Peter M. Walzer

Peter is an extraordinary leader. He served as president of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (2018-2019), an organization consisting of 1600 preeminent family lawyers in the United States. He is the past chair of the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Family Law Section, a past president of the Southern California Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and former chair of the executive committee of the State Bar Family Law Section.

Peter is the leading expert in his field. Peter has been a Certified Family Law Specialist for 34 years and is a former president of the Association of Certified Family Law Specialists. He is a former member of the Council of the American Bar Association Family Law Section.

Peter is a trailblazer. He was a member of the Elkins Family Law Task Force, a statewide panel which improved the efficiency and fairness of family law proceedings by recommending changes to legislation and court rules.

Peter sets a standard of excellence. Peter was named Family Law Person of the Year in 2009 by the Southern California Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and Fellow of the Year by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers in 2010. He is listed in Best Lawyers in America and is AV rated by Martindale-Hubble. Peter received the Southwestern Law School Max A. Goodman Family Law Legacy Award on June 10, 2017. Super Lawyers ranked him as a Top 100 Southern California Lawyer in 2024. Chambers and Partners named him a “Leader in Their Field” and ranked him in Band 1 of their High Net Worth Guide for Family Law, since 2018. 

Peter’s articles have been featured in various publications, including Los Angeles Lawyer, ABA Family Advocate, California Lawyer, LACBA News and Review, and State Bar Family Law Section Family Law News. He lectures regularly for the State Bar, UCLA, CEB, ACFLS, AAML, and various other organizations.

Authored Articles: International Child Custody

• When Child Abduction Crosses International Borders
  Peter M. Walzer and for the Daily Journal
• Making Divorce Judgments Enforceable in the United States
  Peter M. Walzer and Laurel Brauer authored for FairShare The Matrimonial Law Monthly
• Long Arm of the Law
  Peter M. Walzer authored for the 1998 September issue of Los Angeles Lawyer Magazine
• French Knots
  Peter M. Walzer and Catherine Parker authored for the Los Angeles Daily Journal
• Foreign Affairs
  Peter M. Walzer authored for the 2008 December issue of Los Angeles Lawyer Magazine
• To Catch a Child Thief
  Peter M. Walzer authored for California Lawyer, Volume 11, No. 12
• A World of Agreements: Enforcing and Attacking Foreign Prenups in the United States
  Peter M. Walzer authored for the 2011 Winter publication of Family Advocate