Albert H. Maldonado has always been a pragmatist. He had his rst inkling that he might pursue a career in law in 1956 when he won a writing contest in his elementary school in Redlands, in Southern California, about the Civil War. After claiming his $5 prize, he thought: “Maybe I can make money writing. at in uenced me also to be an attorney.” His practical, real-world thinking is also at play today in his approach to law. Maldonado, 78, retired in 2017 after 22 years as a Monterey County Superior Court judge, and now volunteers about 20-30 hours a week as a pro bono attorney at Legal Services for Seniors. He says he advises clients by thinking through the likely end point of a case, and encouraging them to pursue an option that helps them avoid a drawn-out, frustrating battle: “I’ll say, ‘if you go to arbitration or small claims, you are going to lose, you are going to appeal and lose again. Here’s what you can do right now.’” It’s been a full-circle career for Maldonado, who began his career in legal aid and now returns to it after working on all sides. He has practiced as a defense attorney, a prosecutor—even once seeking the death penalty—worked in the Monterey County Counsel’s O ce and nally as a judge. (He also served as board president of Monterey College of Law.) Besides career, Maldonado’s life also came full circle in that he took a break from law school in 1970 when he was drafted to Fort Ord, then served in Vietnam in 1971. He had no idea at the time he would return to Monterey County—and during his years in the Army, he also had no idea if he would survive. “I came back with a mindset not to be afraid of anything; I thought I was going to die,” he says. “I lost ve childhood friends in Vietnam.” After his Army service, he returned to law school at UC Berkeley with a more nely attuned sense of justice, having pursued charges against fellow Army members for killing civilians in his role in the O ce of the Sta Judge Advocate. “We grew up in a family that very much believed in defending and representing our country,” says Maldonado, the eldest of eight children who all attended college. All of this Maldonado recounts in great detail, and with many people to thank along the way— he remembers the speci c ways in which various people have in uenced him. Late Justice Nat Agliano was one of many mentors, and showed Maldonado how to listen: “I would go into his courtroom and watch him and saw, this judge doesn’t intervene, he just listens,” Maldonado says. “He was an in uence on how to look judicious— body language is everything.” Justice for All After retiring as a judge, Albert H. Maldonado is still committed to upholding justice as a volunteer. By Sara Rubin DANIEL DREIFUSS Advocacy and Protection Abogacía y Protección U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Servicios de Inmigración y Ciudadanía • Citizenship and immigration of family members, US employment, and green cards • Humanitarian efforts, adoptions, civic integration, and genealogy • Ciudadanía y inmigración de miembros de la familia, empleo en los Estados Unidos, y tarjetas de residencia • Esfuerzos humanitarios, adopciones, integración cívica, y genealogía M-F/L-V 8am-8pm Automated line/Línea automatizada 24/7 www.uscis.gov 1-800-375-5283 YWCA Monterey County YWCA Condado de Monterey • 24/7 Crisis Line • Domestic violence services and prevention • Mental health services • Information, education, and advocacy • Línea de Crisis 24/7 • Servicios y prevención de violencia doméstica • Servicios de salud mental • Información, educación y abogacía M-F/L-V 9am-5pm www.ywcamc.org 831-422-8602 Salinas 831-372-6300/831-757-1001 Crisis Line/Línea de crisis 24 THE BEST OF MONTEREY BAY® LIVING WELL 2025-2026
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTcxMjMwNg==