Margaret Bielak has extensive experience with the California Court of Appeal’s First District.
She spent nearly 24 years as a judicial staff attorney with the Court of Appeal’s First District. She served as the Lead Appellate Court Attorney in the Chambers of Justice Alison Tucher in Division Three, and as a Senior Research Attorney in the Chambers of Justice Maria Rivera in Division Four. Her work spanned cases covering the breadth of California law, including complex business disputes, contract law, insurance actions, intellectual property, anti-SLAPP motions, arbitration, land use and CEQA, administrative and government law, employment law, and family law. Her experiences helped her learn what arguments are likely to be successful and how to frame them persuasively.
She also has behind-the-scenes familiarity with the California Supreme Court.
Margaret clerked for Justice Edward Panelli of the California Supreme Court after law school, assisting in drafting opinions and evaluating petitions for review.
Margaret worked on high-stakes litigation in private practice.
Before joining the Court of Appeal, she spent almost a decade at a large law firm, where she worked on every stage of litigation in both trial and appellate courts. Her work encompassed a wide range of practice areas in state and federal courts, including securities, environmental law, land use, and CEQA.
She earned her law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, where she was elected to the Order of the Coif.
While in law school, Margaret served as articles editor of the Ecology Law Quarterly and was a member of the moot court board. She has a master’s degree in medieval history from U.C. Berkeley and a bachelor’s degree in history with honors from the University of San Francisco.
Clerkships
Justice Edward Panelli
- California Supreme Court
Justices Alison Tucher and Maria Rivera
- California Court of Appeal, First District
Law School
University of California, Berkeley School of Law
Bar Admissions
California