Finding Closure

Retired judge Vanessa A. Zecher was still in grade school when she first started working on family law cases.

"The earliest memory I have is I was about six years old, and I got to close the open files that were resolved," Zecher said, recalling time she spent as a kid in her mother and father's law office.

"At that time, we had real law library books," she added with a chuckle. "And I also loved putting the supplements into the law library books."

Zecher's parents were both family law attorneys, and the retired judge said she knew early that she wanted to pursue a legal career.

"When I was about eight years old, I wanted to be a psychiatrist," Zecher recalled. "And then I found out you had to go to medical school, and I said, 'No, thank you.' So, it was law school."

A 1987 Santa Clara University School of Law graduate, Zecher worked for four years after she passed the bar in the Santa Clara County Counsel's Office, where she tackled civil rights, tort defense and dependency cases. Zecher later moved into private practice - first handling adoption and guardianship litigation before striking out on her own to focus full-time on family law.

"Family law is challenging, and it is difficult - it's complex. And so, I was drawn to that," she said. "I also felt it was very rewarding and, frankly, a privilege to be able to help people through one of the most stressful events anyone can go through in their lifetime. ... And I'm fond of saying once family law gets into your blood and into your heart, it doesn't leave."

Zecher took the bench in 2011 as a superior court judge in Santa Clara County, where she first tackled criminal assignments - including felony trials - and then moved into the family law division for several years before her retirement in February 2024.

Zecher joined the JAMS portfolio of private neutrals in May last year, and she's since been tackling family law disputes as a mediator and private judge.

"I try very hard to be as efficient as possible while at the same time maintaining the highest level of due process," she said of her approach to private judging. "I also am able to make a decision. I am not a judge who favors kicking the can down the road -- unless there's a good reason for it. I believe parties deserve timely decision-making and the ability to be heard in a way that is full, fair and efficient."

Prior to her mediations, Zecher likes to receive briefs from all the parties and to speak over Zoom with counsel. The retired judge also frequently schedules one-on-one discussions with attorneys before her mediations.

"Those separate sessions can be very important for an attorney to talk with me about nuances related to some of the complexities of the case - perhaps the dynamics between the parties, dynamics between counsel and areas where the attorney believes I may have to spend a little more time," she explained. "It's also a wonderful time for the attorney to talk to me about the stressors - perhaps on their client, where hot button issues might be - and ways I can help the client be a little more comfortable with the mediation process."

Zecher noted that on the day of mediation she likes to begin with what she described as a "noninteractive joint session," provided counsel believes their clients can manage it.

"During that joint session, I'm the one doing the talking," she explained. "I lay out what the session would likely look like for the parties that day. We talk about confidentiality. We talk about the role of the attorneys. We talk about a term sheet or a written agreement at the conclusion of our session. ... That joint session generally takes five to seven minutes, and I find it is a wonderful way for the parties to get to know me."

Early in the mediation, Zecher said she also wants to speak directly to the parties in separate rooms with their counsel present.

"I let the party know 'You can talk to me about anything you want,'" she explained. "'I am really very interested in hearing your point of view on what your priorities are.' I find with a little bit of encouragement, parties generally become more comfortable opening up, and I use that time for a party to become more comfortable with me."

San Mateo family law attorney Juliana Yanez appeared before Zecher when she was on the bench and has since used her as a private judge and mediator. Yanez said the JAMS neutral is always well prepared and builds rapport with clients quickly.

"Clients feel heard and understood by Judge Zecher," Yanez said. "She just builds this confidence in the party that they have somebody who understands how they do things, who understands the issues in the case. And I think they see Judge Zecher as somebody who is really smart and knowledgeable in this space and who understands the issues and understands them personally. So that combination really builds confidence and helps people get to a resolution."

San Mateo family law attorney Rebecca C. Levin tried a case before Zecher when she was on the bench and has since used her to resolve a family law dispute as a mediator. Levin agreed that the retired judge is terrific with clients, but she also described Zecher as no-nonsense.

"One of the things I love about working with her is that I know she'll always give it to me straight," Levin said. "She's going to tell you what she thinks of your position, and that's very helpful. It gets you to the place you need to be faster, which is good for everybody."

San Francisco family law attorney Jeffrey A. Riebel used Zecher recently to resolve what he described as a very difficult case, and he described the neutral as a dealmaker.

"She finds places where each side can potentially say yes, but she doesn't ignore the law," Riebel said. "A lot of mediators will not talk about the law at all. They just try to get you to a place of yes. ... But I really appreciated Judge Zecher's ability to find places where people can reach agreement, but she doesn't shy away from the law and telling you what she thinks about it. She gave us some real clarity about the law in way that we could use."

Zecher was quick to note, meanwhile, that she's loving her new role as a private neutral.

"There really is no better feeling than helping a family solve a problem that allows them to be on a different path away from the court, away from the time and expense of litigation and which allows the healing process to begin because the conflict has been, at least in the moment, solved," she said. "And hopefully, if we do our jobs correctly, it will remain solved for a much longer period of time."

Here are some attorneys who have used Zecher's services: Juliana Yanez, Hanson Crawford Crum Family Law Group LLP; Rebecca C. Levin, Stross Wess Cutcher & Levin LLP; Jeffrey A. Riebel, DeLacey, Riebel & Shindell LLP; Lisa C. Tarr, Winter & Ross APC; Brandon B. Blevans, Blevans, Itzkowitz & Cantrell LLP