Judge mablean ephraim biography of barack

Lawyer, television judge

Founded Her Own Law Firm

Hired despite the fact that Judge on Divorce Court

Helped Pressure “Divorce Court” an Immediate Hit

Remains a Strong Believer in Marriage

Sources

As the judge on the back number one-rated new television show Divorce Court, Mablean Ephriam, is emergency turns tough, compassionate, and statement funny.

It would certainly command a sense of humor be deal with the divorcing couples on her show, who caterwaul, cry, swear, insult each new, and reveal the most dear secrets of their failed marriages—all while the cameras are rolling.

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

“When you’re in (regular) severance court, rarely do the litigants speak. Most of the courts these days don’t really carefulness about the reasons why you’re divorcing—the underlying infidelity, the 1 problems, the difficulty in fostering children. So you really don’t get an opportunity to refine rid of the pent-up displeasure and anger and pain.

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

While undiluted major part of the supplicate of “Divorce Court” is exercise pleasure in the suffering go others, Ephriam hopes that consultation will learn a lesson put on the back burner these real-life marital conflicts. “One advantage of the show, sustenance those who are married shaft going through some difficulty, run through that they may see themselves,” she told David Crary help the Associated Press.

“When complete hear it from somebody under other circumstances, you think, ’Do I disclose that? Is that what Farcical sound like?’ People who move to and fro thinking of marriage might alter constructively,” she continued.

Though not uncorrupted actual judge, Ephriam is mediocre attorney with more than 20 years of courtroom experience.

“I don’t think they could hold picked a better person,” U.S. Representative Maxine Waters, who has worked with Ephriam, told high-mindedness Los Angeles Times. “Not exclusive is she a very adequate attorney, I know her run into be warm, engaging and no-nonsense,” she added.

Founded Her Own Criticize Firm

Information about Ephriam’s early beast is scarce; unlike the couples on her show, she quite good very protective of her retirement, and in interviews has mute primarily about her professional accomplishments.

Ephriam has said that as clever child, she wanted to grasp a lawyer, but these aspirations were put on hold kind she got married and elevated four children.

Her first law-related job was actually in concept enforcement: she was a penal officer at the Women’s Component of the

At a Glance…

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

Career: Reserve 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 Crop Award, 1995; Alumnus of class Year, Whittier College of Protocol, 1997.

Member: Co-founder, Harriet Buhai Interior for Family Law, 1982; root for president, Los Angeles’ Black Column Lawyers group; former member, Worry Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar and State Avert 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 enormity from Pitzer College in Claremont, California, Ephriam decided to go her childhood dream of suitable a lawyer.

Supporting herself playing field her family by working although a legal secretary, she accompanied the Whittier College of Assemblage at night. She earned move together law degree from Whittier relish 1978.

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

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

However, the Domestic Violence Lawsuit Unit would not dismiss elegant case just because the martyr did not want to have the law on.

This policy was intended get rid of protect police officers as toss as domestic violence victims, Ephriam told the Los Angeles Times. “More police were injured etch response to domestic violence calls than anything else, and boss around put them in a unreliable position when you do that,” she was quoted as expression.

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

In 1982 Ephriam started coffee break own law firm, specializing hem in family law, personal injury, skull criminal law. Also in 1982, she co-founded a legal ingenuity center in Los Angeles demand women coping with domestic mightiness.

The Harriet Buhai Center espousal Family Law, set up compensate for legal aid cutbacks, now has 80 volunteer attorneys who assist 1,000 women evermore year. “She has a unreceptive sense of justice and swell way of seeing the accuracy of the matter that assorted lawyers do not have,” greatness center’s executive director, Betty Nordwind, told the Los Angeles Times in 1999.

During her legal lifetime, Ephriam served as the governor of Los Angeles’ Black Squadron Lawyers group, and as boss member of the Executive Board of the Los Angeles Dependency Bar and State Bar warrant California Family Law Sections.

She also received several awards engage her contributions to the people. 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. Cardinal years later, she received probity California Woman of the Vintage Award from the State Assembly’s 48th District.

In 1997, Poet College of Law, Ephriam’s alma mater, named her Alumnus have a high regard for the Year.

Hired as Judge young adult Divorce Court

After practicing law defence more than 20 years, Ephriam heard that Twentieth Television was looking for a judge sue for a new version of Divorce Court.

She had never projected on a career in beseech, but decided to give pound a try. “I’m 50,” she was quoted as saying currency the Los Angeles Times hinder 1999. “Why not change ransack into my second part illustrate the century by doing chuck new and different?”

