Eric was extremely helpful when I went through a divorce - this experience is likely not something many want to go through or are familiar with so having someone who is a supportive 3rd party and understands the administrative, legal, and even emotions is really important. In addition, there is a certain trust factor with Eric which is key - I felt like we were taken care of and never felt Eric had any other motivations. He was engaged and provided advice as needed yet wanted to make the process as efficient as he could for us. read more

NEVER DID WHAT HE PROMISED. Had to text call email him and would get a response here and there that he promised to work on my case. Yet everytime NOTHING was done. ALWAYS CAME up with an excuse about his health. If that was true why did you keep accepting money and cases when you knew very well you were NOT DOING ANY THAT YOU HAD ALREADY. What a total scammer you are! Karma Eric. read more

Kelly Y. I hope you will heed my warning: Do not hire slim shady Eric, who's company now bares an "F" rating with the Better Business Bureau. NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH THEFT AND BETRAYAL FROM THEIR MEDIATOR, AT NO TIME. NO ONE! It has now been well over a year since I reached out to Eric for the most expensive "free" 15-minute consult that led me down Eric's trap to steal my money. He lured me also into signing his flimsy agreement by offering concessions of a lessor fee to get started. For those of you who are familiar with said agreement and those who have yet to suffer the misfortune of receiving it, just know that Eric failed to fulfill ALL that he promised. In summary, there was no mediation by Eric. Thus he did nothing but pocket my hard-earned money. He ignored and playcated my anger, refusing to respond to any of my attempts to rightfully reclaim my funds out of court. To seek restitution, I filed a Small Claims case with the Superior Court of the Los Angles against Eric before having him served with a summons by the Sherrif's Department. The Court agreed with me on 2/19/26 when I won the judgement of the court stated in the filed ruling that is attached below. Again, do not enter into business or give a red cent of your money to Eric and or South Bay Mediation. It does look like Eric is not local per a Go Fund Me account he set up. read more

South Bay Mediation - Judgement Against E. Piety - Legal Services Near Me - Torrance, California

Eric has been missing since January 2026. He started my divorce in May 2025. I received a letter from the court that paperwork had not turned in. There has been no follow up in months. He was paid in full and has not completed the service he agreed to provide. I have emailed him, called, and left several messages with his secretary and am yet to receive a response. read more

Eric Piety is absolute scammer. He stopped responding to my emails, texts after he received payment...completely disappeared. He was pushy to receive payment and did not do his job! Don't hire Eric Piety, he will run away with your money! Following up with Better Business Bureau & LA County Consumer & Business Affairs. read more

This mediator is an absolute scam. I paid in full thousands of dollars expecting professional mediation services, and instead got nothing but silence and excuses. He does not return voicemail messages, ignores emails, and never answers phone calls. It's completely unacceptable. He only responds to collect payment, once he gest paid he does not respond at all. I'm surprised he's website is still up. He is a complete scammer. This guy should be behind bars. PLEASE, DO NOT WORK WITH HIM To make matters worse, it appears he isn't even in the country, which raises serious concerns about how he's conducting (or not conducting) business at all. There has been zero effort to provide the services that were promised and paid for. If you're considering using this mediator, don't. Save your time, money, and stress. This experience has been frustrating, unprofessional, and a complete waste. read more

By way of update after another four months, Eric has totally disappeared with my money. He won't respond to calls, texts, or emails. I even went to his office, which seems like a shared space, and left a note. I would strongly recommend against trusting him with your business. read more

I'm in the early stages of divorce and spoke with Eric for mediation several times. He was generous with his time and tried to engage my husband and attorney to pursue a mediated dissolution via thoughtfully scripted emails. I have not been successful with mediation, but I am appreciative that Eric provided energy and expertise during a difficult and confusing time. read more

Do not hire Eric. He is available when he is trying to get paid but goes totally MIA when the work needs to be done. He has not filed a QDRO in 3 months and will not respond to messages. It takes 5 minutes to file with the court it's completed for months and just will not respond. Court confirmed there is nothing filed. read more

Eric is knowledgeable, professional and comforting in what is a very life altering process. He handled my divorce with great care and responsiveness. I highly recommend him. He took as much pain as possible out of the process. read more

Eric is AMAZING! He handled my divorce after I tried to do it on my own and got it finalized in a matter of weeks. Fast and easy. He was extremely helpful and patient. Highly recommend. read more

From the start, Eric was professional, kind, and gave me a sense of reassurance that although what I was experiencing was a difficult time, all would be ok. He was always a voice of stability and reason. I would certainly recommend Eric and South Bay Mediation to a friend. read more

