Langston Retreat Program & Ad Book - Journal - Page 15
Cont’inued SPEAKERS
Hon. Joel Lofton
Judge, Los Angeles County Superior Court
Judge Joel L. Lofton is a Superior Court Judge currently assigned to a
Family Law Home Court in Pasadena. He previously presided over civil
and criminal courts in Alhambra, the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, and
Antelope Valley, and is one of five judges in Los Angeles County
handling CEQA writs. Appointed by Governor Jerry Brown in 2015, he
formerly served as a Deputy Public Defender in Los Angeles and
Riverside and as a JAG officer in the U.S. Army. He has tried over 70
jury trials as an attorney and presided over approximately 100 as a
judge, with cases ranging from violent felonies to complex civil matters
including FEHA and wrongful death.
Hon. Lauren Lofton
Judge, Los Angeles Superior Court
Judge Lauren Lofton was appointed to the Los Angeles Superior
Court in October 2022. She currently sits in an unlimited civil
department at the Alhambra Courthouse. She is active with various
legal organizations, including the American Board of Trial Advocates,
Black Women Lawyers of Los Angeles, LACBA’s President’s Advisory
Committee on Women in the Legal Profession, and the National
Association of Women Judges. Before her appointment, she was a
Partner at Yoka | Smith LLP, where she defended businesses and
individuals in personal injury matters at the trial and appellate court
levels.
Byron McLain
Equity Partner, Foley & Lardner LLP
Byron McLain is a Partner and member of Foley & Lardner’s
Government Enforcement Defense & Investigations Practice, where
he also conducts internal investigations for corporate clients. From
2012 to 2018, he served as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s
Office for the Central District of California, holding leadership roles in
both the General Crimes and Major Frauds sections. He has tried
numerous criminal cases and argued before the Ninth Circuit. In
2023, he was named a California Lawyer of the Year by the Daily
Journal for his work on the Bruce’s Beach case. Byron is a past
president of the John M. Langston Bar Association, a Harvard Law
graduate, and the father of twin daughters with his wife, Asia McLain.
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