Effectively Steering the Ship

Paula M. Lawhon is a passionate, full-time family law mediator whose professional journey began in the courtroom. More than 25 years ago, she launched her legal career with a commitment to helping people through some of life's most difficult moments. She soon recognized that the adversarial court system was often sluggish, inefficient, and disruptive to families' progress. Discouraged by a process that rarely prioritized the efficiency her clients needed, she left litigation nearly 20 years ago to become a dedicated neutral mediator.


Today, Lawhon guides clients through complex family law matters with care, balance, and efficiency. She believes that keeping family law cases moving effectively requires more than strong mediation skills--it also requires effective, neutral case management. Because this operational framework is rarely taught, her mission as an author is to support family dispute professionals in helping more families achieve constructive outcomes. Whether working with lawyers, financial professionals, therapists, or coaches, she aims to help practitioners integrate efficient case management into their practices for the benefit of everyone involved.


Before practicing law, Lawhon worked as a civil and criminal private investigator while attending University of California, Irvine and UC Law San Francisco. She lives in Marin County, just outside San Francisco, with her husband, their teenage son, and their spirited Pomeranian, Asher.