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Judge Amy Pellman Provides Reflections
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AMY M. PELLMAN Superior Court Judge |
Los Angeles
Superior Court Judge Amy M. Pellman provided the reflections below yesterday,
her last day on the bench. She was appointed as a judge on Nov. 6, 2008, and
had been a commissioner of the court since July 2005.
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have so many wonderful memories of service it is hard to recount. In my time as supervising judge, I started the “Judgment Assistant Day” which provides pro bono assistance (a joint venture of Beverly Hills Bar Association and the Los Angeles County Bar Association) to pro pers who needed judgments completed. I restarted the mediation program, started a mentor/study group for our judges, I was very proud that I was able to convince leadership to add more judges so we could get dedicated judges to handle the civil harassment cases. Everyone, including, past supervising judges, told me it was never going to change and I should just leave it alone but starting from the first day as supervising judge I pursued this issue. We received four new judges over two years to handle these cases and give the “home” courts the ability to be better handle family law cases.
I have had some surprising meetings with past litigants—once in Jiffy Lube and once an exterminator. Both gentlemen thanked me for helping them to have relationships with their kids. I was offered free oil changes and extermination but politely declined!
My last week on the bench, I did an adult adoption. Out of the blue, a couple called my clerk (they tracked me down) to ask if I could preside over the adult adoption of their former foster child. It turned out that this young man, now in his 20s, had spent a significant amount of time in my court when I was in assigned to dependency court from 2011-17. He had a very difficult life, including a failed adoption and I had tried my hardest to make sure that he was getting all the services he needed and the potential to have a permanent home. He was eventually placed with two men (a couple) who were one of the first if not the first to participate in a new program for kids who needed extra help. Fast forward, they have been a beautiful family and this young man is now a father and has a wife (actually not sure if they are married) and a good job and is super happy. Was great to put my dependency and family law together!
Family law is a difficult assignment – it is emotional, exceptionally legally complicated, the ultimate in crossover law – property, tax, custody, support, property……I have been honored to be a part of this community.
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