Hon. Gretchen W. Taylor
Los Angeles County Superior Court Commissioner, Retired

Commissioner Taylor, a Family Law Judge for 12 years, now serves as a mediator, arbitrator, special master, discovery referee, and parent plan coordinator. Known for her adept handling of complex property issues and her expertise in custody and visitation, she was recently featured on NBC’s Today show to discuss the custody of Michael Jackson’s children. 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.

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 offer inventive parenting plans in the most challenging of circumstances. Commissioner Taylor has been a judicial mentor and educator to her fellow California jurists.

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.

EDUCATION & TRAINING

Mediation Training, 2008, Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University

J.D., 1979, Southwestern University School of Law, Los Angeles.

B.A., 1966, Marymount College, Palos Verdes, CA

Fluent in Spanish

Commissioner Taylor is available throughout Southern California.

Century City
310.284.8224

Downtown
213.623.0211

Toll Free
1.800.347.4512