Administrative Law Judge Teresa A. Stanley obtained a B.S. from the University of San Francisco in 1988. Following a career with a Fortune 500 company as a programmer/analyst, she attended the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, earning her J.D. in 1994, and graduating with distinction. While at McGeorge, ALJ Stanley was an editor with the University of the Pacific Law Review. She earned her LL.M. in taxation from Taft Law School in 2012.

ALJ Stanley was admitted to practice before the California State Bar in 1994. She was also admitted to practice before the United States Bankruptcy Court Eastern Division.

From 1995 to 2017 ALJ Stanley was a sole practitioner handling a variety of cases. She served as a Pro Tem Judge in Sacramento, El Dorado and Placer Counties. From 1996 through 2016, ALJ Stanley was an elected board member of the Folsom Cordova Unified School District and served as board president for seven of those years. She also served for several years as board president for a local non-profit agency. ALJ Stanley was appointed to the Sacramento County Assessment Appeals Board where she served as part of a three-member panel hearing and deciding property tax appeals. She also was appointed to the Sacramento County Planning Commission.