The Lawyers Club of San Diego has announced its endorsement of two women and support for two men who are candidates for San Diego County Superior Court seats in the March primary.

The club, which was founded in 1972 “to advance the status of women in the law and society,” endorsed Roberta Winston for Seat 18 and Michelle Ialeggio for Seat 36, while supporting both Timothy J. Nader and Paul L. Starita for Seat 30.

“Lawyers Club values the role that judges play in our legal system and is proud of its vetting process,” said Elvira Cortez, president of the club. “We seek to endorse candidates who exhibit qualities integral to the pursuit of justice: integrity, impartiality, and equity.”

“We are confident that Ialeggio, Nader, Starita and Winston possess these qualities and also support the mission and values of Lawyers Club,” she added.

Winston is the managing partner of the Berger Kahn law firm’s San Diego office. She has worked for the firm since 1989 and has extensive litigation experience in the areas of insurance coverage, insurance bad faith, construction defect, personal injury defense, product liability and premise liability. She was honored as the 2019 Defense Attorney of the Year by the International Association of Special Investigation Units Southern California Chapter.

Ialeggio has worked as a Deputy District Attorney since 2005, handling more than 4,000 criminal cases. In 2018, she was appointed the office’s ethics advisor. She is the first vice president of the California Women Lawyers organization.

Nader has worked as a Deputy Attorney General for California since 2008, representing state taxing and business agencies in complex litigation. He has practiced law for more than 30 years, while also serving as a Chula Vista city councilman, mayor of Chula Vista and affordable housing developer.

Starita has worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney since 2004, serving 10 years as a federal prosecutor investigating felony criminal cases, and six years prosecuting civil fraud cases impacting Medicare and Tricare as well as government procurement and contracting. He is a retired colonel in the Marine Corps and teaches law courses at the University of San Diego.

The Lawyers Club has more than 1,300 members comprised of female and male attorneys, judges, elected officials, business owners, law students and others in the San Diego community who share Lawyers Club’s interests and goals.

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