Judicial Assignments and Profiles
Assignments
| Title | Name | Courtroom | Assignment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Judge | Alissa L. Bjerkhoel | Department 1 | Criminal |
| Judge | Courtney C. Abril | Department 2 | Criminal and Traffic |
| Judge | Kelly Babineau | Department 3 | Family Law and Juvenile |
| Asst. Presiding Judge | B. Scott Thomsen | Department 4 | Criminal and Juvenile |
| Commissioner | Jason LaChance |
Department 5, Truckee - Department B |
Family Law, DCSS, and Traffic |
| Presiding Judge | S. Robert Tice-Raskin | Department 6 | Civil and Probate |
| Judge | Yvette Durant | Truckee - Department A | Family Law, DCSS, Traffic, Criminal, Civil, Probate, and Juvenile Justice |
Judicial Profiles
Judge, Superior Court of California, County of Nevada, 2015–Present
- Presiding Judge, 2022–Present
- Harvard Law School, J.D. 1989
- Dartmouth College, B.A. 1985
1989-1990: Law Clerk to the Hon. J. Lawrence Irving, United States District Court, Southern District of California (San Diego), assisting the Court with adjudication of civil and criminal cases.
1990-1994: Associate and Senior Associate Attorney at Irell & Manella (Orange County), with a general business litigation practice and specializing in business litigation, environmental litigation, and white-collar criminal defense.
1995-2000: Assistant United States Attorney, Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California (Orange County), prosecuting federal criminal cases.
2000-2009: Assistant United States Attorney, Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California (Sacramento), prosecuting federal criminal cases and specializing in white-collar crime prosecutions.
2009-2014: Chief, White Collar Crimes Unit, Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California (Sacramento), prosecuting federal criminal cases and specializing in white-collar crime prosecutions, managing team of white-collar criminal prosecutors.
2007-2014: Judge Pro Tem, Superior Court of California, Nevada, Placer and Sacramento Counties.
Judge, Superior Court of California, County of Nevada, December 2010–Present
- Presiding Judge, 2016–2018
- Assistant Presiding Judge, 2013–2015; 2019-2020; 2023-present
- Commissioner, Superior Court of California, Nevada and Sierra Counties, November 2005-2010
- Juvenile Hearing Officer for the Superior Court of California, County of Nevada, 2000 to May 2005
- McGeorge School of Law, University of Pacific J.D.
- Menlo College, B.S
Judge Thomsen began his legal career handling insurance defense litigation. From 1990 to 1996, he was a general practitioner and handled a wide variety of civil litigation. In 1996 he became certified as a Family Law Specialist by the State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization. From 1996 to his appointment as Commissioner, he handled family law, dependency, delinquency and criminal defense matters.
Faculty, B. E. Witkin, Judicial College.
Faculty, CJER Family Law Overview Course.
Faculty, Family Law Institute.
Faculty, Family Dispute Resolution Statewide Educational Institute.
Faculty, AB1058 Statewide Child Support Conference.
Faculty, Nevada County Family Law Department Annual Update.
Faculty, Judicial Ethics elective training.
Faculty, Granlibakken Conference.
2011–2015: Faculty, Domestic Violence + Self Represented Litigants Conference.
Faculty, Nevada County Dependency Law Update.
Faculty, Nevada County Bar Association, Collateral Consequences to Convictions in Dependency.
Trustee, Nevada County Law Library.
2015–present: Member, Family & Juvenile Law Advisory Committee,; various Subcommittees.
2018–2022: Member, Trial Court Budget Advisory Committee; Funding Methodology Subcommittee.
2019: Recipient, Hall of Fame Award, ACFLS.
Member, Elkins Task Force & Faculty for Implementing Elkins in Family Court.
Judge, Superior Court of California, Nevada County, 2021 – Present
- Assistant Presiding Judge, Superior Court of California, Sierra County, 2016 – 2021
- Court Commissioner, Superior Court of California, Nevada and Sierra Counties, 2011 – 2016
- University of Washington School of Law, J.D. 1991
- University of Nevada, Reno, B.A. with High Distinction, 1987
1990-1993: Associate Attorney and Law Clerk, Stanislaw, Ashbaugh & Beal, Seattle, WA – complex construction defect and product liability litigation.
