Comm. Jeannie Lowe (Ret.)

Comm. Jeannie Lowe (Ret.) brings an unrivaled depth and singular perspective to family law mediation. As a practitioner, bench officer, and full-time neutral for more than a decade, she has steadily guided families through dissolution, custody, support, and property matters with a combination of legal mastery and an extraordinary command of the human dimension of conflict. Calm, measured, and deeply patient, she has an incomparable ability to de-escalate some of the most emotionally charged disputes in private dispute resolution.

At the core of Commissioner Lowe’s approach is a conviction that the parties themselves are best positioned to determine the outcome of mediation, and she is committed to creating an environment where parties feel safe expressing their concerns and priorities. Rather than directing toward a particular resolution, she educates, empowers, and offers practical feedback on how courts are likely to evaluate a given case. Commissioner Lowe’s style is balanced, structured, and grounded in the realities families face during times of transition, and she takes pride in being a trusted, objective presence committed to helping them find clarity, closure, and a workable path forward.

During her ten-year tenure as Commissioner of the San Diego County Superior Court from 2003 to 2013, Commissioner Lowe presided over the full spectrum of family law matters, including high-asset dissolution proceedings, custody disputes involving mental health and substance abuse, complex property division, business valuations, division of community interest in closely held corporations and professional practices, tracing issues, and the validity of prenuptial and postnuptial agreements. In addition to her courtroom duties, she managed the North County branch’s mandatory settlement conference program, earning a reputation for resolving even the most fiercely contested family law cases through clear risk evaluation, deep empathy, and steadfast composure.

Before her appointment to the bench, Commissioner Lowe honed her family law expertise as partner at O’Bryan and Lowe and in the Office of the Family Law Facilitator at the San Diego County Superior Court, working directly with self-represented litigants navigating the system without counsel. Her commitment to this work predates even her legal career: before entering practice, she volunteered extensively at domestic violence shelters and, upon joining the bar, proactively offered emergency representation to organizations handling restraining orders, often at no cost.

Since transitioning to private dispute resolution in 2013, Commissioner Lowe has devoted herself exclusively to family law mediation and temporary judge assignments. Her reputation within the San Diego family law community has only deepened in the years since she left the bench, a fact underscored by the Crystal Gavel Award presented to her in 2025, thirteen years into her post-judicial career. Her experience on the bench allows her to offer parties a clear- eyed assessment of potential outcomes, while her years as a full-time neutral have refined her ability to listen deeply and guide difficult conversations toward workable solutions while protecting the dignity of all parties.