Message from the Editor

Erin McGaughey

This edition of the E-News focuses on the various ways the COVID-19 pandemic has affected our clients and us as practitioners. We would like to thank and acknowledge each of the following contributors for their exceptional work, time and effort:

David Yamamoto, Chair of the Family Law Executive Committee, prepared a message. Daniel Bergman, Allison and Elyse Margolin, Honorable Lawrence Riff, Sara Rondon, Jeremy Salvador and Dr. Robert Simon for contributing articles. Dawn Gray provided the case summaries. An index of the articles is on the left side of the page. Click on the article of interest and you will be taken directly to the article. Also, a big thanks to Tom Horne and Kara Chikamori at LACBA for their work and support in publishing the E-News. I would also like to extend my appreciation to Judge Diana Gould-Saltman, Jeremy Salvador and Steven Yoda of the E-News Committee for their ideas, contributions and time putting together this edition.

We have included a link to the News Releases and Notices posted on the lacourt.org website for your convenience.

We invite you to click on the links to our facebook, twitter and instagram pages.

The original content presented below has been published after submission from members of the family law section and other family law professionals. Any member may submit a piece for publication, and I would encourage submissions from any member with original material they would like to share. As always, do not hesitate to contact us with your comments or suggestions.

Editor of the E-News
Erin McGaughey
erin@mcgs-law.com

Message from the Chair

David Kunio Yamamoto

Editor's Note: David is a Certified Family Law Specialist. His practice is in Torrance, California. He is the 2019/2020 Chair of the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Family Law Section.

The family law community lost a beloved icon. Sorrell Trope passed away peacefully in his sleep on the morning of May 23, 2020. Our sincerest condolences to his wife, Linda, and his family. He will be missed. See Paula Kane’s Tribute to Sorrell.

COVID-19 has created serious challenges for all of us. It has had an unprecedented effect on the health and economy of the world. Now, more than ever, we need to collaborate to help our families, clients, colleagues, and the courts face the uncertainty around the coronavirus and its aftermath. We have witnessed many individuals courageously stand up and battle against the pandemic. While the need for face-to-face human contact will not disappear, we are embracing electronic and virtual communication through our recent zoom webinars and virtual meetings. To quote Martin Luther King, Jr. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy”. We are resourceful. We will persevere and overcome this strange time.

It has been an honor and a privilege to serve our Los Angeles County Family Law community. While the end of my term has been unusual, to say the least, I have enjoyed every minute of it. Our next section chair, Paula Kane, takes the helm July 1, 2020. She is already working hard to continue strengthening our section. Our executive committee consists of family law attorneys and liaisons from the judiciary, mental health profession, nonprofit law clinics and accountants. We are always looking for suggestions from our colleagues that will help us progress along with the rapidly changing landscape of family law.

Our Supervising Judge of the Family Law Department, Judge Lawrence Riff, has provided great leadership during this difficult time. He has kept us informed on new developments and his enthusiasm and dedication for continued progress and improvement of the Family Law Department is recognized by all. See Judge Lawrence Riff’s germane article “Family Court in 2069"

It has been a pleasure working with the current LACBA Family Law Executive Committee. Our Minor’s Counsel Training (Sonia Dujan)and Child Custody Colloquium (Dena Kleeman) were hugely successful. Dena also jumped in and took over the Legislation Sub-Committee. Steve Cawelti and his committee provided guidance in membership, the listserve and social media. Our immediate past chair, Cari Pines, monitored our listserve and is working on a virtual Daily Settlement Officer program. Heidi Tuffias kept the DSO program intact. Paula Kane and Lynda Sheridan put in many hours preparing a great Trope Trial Institute Program which was cancelled just days before it was to occur in March because of the pandemic. The FL E-News is back and our new editor Erin McGaughey is doing a tremendous job.

I want to thank our Flexcom Officers, Paula Kane, Steve Mindel, Abbas Hadjian, Steve Cawelti, and Cari Pines. I could not have survived without them. Lastly, I want to thank, Araceli Murillo, our program and events director, for her tireless effort and Ron Brot, LABCA President, for all his support.

Our executive committee meetings are held on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. Contact me if you are interested in attending or have comments or suggestions.
david@dkylaw.com

Best to All,
David Kunio Yamamoto
LACBA Family Law Section Chair
2019/2020

Message from the Chair-Elect

Paula Kane

The Family Law Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association mourns the passing of Sorrell Trope on May 23, 2020. He was a giant of the Family Law Bar. Sorrell’s career as a family law lawyer spanned a remarkable 71 years. His firm, Trope and Trope, was the first firm in California to practice exclusively to family law, became the largest family law firm in California and at one point was the largest firm in the U.S. limiting its practice exclusively to family law. He was counsel of record in 21 published Court of Appeal decisions, with his first published decision in 1953. Over 100 attorneys in Los Angeles County worked for Trope and Trope at one point during their career. The Family Law Section of the LACBA established the Sorrell Trope Trial Institute four years ago in his honor and is proud to carry on his legacy of excellence in trial advocacy and commitment to family law. He represented the best in all of us and will be missed. Our sincere condolences to his family.

Paula Kane
LACBA Family Law Section Chair-Elect
2020-2021