Pierce County officials announced Monday Superior Court Judge Thomas P. Larkin will retire on July 31.

According to information posted on Pierce County’s Web site, Larkin graduated from Bellarmine Preparatory School in 1966, Gonzaga University in 1970, and Gonzaga Law School in 1973. He practiced law in Pierce County from 1973 to 1986, representing clients at the trial and appellate court levels, and trying both civil and criminal cases in the state and federal courts. In 1986, he was elected to Pierce County District Court, where he served as a judge until his election to Pierce County Superior Court in 1996. Larkin was Pierce County Superior Court Presiding Judge in 2007 and 2008, and currently serves as the Presiding Judge of the Pierce County Juvenile Court at Remann Hall. He is also chair of the Juvenile Detention Alternative committee.

Outside the legal arena, Larkin coached boys and girls youth basketball between 1973 and 2001, and served on elementary and high school boards. Upon retirement, Larkin plans to travel, spend more time with his wife, Mayo, and his four children and five grandchildren.

The Pierce County Superior Court Bench and the Tacoma Pierce County Bar Association will sponsor a retirement reception on Weds., July 22, at 4:45 p.m., at the Tacoma Yacht Club, located at 5401 N. Waterfront Dr., in Tacoma. Members of the public are invited, and tickets can be purchased for $30 at the Tacoma Pierce County Bar Association, located at 621 Tacoma Ave. S., Suite 403, in Tacoma, or by contacting (253) 272-8871.