistance, individually, and as a supervising lawyer.  Pam graduated from the University of Iowa College of Law and completed her undergraduate work at Drake University.

(03/2015)