The Hon. Daniel A. Flores, ‘01, was born in San Francisco to immigrant parents from El Salvador. He joined the United States Marine Corps Reserve after high school. He then attended California State University, Sacramento, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. While initially looking for a career in law enforcement and investigations, Judge Flores became interested in pursuing a law degree during his senior year.
Judge Flores began his studies at the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law in 1998. He participated in the Minority Students’ Program as a first-year law student to get extra academic support from his peers. In his second year, Judge Flores paid it forward by serving as a Minority Students’ Program tutor in Real Property Law. Judge Flores was also involved in the Latino Law Students Association at McGeorge by serving as a board member and later as president. As a student, he realized how the law touched his music, real estate, and entrepreneurship interests. He completed a concentration in Intellectual Property Law and received his Juris Doctor, with distinction, in 2001.
Judge Flores began his career as a civil litigator at Ropers, Majeski, Kohn & Bentley and later opened a private practice where he incorporated criminal defense. As a young attorney, he was named a Rising Star and later a Super Lawyer in the Northern California Super Lawyer’s Magazine. With heavy judicial support and the endorsement of the Democratic, Green, and Republican parties, Judge Flores was elected to the Superior Court in 2014. Judge Flores currently presides over civil trials. His previous assignments include criminal, juvenile justice, and family law. Judge Flores also served as the Presiding Judge of the San Francisco Superior Court’s Appellate Division.
Judge Flores remains active in the community through mentoring and speaking engagements designed to promote the virtues of the legal profession. Judge Flores is a Bay Area Judicial Selection Advisory Committee member and is on the board of directors of the California Latino Judges Association. Judge Flores received the Bay Area Minority Bar Coalition Champion of Diversity Award in 2022 and the San Francisco La Raza Lawyers Association’s Judge of the Year Award in 2023.
Throughout 2024, the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law will celebrate members of its vast alumni network in honor of the school’s 100-year anniversary. This post is part of a series highlighting 100 exceptional McGeorge School of Law alumni.
Stay tuned for more blog posts as we celebrate the law school’s centennial anniversary.