General Comments

Philosophy related to the Practice of Family Law From the time I began handling Family Law litigation in the early 1970's, I became increasingly aware of how poorly suited the adversarial legal process is to dissolving a marriage. Family Law is not about determining fault or liability, or assessing damages. It is about resolving difficult family and financial issues. Often it is also about preserving or restructuring parental relationships and protecting the interests of children. Success should be measured not only in terms of financial outcome, but also in terms of maintaining a sense of dignity and self-worth. In 1985, I began doing Family Law mediation as a constructive and humane alternative for assisting couples in failed marriages to get divorced and work out comprehensive settlements without resort to Court. In 1997, I added collaborative law to my practice, because it offers a viable alternative for individuals who wish to end their marriage and reach a settlement out of court, but prefer the hands-on involvement and assistance of their own attorney throughout the process, which is not available in mediation. My practice is limited to family law mediation, collaborative practice, and private judging. A brief summary of my education, training, and professional affiliations is listed below. Education B.A. Political Science, University of California Santa Barbara, 1966 J.D. Stanford Law School, 1969 Professional Admitted to practice, State Bar of California and Federal Courts, 1971 Certified Family Law Specialist (CFLS), State Bar Board of Legal Specialization Family law trial and later settlement judge pro tem, San Mateo County Superior Court, 1984-2004 Family law mediation and settlement judge pro tem, Santa Clara County Superior Court, since 1992-2007 Mediation and Collaborative Practice Family Law mediation practice, since 1985 Mentored with attorney Larry Sleizer, pioneer family law mediator in Northern California, 1984 Basic and intensive mediation training, Gary J. Friedman, Center for Law in Mediation, Mill Valley, California Advanced mediation training, James C. Melamed, Mediation Center, Eugene, Oregon Practice has included collaborative family law since 1997 Basic, intermediate and advanced Collaborative Law training, Collaborative Practice Silicon Valley, Santa Clara County Collaborative Practice Team Training, CDTT, Tucson, Arizona Advanced Collaborative Practice workshop, Pauline Tessler, San Francisco Collaborative Practice trainer for attorneys, financial and mental health professionals, for both Collaborative Practice Silicon Valley and Collaborative Practice San Mateo County Organizations Collaborative Practice Silicon Valley, Santa Clara County Collaborative Practice San Mateo County International Academy of Collaborative Professionals Association for Dispute Resolution of Northern California Mediation and arbitration panel member, San Mateo County Family Law ADR Program Family law mediation panel member, Palo Alto Area Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service Former member, Cal. State Bar Family Law Alternative Dispute Resolution Standing Committee Volunteer attorney, Family Law Services “Ask a Lawyer” Program, San Mateo County