Mediator, Family Law and
Collaborative Attorney
Armine Baltazar

Los Angeles/Santa Monica
Newport Beach/Costa Mesa, CA

Hello, and thanks for visiting this page. I’m Armine Baltazar. My credentials are below and to the right, but here’s a little about me, personally.

This writing by the poet Longfellow has always touched me: “If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man’s life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.”

My passion for mediation and consensual dispute resolution comes from my feelings of empathy. Since I was a child, I’ve loved people – talking with them, learning about them, getting to know them. In school, I was scolded for talking too much. But connecting with others always felt so good!

My love of people didn’t immediately translate into a career. After I graduated from college, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. A lot of people said, “You should go to law school!” So I did. The education was fabulous, and I don’t regret it for a moment.

But still, I didn’t have a deep sense of what I wanted to do, so for years, I practiced family law in the traditional sense, which included going to court and presenting polarized positions.

At my core, this didn’t feel right. I felt more and more dissatisfied until one day, I decided it was enough. I dove head-on into the world of conflict management and peacemaking, and realized that this was what I wanted to pursue. I read books, took seminars, and started meeting people and volunteering in the field. Finally, this felt right. It struck a tuning fork in my soul.

I find that the simple act of listening can lead to understanding. I’ve been practicing family law for over 23 years. It’s fulfilling to know that I can apply my legal skills and knowledge in a way that aligns with who I am as a human being and that can help guide people during a particularly difficult time in their life. It matters to me that I help, not hurt, in an already difficult situation.

Armine was born in Bucharest, Romania to a family of Armenian origin. Her family moved to Los Angeles when she was 3. Armine grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from UCLA, Summa Cum Laude, with a Political Science degree. She went on to attend the UCLA School of Law. During law school, Armine excelled in her studies, receiving the American Jurisprudence Award in Constitutional Law.

After graduating from UCLA Law, Armine practiced corporate finance law at a large, New York based law firm. Dissatisfied with the impersonal nature of corporate practice, she turned to family law and has been practicing family law since 1999. Armine is currently the managing partner at the family law office of Hammers & Baltazar, LLP, with offices in Los Angeles and Orange County, California.  Armine teaches mediation at Monterey College of Law and is a co-founder of the HEALTHY Divorce program which is a pilot project of the Los Angeles Superior Court.

Armine lives with her husband and their teenage son. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, meditating, studying mindfulness, taking exercise walks with friends, volunteering, watching a good series, and since Covid – baking!

Ms. Baltazar is an Adjunct Professor of Mediation at Monterey College of Law.

Armine believes in the value of growth, development and ongoing learning. In addition to her continuing legal education, she is also a graduate of the following programs:

• Professional Mediation Training Graduate, Family Resolution Institute, Inc.
• Professional Mediation Training Graduate, Center for Understanding in Conflict
• Graduate of Masterclass: Peacemaker’s Retreat, Mosten Mediation
• Graduate of LACFLA Collaborative Training Program
• Graduate of Unbundled Legal Services Course, Mosten Mediation
• Graduate of American Bar Association, Trial Advocacy Institute