Private Judging for Divorce Mediation in California

Using Private Judging for Your Case

How Does Private Judging Work?

When parties choose to use private judging for their case, they can select both the judge and the extent to which the private judge’s decisions are legally binding. Parties must inform the public court presiding over their case of their intention to use private judging.

Private Judging with Alternative Divorce Solutions

• We meet with both parties to assess your case and collect your disclosures;
• We evaluate the case on our own, determining how complex it is and enabling you to get a better idea of what the private judging process will look like for your case;
• We schedule the private judging to occur in our office, so you don’t need to attend court;
• After issuing their judgment, the judge will submit their findings to the public court overseeing the case;
• At this stage, the court typically accepts the private judge’s decision and resolves the case.

Additionally, private judging has some more structure than other types of alternative dispute resolution, such as mediation. This can make it a great option for individuals who don’t necessarily agree on all aspects of their divorce but want to handle the case out of court regardless.