Judicate West Adds Judge David L. Belz in Orange County
30 Abril 2024 - 12:40PM
Judicate West, one of California’s leading providers of private
dispute resolution services, has added Judge David L. Belz,
formerly with the Orange County Superior Court, to its roster of
neutrals. Judge Belz is based in the Santa Ana office and available
throughout Southern California as a mediator, arbitrator, and
private judge.
“Judge Belz’s extensive experience as a trial lawyer and 15
years as a bench officer presiding over family law and probate
matters has given him a keen insight into assessing the strengths
and weaknesses of cases. He strongly believes, with few exceptions,
that every case can and should settle, and he has the requisite
experience to guide any dispute, no matter how sensitive, to
resolution,” said Var Fox, Executive Vice President and Co-Founder
of Judicate West. “Judge Belz was a longtime Judicate West client
before becoming a judge, and we look forward to working with him as
a neutral. He is a first-class person with a sterling reputation
and is dedicated to serving with integrity and humility. He will
fit right in with the Judicate West family.”
Judge Belz was appointed to the Orange County Superior Court by
then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2009. Nine months after his
appointment he was assigned to family court where he spent five
years of his judicial tenure in the family law division, where he
handled a wide variety of family law matters. In his nine years on
the probate panel, Judge Belz handled trust, probate, guardianship
and conservatorship trials. He was tasked with handling complex,
long-cause trust trials and, ultimately, presided over 88 such
trials. Prior to his bench appointment, Judge Belz spent 32 years
in private practice, trying a wide assortment of personal injury
cases to verdict in both state and federal courts. Throughout his
legal career, including during his tenure as a trial attorney, he
has handled several hundred mediations.
Actively involved in judicial education, Judge Belz served on
the family law and probate law committees for the Judicial
Council’s Center for Judicial Education and Research (CJER). Since
2011, he has been a member of the teaching faculty for the five-day
primary assignment course for judges newly assigned to both family
and probate courtrooms. In 2020, Judge Belz was appointed by
California Supreme Court Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye to serve on
the Judicial Council’s Probate and Mental Health Advisory
Committee.
Judge Belz served two stints on the board of directors for the
Orange County Trial Lawyers, from 1990-1994 and 1999-2009. He
earned his J.D. from Pepperdine University School of Law (1975) and
his B.S. from California State University, Fullerton (1972). He
received mediation training from the Straus Institute for Dispute
Resolution from Pepperdine University School of Law (2000).
About Judicate WestCelebrating 30 years,
Judicate West is one of California’s leading providers of private
dispute resolution services with a distinguished roster of proven
neutrals, including retired state and federal court judges plus
professional attorney mediators and arbitrators from a wide variety
of practice areas. Founded in 1993, the firm prides itself on
maintaining the utmost integrity in delivering innovative solutions
to all types of civil disputes. The firm’s successful formula
involves top-tier neutrals, a great company culture and an
experienced team of ADR professionals dedicated to delivering gold
standard service in alternative dispute resolution (ADR).
Contact:Melody KleimanJudicate West(714)
852-5189melody@judicatewest.com