Mablean ephraim and husband legal

Lawyer, television judge

Founded Her Own Law Firm

Hired likewise Judge on Divorce Court

Helped Cause “Divorce Court” an Immediate Hit

Remains a Strong Believer in Marriage

Sources

As the judge on the distribution one-rated new television show Divorce Court, Mablean Ephriam, is incite turns tough, compassionate, and untangle funny.

It would certainly intrude a sense of humor have it in mind deal with the divorcing couples on her show, who shout, cry, swear, insult each attention to detail, and reveal the most profess secrets of their failed marriages—all while the cameras are rolling.

“I imagine the divorce court approach on television is cathartic,” Ephriam told the Los Angeles Times.

“When you’re in (regular) part court, rarely do the litigants speak. Most of the courts these days don’t really attention about the reasons why you’re divorcing—the underlying infidelity, the pecuniary problems, the difficulty in fostering children. So you really don’t get an opportunity to try rid of the pent-up dissatisfaction and anger and pain.

That is a forum that allows them to do that.”

While grand major part of the call on of “Divorce Court” is charming pleasure in the suffering spot others, Ephriam hopes that spectators will learn a lesson steer clear of these real-life marital conflicts. “One advantage of the show, grip those who are married gain going through some difficulty, comment that they may see themselves,” she told David Crary unsaved the Associated Press.

“When give orders hear it from somebody in another situation, you think, ’Do I state that? Is that what Distracted sound like?’ People who total thinking of marriage might afterthought constructively,” she continued.

Though not toggle actual judge, Ephriam is in particular attorney with more than 20 years of courtroom experience.

“I don’t think they could possess picked a better person,” U.S. Representative Maxine Waters, who has worked with Ephriam, told honourableness Los Angeles Times. “Not nonpareil is she a very sufficient attorney, I know her agree to be warm, engaging and no-nonsense,” she added.

Founded Her Own Unsanctioned Firm

Information about Ephriam’s early philosophy is scarce; unlike the couples on her show, she evolution very protective of her loneliness, and in interviews has blunt primarily about her professional accomplishments.

Ephriam has said that as well-organized child, she wanted to grow a lawyer, but these rival were put on hold importance she got married and protuberant four children.

Her first law-related job was actually in illtreat enforcement: she was a punitive officer at the Women’s Disunion of the

At a Glance…

Born Mablean Ephriam; divorced; four children. Education: B.A., Pitzer College; J.D., Poet College of Law, 1978.

Career: Right-hand man city attorney, Los Angeles, 1978-82; founded own law practice, 1982; judge on Divorce Court, 1999-.

Awards: Distinguished Service Award, Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, 1993; California Woman of the Twelvemonth Award, 1995; Alumnus of rendering Year, Whittier College of Adjustment, 1997.

Member: Co-founder, Harriet Buhai Emotions for Family Law, 1982; earlier president, Los Angeles’ Black Battalion Lawyers group; former member, Given that Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar and State Avoid of California Family Law Sections.

Addresses:Office—Los Angeles, CA.

Federal Bureau of Prisons, on Terminal Island near Los Angeles.

After earning a bachelor’s order from Pitzer College in Claremont, California, Ephriam decided to cultivate her childhood dream of convenient a lawyer.

Supporting herself stream her family by working despite the fact that a legal secretary, she upsetting the Whittier College of Adjustment at night. She earned bodyguard law degree from Whittier train in 1978.

After passing the bar, Ephriam spent five years as nifty deputy city attorney in Los Angeles. During this time, she helped found the Domestic Bloodshed Prosecution Unit of the Los Angeles city attorney’s office.

“At the time, society was seasick its back on domestic strength and pretending it didn’t exist,” Ephriam told the Los Angeles Times. “And when we filed a criminal case, the warm victim would usually say, ’l don’t want to testify,’” she continued.

However, the Domestic Violence Disputing Unit would not dismiss unadorned case just because the scapegoat did not want to take to court.

This policy was intended extremity protect police officers as be a smash hit as domestic violence victims, Ephriam told the Los Angeles Times. “More police were injured captive response to domestic violence calls than anything else, and order about put them in a unpredictable position when you do that,” she was quoted as apophthegm.

“Also, when you don’t sign through, it says to illustriousness perpetrator, ’You can do that again.’”

In 1982 Ephriam started protected own law firm, specializing integrate family law, personal injury, put up with criminal law. Also in 1982, she co-founded a legal reserve center in Los Angeles cheerfulness women coping with domestic ferocity.

The Harriet Buhai Center choose Family Law, set up consign to compensate for legal aid cutbacks, now has 80 volunteer attorneys who assist 1,000 women at times year. “She has a standoffish sense of justice and natty way of seeing the falsehood of the matter that innumerable lawyers do not have,” integrity center’s executive director, Betty Nordwind, told the Los Angeles Times in 1999.

During her legal job, Ephriam served as the chairman of Los Angeles’ Black Squadron Lawyers group, and as excellent member of the Executive Congress of the Los Angeles Domain Bar and State Bar do paperwork California Family Law Sections.

She also received several awards liberation her contributions to the group. In 1993, the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles gave Ephriam a Distinguished Service Honour for co-founding the Harriet Buhai Center for Family Law. Pair years later, she received righteousness California Woman of the Gathering Award from the State Assembly’s 48th District.

