Hon. Judge David Belz (Ret.)

Hon. Judge David Belz (Ret.)

Superior Court Orange County

Judge Belz served on the Orange County Superior Court Bench for 15 years following 32 years as a trial attorney. During his years as a trial attorney, he handled a wide assortment of personal injury cases to trial and verdict in both state and federal courts. In 2009, he was appointed to the Orange County Superior Court. In January 2010, he was assigned to a family law courtroom where he handled a broad range of family law matters from initial petition to trial. Judge Belz says his five years in family court were some of the most meaningful years of his professional career. He was particularly interested in high-conflict custody and visitation cases and the toxic stress impact those cases have on children. He has written and taught on the subject of toxic stress and children. In 2016, Judge Belz was assigned to a probate courtroom where he handled various probate calendars. He was asked to handle the complex long-cause trust trials with a time estimate of more than 4 days. In the nine years on the probate panel, Judge Belz has handled trust, probate, guardianship, and conservatorship trials. As long-cause trial judge, he has handled 88 trust trials. He has presided over trust trials up to 22 days in length.

Judge Belz strongly believes in settlement. A graduate of the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution in December of 2000, Judge Belz began mediating cases during his years as a trial attorney from 2001 to 2009. He has handled several hundred mediations. A trial lawyer by trade, he enjoyed sitting as a bench officer in the long and complicated trust trials but strongly believes, with few exceptions, that every case can and should settle. Judge Belz’s extensive trial experience with juries and as a bench trial officer has given him a keen insight into assessing the strengths and weaknesses of cases. Judge Belz understands the importance of patience, persistence, empathy, and trust in the mediation process.

Conference Sessions

Lunch Time General Session - Judicial Perspective: Exploring Opportunities To Utilize Mediation Options To Avoid Trial
B1 – Herding Stray Assets – the Use of Probate Code Sections 850 and 13100 and Heggstad Actions to Marshall Assets