William A. Masterson

William A. Masterson was born on June 25, 1931, in New York City, New York.

In terms of his education, he completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of California, Los Angeles in 1953. He then went on to earn his Juris Doctor degree from the same university's School of Law in 1958. He was a member of the Order of the Coif and contributed to the Law Review. He was admitted to the State Bar on January 14, 1959.

Masterson has extensive judicial experience. He currently serves as a Private Judge for JAMS, a position he has held since August 9, 2001. Prior to this, he was an Associate Justice for the California Court of Appeal, Second District, Division 1 from January 12, 1993, to June 30, 2000. He was appointed to this position by Governor Pete Wilson. Before his appointment to the Court of Appeal, he served as a Judge for the Los Angeles Superior Court from December 4, 1987, to January 1993. He was appointed to this role by Governor George Deukmejian.

In addition to his judicial roles, Masterson has a rich professional background. He was a partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher, and Flom in Los Angeles, California from 1983 to 1987. Before that, he was a partner at Rogers and Wells, also in Los Angeles, from 1979 to 1983. He started his legal career at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter, and Hampton in Los Angeles, where he worked as an associate and later a partner from 1959 to 1979.

Masterson also served in the military. He was a Corporal in the U.S. Army Infantry from 1953 to 1955.