Hon. Ana Maria Luna (Ret.)

Hon. Ana Maria Luna (Ret.) brings more than four decades of diverse legal and judicial experience to her mediator role at Signature Resolution. Her distinguished service on the bench and legal practice is marked by her integrity and ability to connect with people from all walks of life. She is well respected for her intellect and balanced approach to resolving disputes. ​

As a neutral, Judge Luna is committed to creating a respectful and inclusive environment where all parties feel seen and heard. With extensive judicial experience in civil, family, and probate law, Judge Luna is well-equipped to handle and identify the critical issues that guide effective resolutions. She provides both clarity and compassion through her work, offering a trauma-informed, culturally competent lens particularly well suited to the emotionally complex matters that family law and probate law often bring. Her extensive experience shines through when navigating the many emotionally sensitive issues that permeate these two practice areas. For Judge Luna, the litigants’ stories are as equally important as the litigation itself.​​

In 1992, Judge Luna began her remarkable judicial career as a court commissioner in the Southeast District Municipal Court. In 1994, she made history as both the first female and first Hispanic elected to that bench. She later became a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge in 2000 upon court unification. She presided in numerous divisions throughout her nearly 33 year judicial career handling criminal, family law, and probate/trust matters. Judge Luna has extensive experience and knowledge gained through contested trials of child custody, support, marital property/debt, conservatorship, guardianship, will and trust issues. In 2022, she was assigned to the long cause probate calendar, where she case managed high-conflict matters with patience and diligence. The long cause calendar also presented the challenge of resolving complicated cases where layers of complexity were addressed both in trial or settlement guided by her input. ​

Throughout her tenure, Judge Luna was a pioneer in collaborative justice reform. She was instrumental in developing the Southeast District’s Drug Court and chaired the Los Angeles County Proposition 36 Steering Committee after the treatment-over-incarceration initiative was passed by voters. She also served as an associate with the VERA Institute of Justice and has advised jurisdictions across the country on building effective drug treatment court models. Her efforts have earned her recognition as a thoughtful leader in restorative justice and criminal system reform throughout the United States.  ​

Prior to joining the bench, Judge Luna practiced family law in Southeast Los Angeles from 1984 to 1989 before joining the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office. This balanced foundation, advocating for families and protecting the rights of the accused, shaped her compassionate and equitable judicial philosophy. ​

Outside of the courtroom, Judge Luna has served on the California Judicial Council, is a past president of the Latino Judges of California, and a former vice president of the California Judges Association. She has taught at the California Judicial College and the National Judicial College in Reno. Since 2014 (when she commenced her second rotation in a family law courtroom), Judge Luna has lectured to the bench and bar on topics ranging from substantive law to effective case management/trial techniques in those same practice areas.