Judge Schopler Shares Wit and Wisdom Gained Over His Distinguished Career
- Timothy Hanna
- Apr 22
- 3 min read
Updated: 18 hours ago
On April 22, 2024, the San Diego Chapter of the Federal Bar Association was honored to feature U.S. District Judge Andrew G. Schopler for another installation of its Courtroom Conversation series.
A graduate of Harvard Law School, Judge Schopler began his career as a Public Defender in North Carolina before he transitioned to a practice of private criminal defense and civil litigation. After several years, Judge Schopler relocated to San Diego where he began prosecuting violations of federal law as an Assistant United States Attorney, finding notable success in the major fraud unit. Judge Schopler also joined the United States Army Reserve where he continues to serve as a Major, a role that has taken him on deployment to Afghanistan and involved efforts to evacuate U.S. citizens and endangered Afghan allies. In 2016, Judge Schopler was appointed to serve as a Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of California. Following his six years’ experience as a Magistrate, Judge Schopler was sworn in as a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of California in March 2023.
In a discussion moderated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sabrina Feve, Judge Schopler began by graciously highlighting the important roles played by his law clerks, courtroom deputy and court reporter. In his discussion, Judge Schopler shared that the most important preparation for his service as a magistrate and district judge was his extensive litigation experience “in all four corners of the courtroom” and five years’ as a judge pro-tem for the San Diego Superior Court. Judge Schopler also shared that he considers the most challenging facet of his job criminal sentencing, a weighty responsibility considering the human cost and procedural challenges involved. He noted that motion practice in his courtroom differed greatly between civil and criminal actions, the former involving more written advocacy and the latter with a focus on oral argument. If a hearing is required, Judge Schopler shared that he will begin proceedings with a tentative ruling offered onto the record followed by oral argument and a ruling from the bench. He shared that one of his primary goals as a jurist is to continue to seek and find ways to be as fair and efficient as possible.
Judge Schopler also kindly shared the wit and wisdom gained over his long career as a jurist and practitioner. He suggested that attorneys can use their staff more effectively, specifically by running arguments by non-attorneys on your team. He suggested this is particularly effective at clarifying which facts resonate most with the listener in jury arguments and apply equally well to written advocacy because an argument that makes sense to a non-attorney will most certainly make sense to a judge. He also shared that he finds the most effective written advocates are good storytellers who take care to identify the most effective place to start their story, as well as the most persuasive verb tense and perspective from which it is written. Judge Schopler also shared his best advice for less experienced attorneys seeking guidance from their superiors: to come to their supervisor ready to discuss not only the problem, but also their proposed solutions. Finally, Judge Schopler shared recommended reading of the “Trying Cases to Win” series written by Herbert Stern as a guide for effective advocacy at trial, and the book “Point Made” by Ross Guberman as the best tool for written advocacy (and “Point Taken” for judicial opinion writing”).
The San Diego FBA thanks Judge Schopler, his chambers staff, and AUSA Feve for sharing their time with us. Special thanks, as well, to the Chapter's VP of Professional Advancement, Melissa Holmes, for organizing the event, and committee members Timothy Hanna and Katie Wotherspoon, for their valuable programming support.
