Apr 14, 2025
Hon. Verna A. Adams (Ret.) Joins ADR Services, Inc.
Hon. Verna Adams (Ret.) is a nationally recognized expert in mediation and adjudication of complex family law and probate cases.
She is a judicial leader and retired Superior Court Judge with more than two decades of service on the Marin County Superior Court bench. A graduate of Wellesley College (A.B., summa cum laude) and Stanford Law School, Judge Adams has devoted her career to justice, equity, and pioneering systemic change in the family law and probate arenas.
Appointed to the bench in 1999, Judge Adams served in every division of the court—criminal, civil, probate, and juvenile—but her most impactful contributions were made during her 14-year tenure in the Marin Unified Family Law Court and eight years in Probate. As Supervising Judge of that court for 12 years and as Presiding Judge of the Marin County Superior Court, she distinguished herself as an innovative, compassionate, and effective judge.
Judge Adams approaches the law with a strong belief in minimizing adversarial harm, particularly in emotionally charged matters involving families. She developed and launched California’s first Interdisciplinary Settlement Conference program, a model for resolving high-conflict custody disputes through collaboration among judges, attorney-mediators, and mental health professionals. Her leadership extended to the creation of Marin County’s Mental Health and Domestic Violence Courts and chairing the task force that established the Legal Self-Help Center of Marin—each initiative driven by her deep commitment to accessibility and holistic problem-solving.
Before joining the bench, she was a Certified Family Law Specialist and highly regarded practitioner in the Bay Area. Her work as both trial and appellate counsel in the landmark case Marriage of Epstein (1979) 24 Cal.3d 76 led to the now-codified reimbursement principles in California Family Code section 2640. She was recognized in every edition of The Best Lawyers in America from 1993 until her judicial appointment and held leadership roles including President of the Marin County Bar Association and Board President of the Center for the Family in Transition.
Judge Adams’ career is marked by accolades that reflect both peer and community respect: she was inducted into the Marin Women’s Hall of Fame (2016); the Marin Trial Lawyers Association named her Judge of the Year (2017); and she has received two Special Congressional Commendations (1986, 2016). Most recently, she was honored with the Marin County Bar Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award (2024), the first woman in the organization’s 90-year history to receive the distinction.
Judge Adams is particularly sought after for complex family law and probate matters, including high-conflict custody issues, characterization and division of assets, support disputes, breach of fiduciary duty, contested conservatorships, financial elder abuse, trust and estate accounting disputes, real property transfers, trust contests, trust administration disputes, and will contests. With an unparalleled depth of experience, Judge Adams brings a rare combination of legal expertise, human understanding, and a pragmatic approach to settlement. She understands that resolving family law matters is about more than just the legal outcome—it’s about preserving relationships, fostering stability, and ensuring that all parties feel heard and respected.