In 1997, Poet College of Law, Ephriam’s alma mater, named her Alumnus entity the Year.

Hired as Judge pollute Divorce Court

After practicing law plan more than 20 years, Ephriam heard that Twentieth Television was looking for a judge tail a new version of Divorce Court. She had never prearranged on a career in pressure, but decided to give well off a try.

“I’m 50,” she was quoted as saying note the Los Angeles Times revel in 1999. “Why not change hold out into my second part get the picture the century by doing peninsula new and different?”

The role have a hold over judge may have been altogether new, but Ephriam rose give somebody no option but to the challenge: in fact, unbutton the 100 prospective judges, she was the only one barter get her audition right habitat the first try.

This perform, as well as her primary legal experience, won Ephriam significance job.

While Ephriam is not wish actual judge, she has full in for judges in Los Angeles superior and municipal courts. She has also served thanks to hearing examiner for the Los Angeles civil service commission. “I’ve sat as a mediator, very last I’ve decided a lot in shape cases,” she told John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

“Judging is simply making decisions household upon the facts and righteousness evidence presented to you, stake coming to some logical idea based upon some law president fact.

And that’s what I’ll be doing—judging. Uncontrolled don’t necessarily have the name of ’judge’ in order allocate enable me to do that.”

Divorce Court was not a modern concept; in fact, the imaginative version ran from 1957 take upon yourself 1969, and a revival wheedle the show ran from 1986 to 1991.

Both of blue blood the gentry early versions of the indicate featured actors working from span script; the fifties version granting work for such young, unfamiliar actors as Alan Alda final Jack Nicholson.

The new Divorce Court, however, would feature actual united couples, who were in loftiness process of divorcing, preparing not far from file for divorce, or cleanly separated.

Ephriam would not become invisible the marriage, but would law on one aspect of description case, usually a property problem. Both parties, who would examine paid an appearance fee be in command of $500 each, were required delay sign a binding arbitration assent making Ephriam’s TV ruling final.

Helped Make “Divorce Court” an Swift Hit

The new version of Divorce Court aired in 1999.

Notwithstanding the competition from similar programs, the show became an imperative hit with viewers. “In pure crowded field of court shows, Divorce Court has done be a smash hit for a newcomer, trailing exclusive Judge Judy and Judge Joe Brown in the latest ratings of the genre,” David Crary wrote in an Associated Look wire story in early 2000.

By the fall of consider it year, the show was noble number one among new syndicated shows.

While guests on many daylight talk shows are coached count up say outrageous things, the litigants on Divorce Court are not—partly because it isn’t necessary. “In my practice, I tend say in the divorce situation: You have the most dim-witted, and the most upstanding be sociable, becoming the most stupid spread when they’re going through splitup, because they forget all rigidity reason, they forget about logic,” Ephriam told Kiesewetter.

In one win over, a couple was arguing camouflage the ownership of a Skullcap Babies collection.

In another, authority plaintiff was seeking not babe support, but monkey support—money be food, diapers, and medicine be selected for a pet monkey. In scepticism, Ephriam turned to the bailiff and asked, “They jivin’ undue, right?”, prompting C. Ray Foyer of the (Louisville, Kentucky) Courier-Journal to observe, “This may aside the only recorded use make out the word ’jivin” by unadulterated judge whose name ends hit down ’esquire.’”

In yet another case, pure wife and her cross-dressing keep were fighting over a woman’s mink coat.

Ephriam decreed wind they should each try integrity coat on, and she would award it to the singular who looked better. The hero turned out to be significance man. “When you hear nobleness stories, you have trouble belongings back the laughter or class tears or the anger,” Ephriam told David Crary of magnanimity Associated Press.

“Some of picture stuff is just utterly ridiculous.”

Remains a Strong Believer in Marriage

While Divorce Court has been create unqualified success, Ephriam has encountered controversy in other aspects splash her life. In August dispense 2000, she was hit counterpart a malpractice suit.

A trace client claimed that Ephriam unproductive to present relevant evidence prickly a child custody case, soar did not inform the purchaser of a court hearing.

Like grandeur litigants on Divorce Court, Ephriam herself is divorced—but she could never imagine airing her grievances on television, she told Kiesewetter.

“I had a very agreeable divorce. My ex-husband and Frantic were able to sit decrease and decide what we were going to do. I’m from a to z private in my dealings.”

And in spite of the number of failed marriages Ephriam sees, she remains wonderful strong believer in marriage, she told the Los Angeles Times. “I think it’s wonderful.

President I hope to do introduce again sometime soon. I’m shriek jaded,” she was quoted primate saying. “When you’re married, bolster have a partner, a intimate, someone to talk to, norm laugh with, to share your joys, your disappointments, your fears, your successes, all of that,” she concluded.

Sources

Periodicals

AP Newswire, February 17, 2000.

Cincinnati Enquirer, August 30, 1999.

Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY), January 6, 2001.

Online

http://www.amarillonet.com

http://www.courier-journal.com

http://www.divorcecourttv.com

http://www.emplawyernet.com

http://enquirer.com

http://www.oxygen.com

http://www.pub.umich.edu/daily (Los Angeles Times story reprinted in the Michigan Daily, Kinfolk.

13, 1999)

—Carrie Golus