Release Number: 30 Release Date: May 29, 2008
New Statewide Task Force Appointed to Improve Fairness, Efficiency in
California Family Law Cases
San Francisco—William C. Vickrey, Administrative Director of the Courts, today announced the appointment of members to the Elkins Family Law Task Force, a new statewide panel that will strive to improve efficiency and fairness in family law proceedings.
To be chaired by Associate Justice Laurie D. Zelon of the Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District (Los Angeles), the task force will conduct a comprehensive review of family law proceedings and recommend changes to increase access to justice, ensure due process, and provide for more effective and consistent rules, policies, and procedures.
“The diverse membership of this impressive group will permit a thoughtful and thorough review of the many challenges involved in family law proceedings,” stated Chief Justice Ronald M. George. “The courts and public we serve will greatly benefit from improvements to the administration of justice in this important area.”
“In the lives of the parties, the significance and importance of family law cases cannot be overstated,” Mr. Vickrey observed. “The courts have a vital role to play in these cases, where critical issues are involved. The parties deserve policies and procedures that can be understood and navigated, and the rules must ensure due process and the opportunity to be heard to ensure the trust and confidence of parties involved in family law proceedings.”
Justice Zelon noted, “I look forward to working with this impressive group of family law experts and to hearing from the many interested groups and individuals who care about improving the way we handle family law cases. It is my hope that this task force, as a group, will quickly come to understand the challenges faced by litigants in family court. More importantly, we will then determine how we can put in place rules, practices, and procedures to better serve the people of California.
“The Supreme Court and the Judicial Council have asked us to deal with important and challenging issues, and I am confident that we will discharge our responsibilities well,” Justice Zelon continued. “We need to ensure that the interests of all parties in family law cases can be served and that justice and due process for all remains paramount. In recent years, the number of parties who are self-represented in family law proceedings has increased dramatically. This fact adds complexity to the issues, but also creates an opportunity for innovation and new approaches.”
The task force was appointed in response to a California Supreme Court opinion, Elkins v. Superior Court, 41 Cal.4th 1337, filed August 6, 2007. Authored by Chief Justice George, the unanimous opinion held that marital dissolution trials should proceed under the same general rules of procedure that govern other civil trials.
The ruling further provided: “We recommend to the Judicial Council that it establish a task force, including representatives of the family law bench and bar and the Judicial Council Advisory Committee on Family and Juvenile Law, to study and propose measures to assist trial courts in achieving efficiency and fairness in marital dissolution proceedings and to ensure access to justice for litigants, many of whom are self-represented. Such a task force might wish to consider proposals for adoption of new rules of court establishing statewide rules of practice and procedure for fair and expeditious proceedings in family law, from the initiation of an action to postjudgment motions. Special care might be taken to accommodate self-represented litigants. Proposed rules could be written in a manner easy for laypersons to follow, be economical to comply with, and ensure that a litigant be afforded a satisfactory opportunity to present his or her case to the court.”
Members of the legal community and public who wish to share ideas with the Elkins Task Force may do so by writing this e-mail: [email protected]
The membership roster is attached. -#-
The Judicial Council is the policymaking body of the California courts, the largest court system in the nation. Under the leadership of the Chief Justice and in accordance with the California Constitution, the council is responsible for ensuring the consistent, independent, impartial, and accessible administration of justice. The Administrative Office of the Courts carries out the official actions of the council and promotes leadership and excellence in court administration.
Elkins Family Law Task Force
As of May 22, 2008
Ms. Tulin D. Acikalin Managing Attorney Bay Area Legal Aid
Hon. Sue Alexander Commissioner of the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda
Hon. Lorna A. Alksne Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of San Diego
Hon. Irma Poole Asberry Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Riverside
Ms. Kathy Banuelos Counsel California Senate Judiciary Committee
Mr. Richard Barry Attorney at Law San Rafael
Hon. Louise Bayles-Fightmaster Commissioner of the Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma
Hon. Jerilyn L. Borack Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento
Ms. Linda D. Daeley Family Law Manager Superior Court of California, County of Orange
Ms. Julie Dodge Self-Help Center Attorney Family Law Facilitator Superior Court of California, County of Stanislaus
Ms. Patricia Foster Director, Family Court Services Superior Court of California, County of Tulare
Ms. Ana Maria Garcia Supervising Attorney Neighborhood Legal Service of Los Angeles County
Hon. Michael Gassner Commissioner of the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino
Hon. Barry P. Goode Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Contra Costa
Mr. José Octavio Guillén Executive Officer Superior Court of California, County of Imperial
Mr. Vahan Hovsepian Director Superior Court of California, County of Butte
Hon. Joan K. Irion Associate Justice of the Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division One
Hon. Irwin H. Joseph Commissioner of the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Cruz
Hon. Mark A. Juhas Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles
Mr. Lawrence E. Leone Attorney at Law Los Angeles
Mr. Drew Liebert Chief Counsel California Assembly Judiciary Committee
Dr. Margaret Little Senior Administrator Family Law and Probate Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles
Ms. Judy Louie Director, ACCESS Center Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco
Hon. Patricia M. Lucas Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara
Mr. Mark E. Minyard Attorney at Law Newport Beach
Ms. Suzanne Clark Morlock Family Law Facilitator and Self-Help Center Director Superior Court of California, County of Tuolumne
Ms. Sandra Morris Attorney at Law San Diego
Ms. Lorie S. Nachlis Attorney at Law San Francisco
Hon. Kimberly J. Nystrom-Geist Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Fresno
Rebecca Prater Staff Attorney Office of the Family Law Facilitator Superior Court of California, County of San Diego
Hon. Vance W. Raye Associate Justice of the Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District
Mr. Stephen B. Ruben Attorney at Law San Francisco
Ms. Caron Caines Smith Family Law Case Coordinator Attorney Superior Court of California, County of Ventura
Hon. Nancy Wieben Stock Presiding Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Orange
Mr. Hugh Swift Executive Officer Superior Court of California, County of Amador
Hon. B. Scott Thomsen Commissioner of the Superior Court of California, County of Nevada
Mr. Peter M. Walzer Attorney at Law Woodland Hills
AOC LEAD Staff
Ms. Diane Nunn Director Center for Families, Children & the Courts Administrative Office of the Courts
AOC Staff to the Committee
Ms. Bonnie Rose Hough Managing Attorney Center for Families, Children & the Courts Administrative Office of the Courts
Ms. Patricia Rivera Administrative Coordinator Center for Families, Children & the Courts Administrative Office of the Courts
Ms. Julia Weber Supervising Attorney Center for Families, Children & the Courts Administrative Office of the Courts