Hon. Gretchen W. Taylor, Judge Retired
1875 Century Park East
Suite 450
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Email: gwt@gretchentaylor.com
Expert Mediator Serving Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside Counties
Commissioner Taylor, a Family Law Judge for 12 years, now serves as a mediator, arbitrator, special master, discovery referee, and parent plan coordinator in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, and the Palm Springs desert empire. She is best known for her adept handling of complex property issues and her expertise in custody and visitation, and has been a featured television commentator on celebrity cases.
A Certified Family Law Specialist and a proponent of mediation on the bench, she finds the “sweet spot” all parties can accept as the settlement of preference, often adding creative ideas not previously considered.
PRACTICE AREAS
Family Law matters of all types, including Paternity and Domestic Partnerships, Family Law Legal Malpractice and Fee Disputes. She resides in both Los Angeles and Palm Desert, CA, and her mediation practice assists families located from the coast to the desert cities of Palm Springs, Indian Wells, and Palm Desert. She heads the DFMS Co-Mediation Team.
CONFLICT RESOLUTION EXPERIENCE
Commissioner Taylor presided over hundreds of trials and settled thousands of Family Law disputes during 12 years on the Family Law bench. Well-liked for her casual and no-nonsense approach, she excels in analyzing complex cases and crafting road maps to resolution. Lawyers and their clients know that she can be trusted to understand sophisticated accounting issues and to offer inventive parenting plans in the most challenging of circumstances. Commissioner Taylor has been a judicial mentor and educator to her fellow California jurists, having taught various courses at Judicial College.
Prior to her tenure on the Los Angeles Superior Court, Commissioner Taylor was appointed to the Riverside Superior Court, where she brought about significant improvement and reorganized the Desert Branch Family Law Departments. She was a successful Beverly Hills Family Law attorney for 18 years before serving on the bench. She came to the mediation community early and was a pioneer in her use of alternative conflict resolution methods. She began her career in the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services, where she was dedicated to helping families and children in very difficult situations.
ORGANIZATIONS & ACHIEVEMENTS
Recipient of The 2008 Spirit of CEB Award for service to Family Law Education
Member/former member: Family Law Committee and Alternate Dispute Resolution Committee, Los Angeles Superior Court; American Inns of Court, Family Law Inn of Court; numerous other bar and judicial associations and Family Law organizations
Frequent faculty member and speaker on Family Law topics to organizations throughout California
Author of articles on Family Law for Cal CEB (2005, 2008) and Receivership News (2005); Editorial Board Member, Journal of Child Custody.
Judge Taylor was recently honored in an article concerning her Mediation practice which was published by the Los Angeles Daily Journal on July 9, 2010.
Certified Family Law Specialist, Board of Legal Specialization, State Bar of California
EDUCATION & TRAINING
J.D., 1979, Southwestern University School of Law, Los Angeles
B.A., 1966, Marymount College, Palos Verdes, CA
Fluent in Spanish
"My mediation style is informal and creative, and I take my cue from the parties.
I find that every set of clients has needs and expectations that must be heard and addressed.
I 'tune in' at the beginning of each matter in order to speak to each case's context
and diverse interests, including what may be driving the dispute.
I find attorneys often have valuable insights that set the stage
for my success with their clients and with them.
I always see attorneys in mediation as part of the solution.
They know their clients far better than I, they know the history of the matter,
and most times they can be quite supportive of resolution:
Indeed, it is often the attorneys who have suggested the Mediation process,
and I always remain appreciative of that fact.
I think of mediation as a lovely dance, which I help to choreograph."
-- Hon. Gretchen W. Taylor --