Statements of Decision: Errors, Omissions, and Solutions

By John Derrick

John Derrick

Somewhere in the labyrinths of the Judicial Council, a working party has been trying to reform the widely unpopular system of statements of decision. But the word on the judicial street is that the reform initiative has stalled. It’s not that there’s a lobby determined to protect the status quo. It’s that no one can agree on a better alternative.

But there is a simple solution, which has, to the best of my knowledge, been overlooked. Read on and you’ll find out what it is. First, however, a review of what’s wrong with the system now and how to avoid the most common pitfalls.