2019 Steve Jimenez Memorial Special Recognition Awards

• Jurisdiction: California,United States
• Author: Erin Wintersteen, Esq.
• Publication year: 2019
• Citation: Vol. 32 No. 2

2019 Steve Jimenez Memorial Special Recognition Awards

Erin Wintersteen, Esq.

Sacramento, California

The Workers' Compensation section of the California Lawyers Association is honoring five exceptional members of the community for their contributions to the workers' compensation system. The 2019 Steve Jimenez Memorial Special Recognition Awards will be presented at a reception on Friday, October 11, 2019, in conjunction with the CLA Annual Meeting being held in Monterey.

Lifetime Achievement Award Joseph Samuel Workers' Compensation Judge Sacramento, California

The Hon. Joseph Samuel received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California Berkeley in 1964 and his Juris Doctor degree from Hastings College of Law in 1967. He became a member of the California Bar in 1967. After taking the Bar, he clerked for the Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District, through September 1968, before entering the world of workers' compensation law.

Judge Samuel joined the Law Office of Eugene C. Treaster in October 1969, where he represented injured workers until 1972, when he struck out on his own, representing injured workers as either a sole practitioner or as a partner with Isenberg, Moulds and Samuel from 1969 to January 10, 1986. He was appointed to the Workers' Compensation Judge position effective January 13, 1986, assigned to the Sacramento district office.

Judge Samuel presided over tens of thousands of hearings, including thousands of trials. He was particularly gracious with pro per injured workers, taking the time to explain everything to them and allowing them ample opportunity to speak. His decisions were scholarly, with detailed, thoughtful discussions of the...