Candidate for
Judge, Superior Court; County of Los Angeles; Office 95

Lance Winters was rated "Exceptionally Well Qualified" (the highest rating possible), by the Los Angeles County Bar Association, Judicial Elections Evaluations Committee.

A third generation native Angeleno, Lance Winters was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. He quickly came to know the vastness of Los Angeles when he participated in the bussing programs: in the sixth grade he was bussed to Sheridan Street School in Boyle Heights, and in the seventh grade he was bussed to Pasteur Junior High (now LACES) in South Los Angeles. Lance graduated Magna Cum Laude from UCLA as an undergraduate with Departmental Highest Honors, and from the College of Honors. After clerking at two civil law firms and at the United States Attorney's Office, Lance graduated from UCLA Law School in 1992.

Lance then began his distinguished career in the Criminal Division at the California Attorney General's Office. He spent his first five years as a deputy and then almost ten as a supervisor while also handling his own case load. He is currently the lead counsel on three capital cases, including cases involving death row inmates Raynard Cummings and Kenneth Gay, both convicted of the June 2, 1983 murder of Los Angeles Police Officer Paul Verna. Lance has argued in the California Supreme Court five times. Additionally, Lance has worked to uphold the convictions for numerous defendants convicted of major felonies, including sex offenses, gang murders, and financial crimes.

Lance has also been active in a variety of community and volunteer organizations. He volunteered as a tutor at the Remedial Reading and Learning Center, now known as the Center for LifeLong Learners. He has taught at USC Law School, and served for two years as a volunteer coach for the UCLA Law School Moot Court teams. A member of several bar organizations, Lance has been most active in the Los Angeles County Bar, serving on the Moot Court Committee and Judicial Appointments Committee. Since 2003, he has also served as a temporary judge in the Los Angeles Superior Court Temporary Judge Program.

Lance lived in Los Feliz for seven years before getting married to his wife Kerry. Kerry works as a Staff Counsel III for the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Kerry and their dog Gidget volunteer with Love on 4 Paws. Lance and Kerry live in the South Bay, with their two cats and two dogs.