Hon. Lawrence P. Riff was appointed to the bench by Governor Brown in 2015. Following his appointment to the Los Angeles Superior Court, his assignments have included criminal misdemeanors, civil small claims, civil trial court, civil I/C court, Coordination Trial Judge for the LASC’s Asbestos Complex Department, and family law home court and long cause trial. Judge Riff currently is assigned to a Complex Civil department in the Spring Street Courthouse.

Judge Riff served as Assistant Supervising and then Supervising Judge of the Family Law Division. Judge Riff received the Levitt Quinn Outstanding Community Service Award, the Beverly Hills Bar Association Family Law Legacy Award in 2021, and the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (So.Cal. Chapter) Distinguished Jurist Award in 2020.

Judge Riff was a partner of the international law firm Steptoe & Johnson LLP where he served as the firm’s Managing Partner for its Los Angeles office for 17 years and Practice Group Leader for the firm’s U.S. Toxic Tort and Environmental Litigation Practice Group. In his law practice, Judge Riff was a five-time recipient of the Daily Journal’s Top Defense Verdicts and recognized as a “Top 100 Attorney” by Southern California SuperLawyers from 2009-2014 and a “Top 10” in 2015.

Judge Riff is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (with 40+ Superior and U.S. District Court jury verdicts); has served on the Board of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers; is a member of the Judicial Council of California Family and Juvenile Law Advisory Committee and the Data Analytics Advisory Committee; is a two-term elected member of the Superior Court’s Executive Committee; is an Adjunct Professor of civil trial practice at Loyola Law School; and recipient of the 2023 University of Oregon School of Law Distinguished Alumni Award.

Judge Riff writes frequently on issues of evidence, procedure, trial practice, and substantive civil and family law.