1993 -1998: Attorney, private practice, Reno, NV – landlord/tenant and real estate law.
1999: Associate Attorney, Tonon & Associates, Truckee, CA – insurance defense in CA and NV.
1999-2011: Principal, Law Offices of Yvette Durant, Truckee, CA – family law, plaintiff’s personal injury, mediation.
1999 – 2011: Judge Pro Tem, Superior Court of California for Nevada, Placer and El Dorado Counties.
2011, 2013-2016: Faculty, AB 1058 Statewide Child Support Conference.
2011 - 2016, 2023: Faculty, NCBA Annual Family Law Update.
2012, 2017-2020, 2023: Faculty, Cow County Judges Institute.
2013 - 2016: Member, Child Support Conference Education Advisory Workgroup.
2013 - 2016: Treasurer and District II Representative, California Court Commissioners Association.
2018 – Present: Member, Judicial Council of California, Juvenile Curriculum Committee.
2018 – Present: Member, CJER, Juvenile Law Institute Workgroup.
2019 - Present: Member, CJER, Cow Counties Judges Institute Workgroup.
2020: Member, Nominating Committee for District 1 Representative to CJA Board.
2022: Faculty, CJER Family Law Primary Assignment Orientation.
2022 - Present: Trustee, Nevada County Law Library.
Judge, Superior Court of California, Nevada County, 2023 – Present
- McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific, J.D. 1997
- San Francisco State University, BA, 1993
2000-2002: Associate Attorney, Rothschild, Wishek & Sands.
2002-2009: Assistant Public Defender, Sacramento County Office of the Public Defender.
2005-2015: CCAP Contract Attorney.
2009-2023: Principal, The Law Office of Kelly Babineau.
Top 100 Trial Lawyers, The National Tral Lawyers, 2013-2016.
Best of the Bar, Sacramento Business Journal, 2015-2020.
Top Lawyers, Sacramento Magazine, 2015-2021.
Attorney of the Year, Sacramento Bar Association, 2016.
Super Lawyer, 2018-2021.
Judge, Superior Court of California, County of Nevada 2023–Present
- California Western School of Law, JD, 2008
- University of California, Santa Barbara, BA–History, 2004
2008-2023: Attorney at the California Innocence Project in San Diego, CA investigating and litigating instances of wrongful conviction.
2012-2023: Panel attorney at the Sixth District Appellate Program, representing indigent appellants in criminal matters.
2010-2023: Panel attorney at the Appellate Defender’s Inc., representing indigent appellants in criminal matters.
2020-present: Fellow, American Academy of Forensic Sciences (Associate Member, 2014-2016, Member, 2016-2019).
Judge Bjerkhoel is a native of Nevada County.
Judge, Superior Court of California, County of Nevada 2024-Present
- University of Washington, BA, 2001
- Gonzaga University School of Law, JD, 2005
2006-2016 - Deputy Public Defender, Nevada County
2016-2017 - Chief Deputy County Counsel, Yuba County
2017-2019 - County Counsel, Yuba County
2019-2024 – Solo Practitioner, Law Office of Courtney Abril, Nevada County
Court Commissioner—Superior Court of California, Nevada & Sierra Counties—January 2017–Present
- John Marshall Law School, J.D. 2003
- Arizona State University, B.A. 1999
2004-2005: Attorney–Private Practice, practicing litigation in the areas of family law, real estate, and traffic matters.
2005-2013: Associate Attorney–The Law Offices of Brent P. Collinson, practicing litigation in the areas of family law, landlord/tenant, real estate, probate, and special districts. Practice further included the areas of estate planning and real estate transactions.
2014-2016: Partner–Collinson & LaChance, Attorneys at Law, practicing primarily in the areas of family law, landlord/tenant, probate, and special districts.