OC Family Law Solutions (OCFLS) is a private family-law judging practice led by James L. Waltz, Judge (Ret.). We provide an experienced, accessible path to resolution for family law matters—without the layers, delays, and inflated costs common in traditional private-judging models.

OCFLS works with family law attorneys and with self-represented parties. Self-represented parties are welcome on either or both sides of a matter. The practice is designed especially for middle-class litigants who need real judicial experience without the cost structure of large private-judging organizations. Represented parties usually contact OCFLS through their counsel; self-represented parties may contact Nancy Caunt, Scheduling Coordinator, directly at nancy@ocfls.com or (949) 629-3003.

No. Judge Waltz is a neutral private judicial officer. He does not represent either party and does not give legal advice to a party. If you have an attorney, your attorney remains responsible for advising you, lodging papers, and advocating your position.

Services are tailored to what will actually move the case: Voluntary Settlement Conferences (VSCs) and mediation, Requests for Order and motion hearings, trial and long-cause matters, and other agreed-upon judicial services.

The parties stipulate to have Judge Waltz hear the matter. Hearings can be set more quickly, held at counsel’s office, another agreed location, or by Zoom, and focused on the issues that need a decision or a settlement. The goal is less delay, less drama, and lower overall attorney fees and costs.

Reasonable solutions. Proceedings without fear or favor. The best interests of children first. No grievance zone—OCFLS is resolution-oriented, not a venue for escalation or performative litigation.

Judge Waltz spent 23 years on the Orange County Superior Court family law bench and more than four decades in the law. He served as an Army JAG officer, a Department of Justice prosecutor, and 18 years in private practice before his judicial appointment. On the bench he handled the full range of family law, including complex and long-cause trials and seven years on the parental-termination calendar. Honors include Orange County Family Jurist of the Year (AAML, 2011), the OCBA Jet Rutter Award (2011, 2025), and Excellence in Family Law from the California Lawyers Association (2023).

Time is billed in quarter-hour increments and rounded down. There is no minimum fee and no block billing. Interim billing issues if a matter is extended.

No. There are no administrative or “junk” fees, no scheduling charges, no cancellation fees, no minimum fees, no travel fees, and no charge for email read-and-reply. Case-management conference calls—any day or evening—are not charged.

If counsel guarantee payment, no deposit is required. Self-represented parties pay a full deposit up front. Otherwise a deposit amount will be determined before work begins.

A stipulation regarding allocation of fees between the parties is required. Fees are allocated by that stipulation or by court order. Until a different allocation is agreed or ordered, each side is typically responsible for one-half.

Most sessions are held at a counsel’s law office or another agreed location, and Judge Waltz travels there at no charge. Sessions may also be held by Zoom by agreement. Sessions at the OCFLS office, 120 Vantis Drive, Suite 300, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656, are rare; the $85 per hour conference room charge, passed through to the parties with no markup, applies only to those sessions.

Hearings are set on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of the second and fourth weeks of each month (the 8th–14th and 22nd–28th), commencing at a time agreed upon by counsel. Evening and Saturday settlement conferences are available by agreement. Short-notice events (less than 48 hours before they begin) are allowed for emergency or time-sensitive matters. Case-management conference calls may be scheduled any day or evening, at no charge. A current date list is provided on request. Weeks 1 (1st–7th), 3 (15th–21st) and 5 (29th–31st) are dark and reserved for orders and reading.

Yes. Pleadings and briefs are submitted electronically as directed for the session.

Counsel, or a self-represented party, contact Nancy Caunt, Scheduling Coordinator, at nancy@ocfls.com or (949) 629-3003 to confirm availability, identify the assignment (VSC, RFO, trial, or other), and complete the engagement and fee agreement. If Judge Waltz will sit as a private or temporary judge, the parties submit the stipulation and proposed order required by the Orange County Superior Court.

VSC and mediation communications are confidential to the extent provided by California law, including the mediation confidentiality statutes, unless the parties agree otherwise in writing or disclosure is required by law.

Yes. Private judging and a VSC require agreement of the parties (through counsel, or directly for a self-represented party) and, when Judge Waltz is appointed to decide issues, a court order based on that stipulation.

The same range Judge Waltz handled on the Orange County family law bench: custody and parenting time, child and spousal support, property division, RFOs, complex and long-cause trials, and related family law issues the parties agree to submit.

Send the relevant pleadings and a focused statement of the issues in advance. Come ready to address the actual disputes. The session is built to limit delays and keep attention on workable outcomes. In discovery referee matters, lodge only the materials in dispute, with a Bates index; full productions are lodged only at Judge Waltz’s request.

See Motions and RFOs: Rules and Procedures