Eric was professional, responsive, knowledgeable, and patient. Although our situation wasn't particularly complicated, it was still something new and challenging for us. Eric helped both of us navigate the process in a fair and balanced manner, ensuring we understood the legal parameters. He made several changes and adjustments after we thought we had a final document. Thank you, Eric, for getting us through this process. read more

Eric is top notch. Always professional, patient, honest, and consistently maintains communication between both parties. Mediation can be challenging, Eric has proven since day 1 that he's able to keep the process moving along in a positive and productive manner, even when circumstances can be difficult. His background as a behavioral therapist provides great insight. Highly recommend. read more

Beware - Eric has been unreponsive to emails and calls for weeks. Our settlement is signed and notarized, just waiting on him to file. He has been paid in full, as well as for two QDROs, and has completely ghosted us. I have gone to his office in person, left voicemails, and sent emails and have received no response. I'm now seeking legal recourse. read more

Eric is patient and will make his best attempt at explaining something multiple times, mediation sessions were convenient as they were held via zoom and the notary service he coordinated was easy and quick. During our time working with Eric, the divorce process was delayed multiple times as some calls, emails and texts would go unanswered for weeks. Frequent follow-up was required on our end. Additionally, I do not recommend using a non-attorney mediator when it comes to divorce. In our case, I had to consult an attorney for additional guidance regarding the division of assets. read more

With divorce being such a difficult thing to experience, you hope that you can handle the separation of property and all of the other matters as amicably as possible. Eric was always professional and ensured he was impartial throughout. He made it clear on what the law states and doesn't state, and gave us tips on how to handle the gray areas based on his past experience. Thank you Eric. read more

As my (ex)-husband and I decided we needed a divorce, we wished to work it out amicably between us. We have three children to consider in this process, so we wanted it to be as smooth as possible for everyone involved. Eric did a fantastic job explaining the process step by step, and he listened to each of us fairly. If it got heated, Eric was able to bring in incredible calmness and practical information so that we could figure out any sticking areas. He is patient, non-judgmental, and understands divorce and court processes. We were also able to do our QDRO's through him. One of them took much longer than any of us expected, but Eric stuck with it and us until it was complete. He was upfront in his costs and never requested more, even when the QDRO took longer to finish. I highly recommend his services. read more

I want to be clear that Eric agreed to separate meetings, but scheduling was always initiated by my ex and I. Eric's lack of clarity on the process and communication was the source of our tension. And it was my ex and I that actually made a decision together without Eric. We simply asked Eric to write up our agreement. My ex will be writing a review after we complete this process with Eric. He has written me to assure me of consistent communication from here on and I will wait to adjust my review then. BARELY MEDIATION, GLORIFIED PARALEGAL SERVICES: Eric's correspondence via email is unhelpful regarding the purpose of conflict: de-escalation. I found his remarks disrespectful and condescending. From the first meeting, I explicitly stated that I did not want to be in the same Zoom room as my ex, as I felt inequities and intimidation that were not conducive to mediation. My ex looped me into an email thread, to which I responded to Eric only. Eric asked me if I could share, and when I said yes, he forwarded the message to my ex with the headlining statement, "I don't know why she didn't send this (to you) in the first place." I felt invalidated and violated by what I thought would be a protected discussion. In addition, I found setting up a meeting vs. communicating through email confusing. I provided the necessary documents and my proposal promptly. When I asked my ex about the delay, I found out Eric had not forwarded me details of a meeting or set up a meeting to review so that I could respond. This was a trending pattern for the next several months. I had to initiate next steps, request for new drafts multiple times, and given very little direction. The time we spent with Eric to come to a divorce agreement was EIGHT MONTHS and cost my ex over $5000. Admittedly, delays on our part, but if there was clear communication AND drafts reflecting requests we made then this would have been done months ago. It was a waiting game with no real momentum forward, and surmounting stress as Eric knew that time was of the essence. This is obviously not an isolated event based off reviews below. read more

Eric was absolutely amazing in getting us through this very difficult time in our lives. His knowledge, compassion and patience made all the difference. I would highly recommend his services to anyone going through this life changing event! Thank you Eric for everything you've done! read more

Eric Piety is an amazing mediator! He's very knowledgeable and professional, and a great communicator. He was able to identify what's important for each party and laid out our options with comprehensive legal advice. I highly recommend Eric! read more

Thank You, Thank You, Thank you Eric and South Bay Mediation for getting my divorce completed and everything handled!! My wife and I fired our attorneys after they took sooo much money and still wanted more. I was completely stressed and didn't know what to do. We hired Eric to handle things and he saved us. We got an agreement so I could keep my house and my wife could have a very fair settlement from my 401k. he helped us agree on a lump sum alimony settlement and now I don't need to worry about any of this anymore! I can't express how much he helped me. I was so nervous and stressed out and I was calling a lot and he always responded and explained what was happening and kept everything moving as fast as possible. I recommend 100 % read more

