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Charles Robert "Chip" Brehmer is a Bakersfield attorney. The following information was obtained from the California Bar Association Web site. This entry will be updated when he responds to The Californian's candidate questionnaire and supplemental judicial questions. You are invited to post your comments and questions concerning this candidate. The candidate is invited to respond directly onto this blog. If he chooses not to, The Californian will attempt to obtain answers to your questions.

Undergraduate School: Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Ind.

Law School: Valparaiso University School of Law

Status: Active

Admitted to the California Bar: Dec. 2, 1992

Disciplinary record: None

CALIFORNIAN QUESTIONNAIRE

Name:    CHARLES ROBERT BREHMER

Other name(s) used:    Chip Brehmer

Office sought:  Judge, Kern County Superior Court, #30

Web site address: BREHMERFORJUDGE.COM

Born:  1966 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Spouse’s name:  Graciela “Chela” Maria Gambetta Brehmer

Number of children and ages:  Three children, ages 7, 4 and 2

Current occupation/employer:  Attorney, Charles R. Brehmer, A Professional Corporation

List employment history (past 20 Years): 
    2000 – Present:  Charles R. Brehmer, A Professional Corporation
    1995 – 2000:       Partner, Biel & Brehmer, Attorneys at Law
    1993 – 1995:       Associate Attorney, Borton, Petrini & Conron

Professional Licenses:  License to practice law in both California and Indiana since 1992.  California Bar Exam date: 1992; Indiana Bar Exam date; 1992
Real Estate sales license in California.

How long have you lived in the jurisdiction you seek election?  Since March 1993

Political offices you have held:  None

Political offices you have sought (dates, locations, outcomes):  None

Board memberships/Community activities:  Past and Current
•    Judge Pro-tem – Kern County Superior Court
•    Judicial Arbitrator - Kern County Superior Court
•    Hearing Board Member, San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District
•    Member San Joaquin Valley Civic Leadership
•    Member Leadership Bakersfield Class of 1999
•    Member Board of Directors, YMCA of Kern County
•    President, YMCA of Kern County
•    Member Allocations Committee – United Way of Kern County
•    Chairman Church Governance Review Committee 1998 , St. John’s Lutheran Church

Education: 
•    B.A. Political Science and History, double major Valparaiso University,
    Valparaiso, Indiana
•    Juris Doctor Valparaiso University; Wesemann School of Law,   
Valparaiso, Indiana   

•    Mediator Certification Program through Pepperdine University.


Military:  N/A

Describe anything you have published, invented, discovered, painted, etc., and events or hobbies that would be interesting for a biographical story: 

Competitive Runner, Marathon Running; completed Chicago Marathon, Portland Marathon and (upcoming) L.A. Marathon, also ran Bakersfield Half Marathon, Santa Barbara Pier to Peak Half Marathon, Surf City Half Marathon, Las Vegas Half Marathon etc.  Avid reader, favorite novels “To Kill a Mockingbird”, “Travels through the Yucatan” and “Anatomy of a Murder”. Enjoy soccer - favorite teams, Real Madrid and LA Galaxy.  Certified Advanced Scuba Diver.
       
World traveler, raised in Nigeria from ages 1-8.  Additional travels through Europe,  South America, Asia and South Pacific.

Campaign committee members:  John T. Mitchell, Kern County Deputy District Attorney; Denis Maddox, M.D. and others. Endorsement List to Follow

State or Federal campaign ID number: In process

List all criminal convictions or pleas in this county and others:  None

List all civil court judgments against you or any business you have had a financial interest in (partnership, sole proprietor, corporation) in this county and others:  None.

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS

Why did you become a lawyer?  

We are fortunate to live in a great country that advocates the pursuit of justice.  Throughout my life I have been compelled to follow the same pursuit. Our country was founded on and continued to develop the equal application of the law to all and access to an impartial legal system in which to resolve disputes.  One of our greatest Presidents, Abraham Lincoln, was a practicing lawyer who represented each of his clients with enthusiasm and dedication for the truth. 

I have known since a young age that I wanted to be the champion for those who needed representation in a legal forum to resolve their disputes.  My greatest moments as a lawyer are those in which I represent someone in our community who has no true access to the legal system and truly needs a champion to assist in resolving their dispute.

I truly believe our legal system and our courts are the best, although not perfect, method of resolving disputes and that by and large lawyers, as officers of the court, truly have a desire and interest for a just result.   

As a judge, I will equally apply the law to all and offer access to an impartial legal system with just results.

Have you been disciplined in any way by a Bar Association or successfully sued for malpractice?

No discipline whatsoever and no malpractice judgments.

Why do you want to become a judge?

Our court system in Kern County is facing a large turnover of experienced judges who are retiring after faithful service to our community.  As a practicing lawyer who knows the courtroom it is critical that good, honest experienced attorneys make the commitment to become judges and serve.

