Family Law Awards
The Family Law Section is pleased to announce that we are soliciting nominations for the Family Law Awards. There are five separate award categories. Each has similar nomination/selection criteria. Please see below for more information.
The nomination period closed on May 16, 2025.
What are the award categories?
Family Law Judicial Officer of the Year
The award is intended to recognize excellence on the Family Law bench. Focus is paid to outstanding service to the practice of Family Law, career achievements, or a distinguishing singular act or performance of the nominee.
Family Law Lifetime Achievement Award
Designed to honor and recognize the most distinguished long-term achievements and sustained substantial contributions to the substance or practice of Family Law in the State of California over the recipient’s career or lifetime.
Excellence in Family Law
The award is to honor and recognize recent notable acts or outstanding service that contributes substantially to the improvement of California Family Law substance or practice. Recipient need not be a lawyer.
Court Staff Award
The award is to honor and recognize sustained superior performance or extraordinary efforts in the recipient’s performance of his or her work with the Family Law courts. Nominations shall be solicited from Family Law bench officers. Nominees shall be deserving court personnel, which may include (but not limited to) clerks, judicial assistants, Family Law Facilitators, DV counselors, court reporters, bailiffs, administrative personnel and Family Court Services employees.
Barrister of the Year Award
The award is to recognize outstanding contributions to the practice of Family Law or outstanding performance in the practice of Family Law for barrister lawyers. The recipient of this award must be a lawyer who practices primarily in the area of Family Law and who has been a member of the State Bar of California for five (5) years or less. The recipient need not be a member of the Family Law Section.
Award Recipients
| Year | Judicial Office of the Year | Family Law Lifetime Achievement Award | Excellence in Family Law | Court Staff Award |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Honorable Laura Miller | Honorable Amy Pellman | David Donner | Tara Bell Jessica Young Susan Vaiyi Tom Thrall Anna Nuestro Julie Setzer |
| 2022 | Hon. Monica F. Wiley | Hon. Monica F. Wiley | Com. Patti Ratekin | Barbara Y. Somorai and Joan Choi |
| 2020 | Honorable Susan M. Gill from Kern County | – | Brenda Joyce Russo, Esq. (posthumously awarded) | Jennifer Connelly Trina Blackshire |
| 2019 | Hon. Michael J. Convey | Bonnie Rose Hough | Denise Subia Sara Armstead Nicolle Clark Deanna McIntyre | |
For a list of past recipients for the Judicial Officer of the Year award, click here.