Laguna attorney running as write-in judge candidate

A Laguna Beach attorney is running as a write-in candidate for Orange County Superior Court Judge in the June 5 election.

Joshua B. Vinograd, 37, was born and raised in Laguna Beach and started his firm in town in 2009, the Law Offices of Joshua B. Vinograd, PC, where he practices general litigation.

Vinograd has a varied background. He interned for Stephen J. Hillman, a federal magistrate judge, and for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles. After receiving his law degree at Loyola Law School in 2001, he served as a law clerk for Virginia A. Phillips in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. He's also worked at firms in Orange County, such as Paul, Hastings, Janofsky and Walker LLP and Newmeyer and Dillion LLP.

He has a bachelor's degree in Spanish/bilingual education from UC Irvine. He graduated from Laguna Beach High School in 1993.

Vinograd said his experiences show he'll bring an open-minded perspective to the courtroom.

"You have to put your personal feelings aside. You can't be political in any shape or form," he said. "Our job is to enforce the laws enacted by the people. We're not supposed to make laws."

Vinograd said over the years, he's seen judges show apathy toward their cases — one even sleeping through a portion of a trial. He said he'll bring vigor to his seat.

"I really truly do want to install and rejuvenate and put new blood into the system," he said.

He also said he's seen judges act in accordance to political or moral leanings, instead of looking at the law.

He doesn't want the public to be disillusioned by the legal system or be concerned about being treated fairly.

"I definitely know that I will treat everyone with equal respect and courtesy," he said. "Everyone deserves an opportunity to be heard and treated the same in the courtroom."

Vinograd is running against incumbent judge Deborah J. Chuang and Eugene Jizhak, a general practice attorney.

For more information about Vinograd, visit vinogradlaw.com.

Joanna.clay@latimes.com

Twitter: @joannaclay