OMG! My Stepchild(ren) are Suing Me for Divorce! Cross-over Issues in Family and Probate Law

Join Los Angeles Southern California Probate Division Judge Anna Maria Luna and Judges Christine Byrd (Ret.) and Glen Reiser (Ret.) of JAMS as they address trends and case dynamics when family and probate issues converge -- including families with blended families in financial turmoil when a loved one passes, and divorces in families with a loved one in a conservatorship.

Distinguished Panelists: 

Hon. Anna Maria Luna currently presides over the Los Angeles Superior Court Probate Division where she has been handling the long cause probate calendar, managing estate, trust, guardianship and conservatorship cases. Judge Luna was previously assigned to a family law courtroom from 2014 to April 2020 where she heard child custody, support and financial issues in marital dissolution and parentage actions. She began her judicial career in 1992 as a court commissioner after practicing as a family law attorney. Judge Luna has worked extensively with drug treatment issues in the criminal justice system.  

Hon. Christine Byrd (Ret.) joined JAMS in 2023 after serving 13 years as a judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court. As a full-time panelist with JAMS, she has been selected to serve as arbitrator, mediator, and discovery referee in numerous disputes including family law matters. During her tenure on the Los Angeles Superior Court, Judge Byrd was assigned to the Family Law Division and presided over hundreds of cases for child custody, child support, divorce, domestic violence, legal separation, parentage, and spousal or domestic partner support. In recognition of her capabilities, Judge Byrd was twice appointed by the chief justice to the Family Law Curriculum Committee, a California statewide committee on judicial education. In 2018 she was awarded Family Law Judge of the Year by the Southern California Chapter of the American Inns of Court.

Hon. Glen M. Reiser (Ret.) has vast experience adjudicating and resolving thousands of trust and probate law disputes as a respected trial judge and mediator. Judge Reiser spent more than 20 years on the Ventura County Superior Court, serving as both supervising probate judge and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) judge for more than a decade. Prior to his appointment to the bench, he litigated hundreds of civil cases to successful conclusion in trial and appellate courts throughout California. Judge Reiser regularly teaches California judges trust, probate, and conservatorships through the Judicial Council of California’s Center for Judicial Education and Research (CJER).