“Judge Gandhi … is one of the best settlement judges in – if not the best, in the Central District.”
-Hon. Josephine L. Staton, U.S. Dist. Court, Central Dist. of Cal., Final Pretrial Conference, Case No. 11-CV-4272
“Gandhi is a great judge. He is extremely intelligent. … He feels strongly about letting people have their day in court. … He is one of the best magistrates for settlement. … He is excellent. He will get it done for you. … He pushes the other side just enough.”
-Almanac of the Federal Judiciary
“Gandhi is notorious for engaging in marathon settlement discussions that can occasionally go into the wee hours of the morning, according to attorneys who appeared before him and colleagues who work alongside him”
-Los Angeles Daily Journal, Judicial Profile
Hon. Jay C. Gandhi (Ret.) is known for his thorough, insightful, and fiercely impartial approach to every matter. The parties turn to Judge Gandhi to tirelessly and fairly broker deals in complex civil cases, whether factually, legally, technologically, or emotionally complicated.
Judge Gandhi previously served for eight years as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Central District of California, the nation's largest and one of its busiest federal courts. Judge Gandhi was a highly sought-after settlement judge and was hailed by colleagues and counsel as a “closer.”
Judge Gandhi was also an active, hands-on trial judge known for his commitment to justice. Judge Gandhi presided over a broad range of contentious and complicated civil cases.
Judge Gandhi has received a number of awards for his leadership in the law and his dedication to public service, including the Judicial Trailblazer Award, the Benjamin Aranda III Judge of the Year Award, and the Judicial Excellence and Public Service Award.
Judge Gandhi served as the Vice-Chair of the Court’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, which oversaw the Central District of California’s ADR program and its mediation panel of over 200 neutrals. Judge Gandhi is also a former Co-Chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee of the American Bar Association’s Litigation Section.
Judge Gandhi is active in professional associations. He formerly sat on the Board of Directors of the Federal Bar Association and on the Judicial Advisory Board of Emory Law School's Institute for Complex Litigation and Mass Claims.
Before his appointment to the federal bench, Judge Gandhi was a partner at Paul Hastings LLP. Judge Gandhi spent 12 years litigating high-profile, high-dollar commercial cases and MDL/class actions in a variety of state and federal jurisdictions across the country.
Prior to joining Paul Hastings, Judge Gandhi was a law clerk to United States District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt of the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division.
Judge Gandhi received his J.D. from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, graduating Order of the Coif.