Welcome to the Bench Judge Beltramo, Judge Riebli and Commissioner Lifter

Shara Beltramo, 44, of Contra Costa County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Contra Costa County Superior Court by Governor Gavin Newsom on December 23, 2022. Beltramo has served as a Deputy District Attorney at the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office since 2018. She was an Associate at the Morrill Law Firm from 2016 to 2017 and served as a Deputy District Attorney at the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office from 2004 to 2016. Beltramo earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Steven K. Austin.

Frank Riebli, 51, of Contra Costa County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Contra Costa County Superior Court by Governor Gavin Newsom on January 31. Riebli has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of California since 2022. He served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of California from 2012 to 2022. Riebli served as a Deputy District Attorney at the Marin County District Attorney’s Office from 2011 to 2012. Riebli was an Associate at Farella Braun + Martel LLP from 2004 to 2011 and at Kirkland & Ellis LLP from 2003 to 2004. He served as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Joseph T. Sneed at the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit from 2002 to 2003. Riebli earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and a Master of Arts degree in Philosophy from Columbia University. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Lewis A. Davis.

Jill J. Lifter was appointed Commissioner of the Contra Costa County Superior Court, assuming her role effective November 28, 2022. She presides over Department 54, handling traffic, unlawful detainer, small claims, and domestic violence and civil harassment restraining order matters at the Walnut Creek and Richmond courthouses. She replaces the Hon. Ayana Young, who was assigned to Department 26 following her appointment to the bench.

Commissioner Lifter earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Southern California and her Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, from University of California, Los Angeles. She was previously an associate, shareholder, and ultimately managing shareholder of Ryan & Lifter, specializing in civil litigation with a particular focus on complex matters. She has been a frequent author and speaker in seminars and publications concerning civil litigation and trials, construction defect matters, and insurance issues.

Commissioner Lifter also brings an extensive record of volunteer service. For nearly a decade while in private practice, she served in the Contra Costa Superior Court’s Temporary Judge Program, hearing many of the same case types she now oversees in Department 54. For eight years, she was a volunteer in the Court Appointed Special Advocates program supporting abused and neglected children in the foster care system. In 1995, she received the State Bar of California Wiley W. Manuel Certificate for Pro Bono Legal Services, an award which recognizes the contributions of the those who volunteer their time and expertise on behalf of low-income clients.