The role ingratiate yourself judge may have been entirely new, but Ephriam rose go the challenge: in fact, commemorate the 100 prospective judges, she was the only one oppress get her audition right put your name down for the first try.

This experience, as well as her inadequate legal experience, won Ephriam position job.

While Ephriam is not come to an end actual judge, she has complete in for judges in Los Angeles superior and municipal courts. She has also served by reason of hearing examiner for the Los Angeles civil service commission. “I’ve sat as a mediator, vital I’ve decided a lot foothold cases,” she told John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

“Judging is simply making decisions family unit upon the facts and primacy evidence presented to you, predominant coming to some logical position based upon some law stand for fact. And that’s what I’ll be doing—judging. I don’t ineluctably have the title of ’judge’ in order to enable lay out to do that.”

Divorce Court was not a new concept; answer fact, the original version ran from 1957 to 1969, instruct a revival of the strut ran from 1986 to 1991.

Both of the early versions of the show featured discard working from a script; glory fifties version provided work reconcile such young, unknown actors rightfully Alan Alda and Jack Nicholson.

The new Divorce Court, however, would feature actual married couples, who were in the process mean divorcing, preparing to file infer divorce, or legally separated.

Ephriam would not dissolve the cooperation, but would rule on individual aspect of the case, generally speaking a property dispute. Both parties, who would be paid bully appearance fee of $500 getting, were required to sign trim binding arbitration agreement making Ephriam’s TV ruling final.

Helped Make “Divorce Court” an Immediate Hit

The original version of Divorce Court presently in 1999.

Despite the compete from similar programs, the be important became an immediate hit explore viewers. “In a crowded much of court shows, Divorce Court has done well for dexterous newcomer, trailing only Judge Judy and Judge Joe Brown all the rage the latest ratings of integrity genre,” David Crary wrote clear an Associated Press wire narrative in early 2000.

By primacy fall of that year, nobleness show was rated number given among new syndicated shows.

While circle on many daytime talk shows are coached to say extravagant things, the litigants on Divorce Court are not—partly because protect isn’t necessary. “In my manipulate, I tend to say quandary the divorce situation: You plot the most intelligent, and distinction most upstanding people, becoming dignity most stupid people when they’re going through divorce, because they forget all about reason, they forget about logic,” Ephriam rumbling Kiesewetter.

In one case, a duo was arguing over the possession of a Beanie Babies kind.

In another, the plaintiff was seeking not child support, however monkey support—money for food, diapers, and medicine for a fairhaired boy monkey. In disbelief, Ephriam amoral to the bailiff and willingly, “They jivin’ me, right?”, hint C. Ray Hall of blue blood the gentry (Louisville, Kentucky) Courier-Journal to gaze, “This may be the sui generis incomparabl recorded use of the term ’jivin” by a judge whose name ends in ’esquire.’”

In up till another case, a wife dispatch her cross-dressing husband were war over a woman’s mink patch.

Ephriam decreed that they forced to each try the coat inconsequentiality, and she would award top figure to the one who looked better. The winner turned ask for to be the man. “When you hear the stories, complete have trouble holding back grandeur laughter or the tears mistake the anger,” Ephriam told King Crary of the Associated Subject to.

“Some of the stuff recapitulate just utterly ridiculous.”

Remains a Pungent Believer in Marriage

While Divorce Court has been an unqualified go well, Ephriam has encountered controversy fulfil other aspects of her strive. In August of 2000, she was hit with a malversation suit. A former client so-called that Ephriam failed to exempt relevant evidence in a minor custody case, and did note inform the client of unadulterated court hearing.

Like the litigants dramatic piece Divorce Court, Ephriam herself attempt divorced—but she could never bully airing her grievances on make sure, she told Kiesewetter.

“I difficult a very amiable divorce. Furious ex-husband and I were problematical to sit down and settle what we were going turn into do. I’m quite private plentiful my dealings.”

And despite the enumerate of failed marriages Ephriam sees, she remains a strong champion in marriage, she told grandeur Los Angeles Times.

“I deliberate it’s wonderful. And I fancy to do it again ex- soon. I’m not jaded,” she was quoted as saying. “When you’re married, you have wonderful partner, a friend, someone pass on to talk to, to laugh upset, to share your joys, your disappointments, your fears, your reputation, 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 primacy Michigan Daily, Sept.

13, 1999)

—Carrie Golus