When Bad Is Enough: Managing Incivility in Family Law

Judge Nicole Bershon was appointed to the Los Angeles Superior Court in 2013 by Governor Jerry Brown. She currently sits at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse where she oversees a family law home court. Judge Bershon joined the family law bench from the Second Division Court of Appeal, Division Three, where she served as a pro tem justice for six months. While there, she authored over 30 opinions, including five published decisions.

Prior to serving on the Court of Appeal, Judge Bershon oversaw a Community Collaborative Court at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, which focused on providing alternatives to incarceration for certain at-risk populations, including veterans, the chronically homeless, the mentally ill, and those suffering from addiction.

Previously, she sat at the Torrance Courthouse, where her assignments included misdemeanor and felony trials and preliminary hearings. Prior to her arrival at Torrance, she served as the Site Judge for the Inglewood Courthouse, overseeing daily operations, while handling a busy small claims courtroom. Before becoming a judge, she served as a court commissioner for two years.

Judge Bershon has served on the Court’s Executive, Community Outreach, Court Security, Jury, and Temporary Judge Committees. She currently serves on the Executive Board of the California Judges Association and is an incoming Vice-President of the organization. She is also a founding board member of California Women Judges and currently serves as a member at large.

After graduating from law school, Judge Bershon entered private practice with Stutman, Treister & Glatt, and, later, with Irell & Manella, where she handled bankruptcy, civil and criminal litigation, and corporate matters. She then spent six years with the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, handling both civil and criminal matters, including a number of domestic violence cases. Before joining the bench, Judge Bershon spent almost 10 years with the Office of the Inspector General for the Los Angeles Police Commission, first as an Assistant Inspector General, and later as Inspector General for the LAPD.

Judge Bershon is a former President of the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles and is a prior recipient of their Distinguished Service Award. In addition, she has served on the boards of California Women Lawyers, the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and the Multicultural Bar Alliance of Southern California. She is a Past President of the UCLA Law Alumni Association.

Judge Bershon is a graduate of Princeton University, where she co-captained the women’s rugby team. She received her law degree from the UCLA School of Law, where she served as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the UCLA Women’s Law Journal. She has taught Criminal and Constitutional Law at USC’s Gould School of Law, and Advanced Criminal Procedure at the University of California, Irvine School of Law.

Michael B. Hanasab is a partner at the law firm of Jamra, Jamra & Hanasab, LLP, in Beverly Hills, California. Focusing his practice on family law, Mr. Hanasab works with cases involving high-asset divorce, child custody, child support, domestic partnerships, prenuptial agreements, property division, spousal support, domestic violence issues and more. He represents clients in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and throughout Southern California, as well as California statewide.

Mr. Hanasab, who exclusively practices family law, is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, and holds a degree in law and society. He earned his law degree from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles.  He has been admitted to practice in all California state courts since 2006.

Skilled in traditional litigation, Mr. Hanasab is also trained and experienced in collaborative law and other alternative dispute resolution methods. In addition to representing private clients, Mr. Hanasab serves as a family law neutral for the Los Angeles Superior Court’s Alternative Dispute Resolution program.

Before entering the field of family law, Mr. Hanasab worked in the music and entertainment industry. His experience includes positions at Universal Music Group and a private law firm where he drafted transactional documents. This experience helped prepare him for family law practice at Jamra & Jamra, LLP, where many of his clients are involved in the entertainment industry.

Mr. Hanasab belongs to professional organizations including the Beverly Hills Bar Association, the Los Angeles County Bar Association and the State Bar of California. He regularly co-authors articles on family law related topics for the publication California Family Law Report.

Hon. Susan Lopez-Giss (Ret.) joined ADR Services, Inc. in 2022 after 15 years of distinguished service as a Judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court.

After graduating from Loyola Law School, Judge Lopez-Giss joined the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, where she served 30 years as a prosecutor and later Assistant City Attorney. She developed a groundbreaking domestic violence prosecution program that was implemented statewide, only one of such programs in the country at the time. She was instrumental in drafting a domestic violence prosecution manual, filing guidelines, and restraining order statutes, and helped train law enforcement and medical personnel across the country. Judge Lopez-Giss developed guidelines for the handling of child abuse and child sexual abuse and served on interagency councils that addressed child abuse and neglect that included training for mandatory reporting. She also reviewed and personally oversaw the prosecution of hundreds of such cases. For her pioneering work developing these programs, Judge Lopez-Giss was presented with a Resolution by the Mayor and the Los Angeles City Council.