Hon. Stephen Kaus

About The Lecturer

Hon. Stephen Kaus (Ret.) brings more than 50 years of legal experience—including 12 years on the Alameda County Superior Court—to his JAMS practice. As a direct calendar judge managing 600–800 active cases, he presided over complex multiparty disputes, bench and jury trials, and numerous settlement conferences. His broad experience as both judge and advocate enables him to efficiently analyze legal issues and facilitate pragmatic resolutions.

Before his judicial appointment, Judge Kaus practiced extensively in civil litigation, representing professionals, including engineers, attorneys and judges, handling construction, insurance and commercial disputes, and representing both plaintiffs and defendants in multiple complex cases.

For twenty years, Judge Kaus was a partner at a midsize San Francisco law firm, where he represented media, cable TV and telecom clients in employment, contract and franchising disputes. Among his litigation matters were construction cases involving major public buildings such as concert halls and hospitals. He chaired the firm’s litigation department and served on the Executive Committee.  He also was a member of the First District Court of Appeal mediation panel.

A dedicated leader in the Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF), Judge Kaus served on its board of directors and received its Award of Merit along with a special award from the San Francisco Public Defender for his work as chair of its Special Committee on Conflicts Counsel in 1995.

Publications

Selected Speaking Engagements

• Panelist, “Practical Issues in Enforcing Arbitration Agreements and Awards,” Bar Association of San Francisco, March 2026
• Co-Presenter, “May it Please the Court: Effective Trial Practice,” MyCLE, September 2025
• Panelist, California Trial Evidence, Practicing Law Institute, 2013
• Co-Instructor (with James Wagstaffe), Federal Civil Procedure, University of San Francisco School of Law, 1994–1995
• Panelist, Ethics, Rutter Group, 1995
• Co-Instructor (with David C. Coleman III), Criminal Trial Practice, UC Berkeley School of Law (formerly Boalt Hall), 1980–1983
• Instructor of multiple California Continuing Education of the Bar courses, including Civil Pretrial Procedure and Law and Motion

Selected Publications

• Judicial Consultant, “California Judges Benchbook: Civil Proceedings,” California Center for Judicial Education & Research, 2026
• “The Supreme Court Can Use the Tariff Case to Reassert the Courts' Duty to Prevent Presidential Abuse of Power,” San Francisco Attorney Magazine, Bar Association of San Francisco, Fall 2025
• “9th Circuit rejects broad public disclosure bar in whistleblower cases,” Daily Journal, October 2025
• Author, Continuing Education of the Bar, Prosecutorial Misconduct (annual supplement), 1978–1982

Education

J.D., UC Berkeley School of Law

B.A., cum laude, University of California, Los Angeles