Edward P. George Jr.

October 10, 1932 - February 27, 2014 Edward P. George, Jr., born October 10, 1932, in Los Angeles, California to Edward P. George, Sr., and Christine Parker, passed away peacefully in the presence of his family on February 27, 2014. Ed was married 54 years to the love of his live Patricia (Byrne). They lived together in Cypress for the past 46 years. A diehard UCLA fan where he received both his undergraduate and law degrees. He swam competitively for the UCLA Varsity Swimming Team and later for the United States Army where he was a member of Military Olympic Swim & Water Polo Team in Berlin, Germany. He began his legal career in 1960 as a prosecutor for the City of Los Angeles and later entered his Long Beach private practice in 1964. He was soon widely considered one of the best lawyers in California, a "lawyer's lawyer," and a true professional who was always a gentleman. He loved the law and dedicated his life to the improvement of the justice system, legal ethics, and the overall legal profession. He was Vice-President of the California State Bar; an elected member of the State Bar Board of Governors; Chair, Board of Governors Committee on Discipline; Commissioner, Commission on Judicial Performance (Judicial Discipline); and the California Supreme Court Applicant Evaluation and Nomination Committee. He also served as member or Chairman of numerous bar committees to include the Committee on Standard Jury Instructions [both BAJI and CALJIC]; California State Bar Disciplinary Board; Presiding Referee of the voluntary State Bar Court (he is considered by many as the father of the current professional State Bar Court system); and the ethics Commission for the Revision of the Rules of Professional Conduct. He was a past member of the Board of Trustees of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, a past President of the Long Beach Bar Association, and a Founding Member, Long Beach Chapter, Joseph A. Ball, Clarence S. Hunt American Inn of Court (founded to inspire civility, ethics, and professionalism in the art and ethics of trial practice). He was a fellow of both the American College of Trial Lawyers (top 1% in California) and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers (limited to the top 500 trial attorneys in the United States). He was honored to have received the Los Angeles Criminal Courts Bar Association, "Joseph M. Rosen Justice Award;" the Long Beach Bar Association, "Lawyer of the Year Award;" and the Los Angeles County Bar Association, "Career Achievement Award." He is survived by his wife, his two loving daughters Stacy (Timothy L. O'Reilly) and Kristie (Jack Needham), and his three grandchildren, Kelly, Vincent, and Brendan O'Reilly. A celebration of his life and funeral services will be held at 2 p.m., on Wednesday, March 5, 2014, at Forest Lawn, Cypress, CA.