Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Page 3
Matrimonial Lawyers Will Honor Peter M. Walzer
By a MetNews Staff Writer
The Southern California Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers said yesterday it had given its Family Law Person of the Year Award to Woodland Hills attorney Peter M. Walzer.
Formed in 1962 with the stated mission of improving the practice of law and the administration of justice in the area of divorce and family law, the academy boasts over 1,500 fellows nationwide. The local chapter is comprised of the region’s top 90 matrimonial attorneys, the group said.
The award is nicknamed the “Normie,” in honor of former chapter president Norman M. Dolin, since deceased, and is presented annually to a recipient who exemplifies the professional standards and ethics embodied by Dolin, the organization said.
Walzer is the founding partner of the law firm Walzer & Melcher LLP and a former chair of the Executive Committee of the State Bar Family Law Section.
He is a former president of the Association of Certified Family Law Specialists and a member of the Elkins Family Law Task Force, a statewide panel whose charge is to propose measures to improve efficiency and fairness in family law proceedings and ensure access to justice for family law litigants.
The attorney also served as the president of the Southern California Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers from 1985 until 1987.
A graduate of UCLA and Southwestern Law School, Walzer was admitted to the State Bar in 1981.
In other news, the National Women’s Political Caucus has announced that Los Angeles attorney Gloria Allred is slated to receive its Woman of Courage award during a luncheon at the organization’s biennial convention Aug.7 in Newport Beach, where she is also scheduled to serve as a guest speaker.
The organization, established in 1971, bills itself as a “multi-partisan, multicultural grassroots organization dedicated to increasing women’s participation in politics and creating a political power base to achieve equality for all women,” and said the award “honors women of diverse backgrounds who typify women’s leadership and who have demonstrated courage by taking stands on unpopular or controversial issues to further civil rights and equality.”
Allred is a founding partner of Allred, Maroko & Goldberg and is a frequent media commentator on legal issues. She also founded and currently serves as president of the Women’s Equal Rights Legal Defense and Education Fund.
She attended the University of Pennsylvania and Loyola Law School prior to being admitted to practice in 1975.
Copyright 2009, Metropolitan News Company