State Bar & Bar Associations,
Judges and Judiciary
Oct. 8, 2026
LA court tests new approach to child custody disputes
A new pilot gives some parents a second round of counseling -- and allows counselors to recommend parenting plans to judges -- drawing both interest and concern from family law attorneys.
Los Angeles County Superior Court has quietly begun testing a significant change in the way judges decide some child custody disputes, allowing court counselors for the first time to recommend parenting plans directly to judges when parents cannot reach an agreement.
The pilot, which took effect Aug. 25 at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, moves the nation's largest trial court toward a practice already used in several other California counties but has drawn concern from family law...
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