Judges’ Proposal for Family Court

Re “Lawyers vs. Families: No Contest,” Commentary, Nov. 28: I believe Judge Roderic Duncan mischaracterized why Family Court 2000 by and large has been rejected.

The legislators believe that the judiciary usurped their authority by attempting to enact substantive law rather than procedural rules. The “State Bar and city and county bar associations” which opposed it were joined by virtually every legal-service provider for low-income and poverty-level persons. Family Court 2000 gutted many due process rights and increased the powers of the judiciary. As to the help centers the lawyers purportedly opposed, Duncan failed to mention that the family court has received federal funds to provide a “family law facilitator” to help people through family law procedures at no cost.

The L.A. County Bar Assn. provides no-cost service to help unrepresented litigants in family law matters several days per week at the downtown central courthouse. In addition, the family law section of the L.A. County Bar Assn. provides one or two volunteer mediators to help unrepresented and represented litigants resolve their disputes at the courthouse each and every day. A new program has also been implemented with the help of the bar association’s family law section and the LaVerne School of Law whereby law students, supervised by an attorney, are helping unrepresented litigants one full day per week. The family law section of the L.A. County Bar Assn. opposed Family Court 2000 for reasons including the above.

PATRICK DeCAROLIS JR.

Chair, Family Law Section

L.A. County Bar Assn.