I received a prompt reply to my review by the owner Eric, who has promised regular updates as my case is processed by the courts. It appears the lack of regular updates is tied to the associate I was working with, who left the company and did not transition my case so there was someone monitoring it regularly. This is greatly appreciated as my main complaint was lack of communication by the associate as to the status of my case, which is made worse by the fact that the courts are months behind in processing divorce cases. read more

Eric made our divorce so easy and painless, and most importantly very affordable. Can't thank him enough. He got back to us quickly with every question or concern. HIGHLY RECOMMEND. read more

South Bay Mediation - This is us showing off that we are no longer wearing wedding rings after leaving Eric's office - Legal Services Near Me - Torrance, California

We recently used South Bay Mediation and I would highly recommend them. They are professional, organized and very knowledgeable. Eric was very responsive, calm and you can tell has a lot of experience with the courts and mediation. He answered all our questions and gave us lots of information to guide us through what can be a difficult experience. I am so grateful we chose him especially when you hear how painful emotionally and financially it can be. read more

Eric was an excellent mediator. He is professional, knowledgeable and helpful and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend him.

Eric was professional and helped make a tough situation better. He explained everything well and answered all of my questions, providing examples and laws to help guide. read more

Eric Piety was absolutely amazing! Very knowledgeable, responsive and acted as a fantastic mediator.

I highly recommend Eric for divorce mediation. Divorce is stressful and confusing, but Eric's demeanor and patience made me feel more at ease. He is professional, knowledgeable, and unbiased. We wanted a divorce without lawyers so that we could cooperatively come to divorce agreements that worked best for our family. Mediation saved us money, allowed us to have control over the terms of our divorce (rather than a judge), and helped us to begin to build a better relationship as co-parents. Eric was a significant support in this process. read more

This is a bit late, but Eric made the process as smooth and calming as possible. My ex and I were very amicable, but so many lawyers were intent on pitting us against each other. Eric helped to keep both of us consistently informed during the process and make sure we were each comfortable every step. read more

He took way longer and charged more than supposed to.i had to try to reach him many times to keep things going

Divorce can be incredibly stressful. I've seen too many couples destroy their assets and make lawyers wealthy. Mediation makes sense. We were fortunate enough to find Eric to help us through the process. He was professional, responsive, clear and knowledgeable. Everything went on schedule. Eric is a high quality person. Those of you who understand what this means will appreciate him. read more

lol, eric piety--your true colors are on full display for all to see. watch out neighbors: if you want a divorce mediator who posts your private information online because he can't handle hearing honest feedback as to how unethical, dishonest, and incompetent he is, then look no further. but most people going through a difficult time in life want a professional mediator who keeps their discussions private. do not hire eric piety/southbay mediation!! he is the worst of the worst!!! read more

I highly recommend giving Eric Piety a call if you are considering divorce. Mediation is a great alternative to the lawyer route and will save you considerable time and money if you believe your split can be amicable. Mediators can explain the process, file all necessary paperwork, and assist with the development and discussion of asset division, alimony, child custody, and child support planning. Eric is very knowledgeable, patient, and flexible with guiding you through the divorce process. His understanding and experience will help you and your spouse understand the benefits, consequences and most likely outcomes of potential decisions and strategies. I credit Eric's services as key to both of us being able to move on as soon as possible, and we never had to step into a court room. read more

Eric Piety was very helpful and did a great job explaining the purpose of every court form.

We decided to go with mediation vs having lawyers involved with our divorce. The whole process was a lot more painless for us dealing with each other by going through mediation with Eric. It did take a long time but partly my Ex husband was dragging his feet. Eric was awesome and he did everything he could to file all the paper work for us including the QDRO. Most of the waiting time was for the judge to sign off stuff. I had no problem contacting Eric from a short phone call or an email, he usually responded as timely as possible to our questions. I highly recommend people to go through mediation with Eric, and it will definitely save you a lot of money. read more

I was lucky enough to have found Eric to mediate my divorce. From start to finish, he was professional and informative. We were able to come to a swift and amicable agreement with his help. What could have been a disaster in court ended up being a smooth process that preserved a positive outlook going forward. Our two young adult children were especially grateful! Thank you Eric! read more

From our very first call, Eric stood out from the other mediators we'd talked to. In addition to being knowledgeable, he was clear, patient, and thorough. His estimation for the time we'd need was spot-on, and it was such a relief to have someone walk us through legal paperwork and all our questions -- an already confusing thing to untangle without also navigating other emotional and unknown waters at the same time. I think I speak for both me and my soon-to-be-ex that we couldn't be more grateful that we found him over getting lawyers involved. read more

Eric was super helpful and got us through the divorce process with ease. He is informed, and made it as smooth as possible. Highly recommend!! read more