Orange County ABOTA names Colover Judge of the Year

Orange County Superior Court Judge H. Shaina Colover has been named by the Orange County Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates' 2026 Judge of the Year.

The chapter presented the award Oct. 7 at its Judges' Night, recognizing Colover's judicial service and commitment to fair justice. ABOTA promotes integrity and civility, protects jury trials and supports judicial independence.

"To be recognized by Orange County ABOTA as its Trial Judge of the Year is a tremendous honor, made even more meaningful by the confidence of advocates from both sides of the Bar, and our shared commitment to the fair and impartial administration of justice," Colover said.

Presiding Judge Sheila F. Hanson said the honor reflects the court's access-to-justice efforts.

"This award shines a light on our judicial officers' hard work to provide fair and equitable access to justice for all Orange County residents," she said.

Colover began her career at the Northern California firm Freitas, McCarthy, MacMahon & Keating, handling banking, municipal, business and insurance matters. She later practiced with her father, plaintiff's attorney and ABOTA member Ronald B. Schwartz, on product liability, personal injury and consumer cases, including high-profile sexual abuse matters.

Before joining the bench in 2018, Colover was president of the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association and chaired the Orange County Bar Association Education Committee.

Colover serves on the Unlimited Civil Panel at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana. Her recent cases include a wrongful death suit against Angels Baseball Inc., settled by Tyler Skaggs' family and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim over the pitcher's 2019 fatal overdose. Carli Skaggs et al. v. Angels Baseball Inc., 30-2021-01231706-CU-PO-NJC (O.C. Super. Ct., filed Nov. 9, 2021)