MCLE Courses — Speaker Bios

Stephen Adams, CFLS: Stephen Adams, Certified Family Law Specialist, practices law in San Francisco and is president of California Family Law Report, Inc. His firm limits its practice to family law consultations, trials and appeals. He is a fellow of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (past president, Northern California Chapter; past governor, National Board of Managers) and the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers. He is the founder of the Association of Certified Family Law Specialists and was the organization's first president. Mr. Adams has also served as chair of the Family Law Section of the San Francisco Bar Association and as secretary of the State Bar Family Law Section and editor of its newsletter.

Active in the ABA sections of family law and taxation, he lectures throughout the country on family law issues. As an occasional faculty member of the Center for Judicial Education and Research (CJER) Institutes, he has been involved with the Continuing Judicial Studies and New Judges Orientation Programs. He has taught community property at the University of California's Boalt Hall, and in 1964-1965 he was a visiting fellow at the Institute for Comparative Family Law at the University of Freiburg/Br., Germany. A 1961 graduate of Reed College, Portland, Oregon, he earned his law degree from Boalt Hall in 1964.

Mr. Adams is editor and publisher of California Family Law Report™ (CFLP™) and California Family Law FIRST ALERT™; author of California Family Law Practice™ (CFLP™), Court Companion™, co-author of DEDUCTOR™, and California Marital Settlement Agreements™ (CAMSA™); and author/designer of the following CFLR Numbers Books: GUIDELINER™, PENSIONER™. In addition, he has designed family law software programs that include DissoMaster™, Executioner™, PROPertizer/Pensioner™, CAMSAlect™, and Family Law Integrated Resource Terminal (F.L.I.R.T™) CFLP-PC™.

Hon. Etta O. Gillivan (Ret.): After a decade as a Superior Court Commissioner on the San Diego County bench, Commissioner Gillivan has become an expert in managing the complex issues inherent in family law. A trained mediator, she is a partner in the dispute resolution firm, Hadden & Gillivan in Ventura County. Commissioner Gillivan serves on volunteer and professional mediation panels and as a family law panelist for state and local bars, and other associations. She has also served as an adjunct professor of law, teaching ADR, community property and family law courses.

Hon. Melinda A. Johnson (Ret.): Judge Johnson served on the Superior Court for twenty years, specializing entirely in family law. Considered one of Ventura County’s top judges, she has been ranked as outstanding by the local bar association. Judge Johnson has taught and chaired the CJSP family law class and has taught at CFLR’s Trial Advocacy Course. After retiring last October, she has focused her attention on working as a mediator and arbitrator through JAMS, where she is part of their Family Law Initiative.

Sandra Purnell, CFLS: Mediating Attorney. Sandra has had a lengthy career as an educator, family law specialist, mediator and family law facilitator. Her practice currently focuses on unbundling and divorce mediation. Sandra received her law degree from UCLA where she was on the UCLA Law Review. She also holds a Ph.D. in Communication Theory from the University of Minnesota.

Mary Duryee, Ph.D.: Mary Duryee, Ph.D., is a psychologist and mediator in private practice in Oakland, California, She has taught for the Statewide Office of Family Court Services in California; the Center for Judicial Education and Research; Arizona Family Law judges Conference; California Family law Report; and, the National Council of juvenile and Family Law judges, in Reno, Nevada. She has written a chapter on Child Development for the Family Law Bench Manual for California Family Law judges; a chapter on Mediation Child Custody for Matthew Bender; and numerous articles on various topics in family law. She was the Director for Family Court Services, Alameda County Superior Court, for 12 years from 1982 to 1994. She has provided consultation to a number of Family Law Courts in California on providing services to families. She received her Ph.D. in 1980 from the Wright Institute in Berkeley, California, in Social-clinical psychology; her Master's in Clinical Psychology from San Francisco State University in 1976; and her Bachelors' from Stanford University in 1971 in Architecture.

Steven Sparta, Ph.D.: Dr. Steven Sparta is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCSD. He is also Professor of Psychology at San Deigo State University.