Hon. J. Barrett Marum

Judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit have appointed J. Barrett Marum as the next bankruptcy judge on the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of California. His 14-year term begins today, Aug. 30, 2024, when Senior District Judge Thomas J. Whelan, who Judge Marum clerked for, administers the oath of office. Marum succeeds Bankruptcy Judge Louise De Carl Adler, who retired in 2022. He will maintain chambers in San Diego. 

Prior to his appointment to the bench, Marum had a long career at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, LLP, in its San Diego and Silicon Valley offices. His practice focused on bankruptcy matters of all sizes throughout the U.S. and commercial litigation in California.  Marum clerked for the Honorable Thomas J. Whelan, of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. He was a lawyer representative for the Southern District of California, served as director for the San Diego Bankruptcy Forum and was involved as a long-standing member of the Southern District of California’s Bankruptcy Local Rules Committee. During his time in private practice, Marum regularly provided pro bono services to indigent clients, including among others, veterans, disaster victims and adopting parents.  A native of Napa, California, Marum received his Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of California at Berkeley in 2000, graduating in three years with high distinction, and his Juris Doctor in 2003 from UCLA School of Law, where he was awarded Order of the Coif and served as a member of the Environmental Law Journal.