I truly believe that I have not only the integrity and desire to humbly serve the community but that I also have a broad scope of experience as a Judge Pro Tem, a Judicial Arbitrator, a Fee Arbitrator and a Mediator as well as courtroom and trial experience all of which make me the most viable candidate to serve as a judge.

I have also received a tremendous amount of support and encouragement to submit my name and my reputation and serve as a judge.  This support and encouragement has come and continues to come from judges and practicing attorneys whom I have both worked with and against over the past 15 years and is inclusive of attorneys from all areas of the legal community.  I also am known to be independent, clear thinking and not associated only with one area of legal practice or one area of political thought.

I am committed to this community and have demonstrated that by my involvement over the past years.  I live here with my wife and three young children and I want a safe and dynamic community for my family and all citizens of Kern County.

The job of a judge is to be independent, clear thinking, and make decisions based upon the current law with equal application of the law to all members of our community.  I have the experience and the ability to serve our community as a judge and the desire to do so not at the end of my career but during the prime of my career.


What is the nature of your practice?

Over the past 15 years, I have had the opportunity to represent both plaintiffs and defendants in a myriad of both civil and criminal matters ranging from business disputes to criminal to injury cases.  In addition, I have had the opportunity to mediate a number of disputes and act as an independent arbitrator in many other disputes.  I further have had the opportunity to assist when no one would and ensure that the rights of many were protected. 

How often have you gone to trial?

Over the past 15 years, I have had the privilege to represent members of the community in many matters that have been decided by a jury, a judge, retired judge, or other independent decision maker. In addition to many jury trials and numerous court trials, I have represented parties in adversarial arbitration proceedings, as well as a number of adversarial administrative proceedings and contested administrative proceedings.

How often have you tried a case before a jury?

I have been trial counsel in 12 jury trials to verdict and more than 50 other times in court trials, adversarial arbitration proceedings and administrative proceedings.

Are you qualified to argue a case before the Supreme Court?

I am admitted to argue any case before the California Supreme Court, the Indiana Supreme Court and I am eligible to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Have you served pro bono as an attorney for a client or organization?

Yes.  I believe that as an attorney I have the highest ethical duty and responsibility for all people in my community.  This includes assisting those who have no financial means to obtain qualified legal representation.  Over the last decade, I have felt compelled to assist many individuals in preserving their rights when they alone would not be able to.  I fought these cases with vigor and enthusiasm.  I am proud to say that some of my most enjoyable days in the practice of law have been times when I have represented individuals at no charge.  I have also represented the interests of non-profit organizations at no charge.

In further preservation of our legal process, I have served and continue to serve as an Attorney-Client Fee Dispute Arbitrator through the California State Bar and the Kern County Bar Association on a pro-bono basis and as a Judicial Arbitrator – Kern County Superior Court and refused reimbursement for these services.

Have you served as a judge pro tem, mediator, arbitrator or hearing officer?  How often?

My experience as a Judge Pro-Tem, Judicial Arbitrator, Attorney-Client Fee Dispute Arbitrator, and Mediator place me in a very unique position when compared to other candidates who seek the position of Judge of the Kern County Superior Court.

I have had the opportunity to serve as a Judge Pro-Tem for the last approximate 10 years with the Kern County Superior Court.  Over that time, I have been the sole “judge” and decision maker in the courtroom in over 200 disputed lawsuits.

I also have served over the past 10 years as a Judicial Arbitrator for the Kern County Superior Court, serving as the sole decision maker/arbitrator in disputed litigated cases more than 30 times. 

Further, I have served and continue to serve as an Attorney-Client Fee Dispute Arbitrator for the California State Bar and the Kern County Bar Association on a pro bono basis.  This involves being the sole decision maker or joint decision maker of a three-arbitrator panel, wherein fee disputes between a client and an attorney are decided. 

Over the past five years, I have also obtained mediation training through Pepperdine University’s Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution and have served as a mediator on a number of occasions.

What is your judicial philosophy?

I take the responsibilities of a judge very seriously.  As indicated above, I have had the opportunity to serve as an independent decision-maker as a Judge Pro Tem, Judicial Arbitrator and Fee Arbitrator on hundreds of occasions over the past 10 years of the more than 15 years I have been in practice. 

The importance of independent non-partisan decision making is critical in order to serve as a judge in the Superior Court. 

As a Judge Pro Tem for the Superior Court, I have taken the same oath of office as that of a full-time Superior Court Judge and fully understand the responsibilities of independent decision making as a judge. 

My decision making as a Judge Pro Tem, which would carry over as a Judge of the Superior Court, is to evaluate each and every case on an individual basis and subsequently render a decision based on the application of the current law to the unique facts in each case. 

The law should not be applied either arbitrarily or capriciously and I firmly believe in the equal applicability of the law to all regardless of ethnicity, religious beliefs, gender or political affiliation.