New SLO Court commissioner to preside over family law starting in January

Erin M. Childs, who has served as family law and child support commissioner in Fresno Superior Court since March, will take over family law cases in San Luis Obispo County on Jan. 3.

She replaces longtime commissioner Patrick Perry, who is retiring.

Commissioners, unlike judges, are employees of San Luis Obispo Superior Court and preside over a wide range of traffic, small claims and family court matters that are a large part of daily court operations.

Before working in Fresno Superior Court, Childs spent more than a decade as a family law litigator for her own practice in Fresno County. During that time, she was a proponent of collaborative law, a type of family law that encourages cooperation between parties as opposed to often messy and expensive attorney-driven divorce court.

She holds a Juris Doctor of Law Degree from San Joaquin College of Law and is a graduate of the University of San Diego Law School as well as UC Santa Barbara. Childs is the former chairperson for the family law section of the Fresno County Bar Association and a current board member of the California Women Lawyers association.

Childs is fluent in Spanish and will receive an annual salary of $162,870.

She replaces Perry, who will retire at the end of the year after 12 years with San Luis Obispo Superior Court. Her hire completes the court’s roster of commissioners following the death of Stephen Sefton in January, the judicial appointment of former Commissioner Gayle Peron, and the hiring of Commissioner Tim Covello.

This story was originally published November 21, 2016 at 8:58 PM with the headline "New SLO Court commissioner to preside over family law starting in January."