Letters
Oct. 24, 2025
Make family court mediation accessible to everyone
Mediation works - if you can afford a lawyer. Most Californians can't.
Eugene M. Hyman
Judge (Ret.)
Santa Clara County Superior Court
Santa Clara Univ Law School
Eugene is a retired judge of the Santa Clara County Superior Court, where for 20 years he presided over cases in the criminal, civil, probate, family and delinquency divisions of the court. He has presided over an adult domestic violence court and in 1999 presided over the first juvenile domestic violence and family violence court in the United States.
An article last month, "10 ways lawyers can maximize family law mediation outcomes," Daily Journal, Sept. 10, rightfully praises mediation as a fast and effective solution to family law disputes. But that assumption only holds when both sides have capable attorneys who are reasonably paid.
In reality, nearly 70% of those who find themselves in a family court matter do n...
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