Hon. Elia V. Pirozzi (Ret.) began his legal career serving in private practice, specializing in real estate law and litigation representing real estate brokers and agents, mortgage lending institutions, land developers, and property owners. Shortly after working as an associate in a Southern California law firm, he began a private practice, extending his specialization and expertise to include business law and the representation of business and corporate entities. He received his Juris Doctorate from Southwestern University School of Law, where he was the recipient of academic achievement awards in Advanced Corporate Law and International Business Transactions, and an LL.M. from the University of San Diego School of Law, cum laude, in Environmental Law and International and Comparative Law. While studying for his LL.M., he received the CALI Excellence for the Future Award for achievement in International Business Transaction studies. He was appointed to the San Bernardino County Superior Court in 2007, where he presided over numerous criminal and civil trials and served as Assistant Presiding Judge of the Appellate Division of the court. Judge Pirozzi retired from the bench in 2021 and was appointed by the Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court to serve as an assigned judge for select California criminal and civil trial courts. He has also served as faculty for the Appellate Judicial Attorneys Institute on criminal law topics and as a publication consultant and faculty for the Center for Judicial Education and Research in the subject areas of criminal and civil law and evidence. He is the author of the respected California Guide to Criminal Evidence, as well as a broad variety of law review articles, publications, and articles for legal journals, and has designed and developed numerous materials, bench tools, and legal resources for use by judicial officers and attorneys throughout California. Most recently, Judge Pirozzi presented an evidence update for judicial officers entitled “California Evidence 360, Cases and Commentary” at the 2025 California Judges Association Spring Conference and has conducted CLE programs for local bar associations on various legal subjects.
Judge Pirozzi is currently a dispute resolution professional and serves as a mediator, arbitrator, court-appointed neutral (referee/special master), and hearing officer for litigators, their clients, and courts statewide.
