arry Sheppard wore many hats during his 30 years as a lawyer, serving as prosecutor, defense attorney, civil practitioner, general counsel and entrepreneur.
But it wasn't until 1995 that he decided the time was right for a judgeship. His civil practice was under control, and the bank holding company he helped launch in the early 1980s was about to be sold for a considerable amount of money.
"That was a period in my career when I could change horses without a great deal of turmoil," says the 62-year-old Sheppard. Later that year, he was appointed to the Alameda County Superior Court by then-Gov. Pete Wilson.
After two years in family court, he now presides over criminal trials and case management conferences in Hayward's Department 509.
Although new to the Alameda County bench, his history in the area dates back to the late 1960s. As a young lawyer in private practice, Sheppard hired the current district attorney, Thomas Orloff, as a law clerk.
As a judge, he says he has three basic rules: be prepared; be civil; be punctual.
"I'm sort of a nut on time, especially when you have jurors waiting," Sheppard says.
He gets high marks from both defenders and prosecutors, who say they like his even temperament and thorough knowledge of the law.
"He's conservative -- that's a foregone conclusion. But that doesn't stop him from being fair," says former First District Justice Clinton White, who represents some criminal defendants.
Michael Thorman, a Hayward attorney who does both criminal and civil work, calls Sheppard concerned and attentive. "He doesn't snap at you," Thorman says. "He will listen to your argument and take it seriously. He spent a long time in private practice himself and he'll try to be accommodating."
A native of Schenectady, N.Y., Sheppard went to Colgate University and then into the U.S. Navy, which brought him to California.
After graduating from Hastings College of the Law in 1965, he joined the Alameda County DA's office before joining Fremont's Bell, Sheppard & Faria.
While in private practice he hired Orloff as a law clerk, who later joined the DA's office and eventually became DA.
"I tried to hire him back, but he wanted to be a full-time prosecutor," Sheppard says of Orloff. The two have been friends ever since.
As a private attorney in Fremont, Sheppard began with criminal defense and transitioned into civil work.
He also branched out into the business world, starting Mission Valley Bank Corp. with a group of local investors in the early 1980s. Sheppard worked as an organizer and board member for the bank holding company, which was eventually bought by U.S. Bank in 1996 for about $315 million in stock.
Sheppard says being a judge requires some of the same skills as does business.
"I've always liked problem solving and being a judge is about problem solving," he says. Though he hopes eventually to preside over civil cases full time, he says he is enjoying the criminal assignment.
"What is great about this job is that it's like a drama, and I have the clicker," Sheppard jokes. "When I say take a recess, we take a recess."
