Family law jurists honor Orange County Judge Eric Wersching

The Southern California Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers has named Orange County Superior Court Judge Eric J. Wersching its 2025 Judge of the Year, the organization announced Tuesday.

The recognition marks the second major honor Wersching has received from the legal community in three years. The Orange County Bar Association named him its family law judicial officer of the year in 2023.

"I'm honored to receive this award and am thankful to work with such a dedicated group of judicial officers," Wersching said Wednesday. "Each day family law judges and commissioners across Orange County work hard to make just decisions and help families through one of the toughest times of their lives.  I am proud to be doing this important work."

Presiding Judge Sheila F. Hanson welcomed the selection.

"We are very proud of Judge Eric Wersching. This award focuses attention on the hard work of our Court's Family Law panel to provide fair and equitable access to justice for all Orange County residents," Hanson said.

Appointed to the bench in 2021, Wersching serves as supervising judge of the court's family law division, where he presides over a general family law calendar and oversees 16 judges and four court commissioners.

Beyond the courtroom, Wersching sits on the board of the William P. Gray Inn of Court and has lectured on evidence, breach of fiduciary duty and insurance.

California Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero appointed him in 2024 to the state's Judicial Council Facilities Advisory Committee. He was named vice-chair of the committee the following year. He also serves on the Orange County Superior Court's Finance, Security and Grand Jury Selection committees.

"Judge Wersching has earned that recognition through the way he runs a courtroom: prepared, fair, thoughtful, and focused on getting difficult matters to the right place, with dignity for the families involved and professionalism for the lawyers appearing before him," the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers said in announcing the award.