Larry Bakman

Larry Bakman is an American attorney and judge on Judge Judith Sheindlin's TV series Hot Bench from 2014 to 2016.

Backman graduated cum laude from The University of California Los Angeles with a B.A. degree, and he received his Juris Doctorate from the Southwestern University School of Law.

Larry Bakman is a former Los Angeles City Attorney. He then began a practice in the area of criminal defense. He defended several cases brought by the United States Government under the RICO act. One of his successful and-high-profile cases involved a federal death-penalty case in which his client was charged with a triple homicide in furtherance of Mexican Mafia activities. After an eleven-month trial, Bakman obtained an acquittal on all charges in the case.

Bakman has served as a Judge Pro Tem for the Van Nuys Municipal Court and the West Los Angeles Municipal Court.Currently, he is admitted to practice in six jurisdictions in the United States; the California and New York State Bars, and the United States District Courts for the Central and Southern Districts of California, the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, the Western District of Washington, and the District of Arizona.

Bakman was one of the original three judges on the courtroom reality TV series Hot Bench, created by Judge Judith Sheindlin of Judge Judy fame. After appearing on the show for its first two seasons, Bakman announced in October 2016 that he was leaving the show to devote more time to his busy law practice. His replacement is Michael Corriero, a former New York State Court judge.