Pacifica Domestic Violence Lawyers

David Patton is a Family Law Specialist as certified by The State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization, limiting his practice to family law exclusively. He heads the firm's family law practice.

Mr. Patton has 22 years experience as a trial lawyer, spending his early years focusing on insurance defense and plaintiff's personal injury cases. After co-founding Lonich & Patton in 1994, Mr. Patton developed the firm's family law practice. Since then, he has become one of Silicon Valley's top family law attorneys. Mr. Patton is a certified family law specialist. Only attorneys certified by the State Bar of California...

100% Defense -Criminal Law Only -Award Winning Attorney -Over 30 years of experience in Santa Clara County Courts -Over 100 jury trials, everything from high profile murder cases to misdemeanor DUIs -Work has been featured on the front page of San Jose Mercury News -Bilingual (Spanish) One Dedicated Lawyer: I work hard because I want the best possible results. Sometimes a case that looked impossible at first, gets better if I work hard enough.

Jennifer is certified as a Family Law Specialist by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. She earned a B.A. in Law and Society from the University of California at Santa Barbara and her law degree from Santa Clara University. Jennifer is a member of the Association of Certified Family Law Specialists, and member of the Santa Clara County Bar Association and is a member of the Family Law Executive Committee of the Santa Clara County Bar Association. Jennifer has lectured at multiple seminars for the Santa Clara County Bar Association, and Santa Clara University School of Law,...

Traci is certified as a Family Law Specialist by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. She graduated from Santa Clara University in 2000 and was admitted to the bar in December of that year. During her tenure at Santa Clara, she was the Sr. Technical Editor of the Computer Technology Law Journal and received a Certificate of Excellence in Legal Research and Writing. After graduation, Traci was recruited by a top corporate law firm. She worked at Gray Cary (now DLA Piper) from 2000 - 2002 as a securities and corporate transactional attorney. She was involved in...

Magdalena Chattopadhya practices all areas of family law, providing comprehensive legal representation for matters related to divorce, separation, child custody/support, paternity, retraining orders, and more. As a Certified Family Law Specialist, she is hands-on with her clients from the initial consultation all the way to negotiations, trials, and even appeals when necessary. Ms. Chattopadhya focuses on the big picture – the long-term impact of a case on her clients’ lives. As a certified mediator, she strives to help parties move forward from a conflict in an amicable and dignified manner. She is dedicated to pursuing the best possible result, no...

Andrew Marcellino is a seasoned lawyer who has represented many clients throughout Santa Clara County in the trial and mediation process. He fights for his clients in the courtroom, but emphasizes negotiation and mediation as alternatives whenever possible. He does this to save his clients time, money and emotional stress, and to help them retain control over their legal results.

We assist family law clients in matters of domestic violence, divorce, custody and visitation, child support, restraining orders, property division, modifications of court orders, paternity matters, and other issues related to family law. We also provide experienced representation in criminal...

Based in Marin County, CA, Peter Chambers proudly defends his clients against their government. Mr. Chambers is at the vanguard of criminal defense law, regularly leveraging the latest legal and technological tools to improve his clients' situation. Never afraid of taking a case to trial, Mr. Chambers takes greater pride in the number of cases dismissed before ever reaching the jury.

Before swapping coasts and counsel tables, Mr. Chambers served as an Assistant District Attorney at the Kings County District Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn, NY, prosecuting cases from attempted murder to petty theft. He is a graduate of Brooklyn Law School,...

Boris has devoted himself to a career in criminal defense and fighting for the rights of the accused—a passion that grew from his experience being erroneously arrested at age thirteen due to a misidentification. This experience left him intimately aware of the kind of anxiety and fear a criminal accusation causes in one's life. Bringing this memory to the courtroom and negotiating table alike, Boris quickly gained a reputation as a fearless and zealous advocate for his clients who fights with integrity and compassion every step of the way.

Smart & Aggressive Criminal Defense. Experienced in representing individuals accused of crimes...

Indy Colbath is a licensed California attorney who has focused the entirety of her legal career on family law issues, including: divorce, annulment, child custody, child support, spousal support, property division, and domestic violence restraining orders. Indy has a breadth of courtroom experience she relies upon when assessing her clients’ family law matters, as well as strong relationships with the local legal community and bench. Indy has effectively represented her clients in an array of complex family law litigation, many of which involving high net worth individuals. Even though Indy has a passion for courtroom advocacy, she understands that every...

The Law Offices of Kevin Heaney specialize in criminal defense and personal injury matters. Over 25 years of experience with successful trial track record. Serving all Bay Area counties and beyond.

Mahal is a family law attorney based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She began her practice in 2014, having spent the previous fourteen years as a law clerk, educator, and paralegal specialist for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Her law practice integrates her passion for civil rights and her love for community. Mahal was born in Vallejo, and after a series of family tragedies enrolled herself in the tenth grade at Oakland Technical High School. She was legally emancipated as a minor the following spring. These childhood experiences inspired her to become an attorney and...

Nancy M. Martinez is a California native. She grew up in Los Angeles and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to attend college. Nancy is a native Spanish speaker. In her spare time, Nancy enjoys photography, traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family.

Ms. Martinez attended the University of California-Berkeley where she earned a bachelor’s degree in U.S. History. After Cal, Ms. Martinez worked as a paralegal for several years in the areas of business litigation, antitrust, class-actions, and intellectual property.

Ms. Martinez attended the University of San Francisco, School of Law where she earned a Certificate of Concentration...

Porrino Law PC operates under the guidance of principal Dominic H. Porrino, who entered law practice with the intention of protecting the assets and safety of citizens by helping them negotiate the complexities of the California legal system. The competitive spirit that prompted him to play lacrosse and rugby in his youth now drives development of strategies to protect the best interests of his clients.

Mr. Porrino, an attorney whose practice encompasses legal separation, divorce, child custody and support, estate planning and other civil matters, obtained his law degree from Golden Gate University School of Law and was admitted to the...

Attorney Gary D. Sparks is an accomplished lawyer who has successfully provided legal services and representation to families, husbands, wives, parents, military service members, and same sex partners for nearly two decades. Gary was a regular guest for several years on the former Ronn Owens Program on KGO-AM 810 in San Francisco, and has been interviewed by local and national publications in addition to publishing several of his own legal guides.

Gary graduated first in his class from John F. Kennedy University School of Law, where he was awarded magna cum laude honors for excellence in academic achievement and received...

Our practice covers all aspects of family and matrimonial law in all of the Bay Area counties, primarily focusing on Contra Costa, Alameda, Solano, and San Francisco counties. We will expertly navigate you through your family law matter, whether it involves termination of a domestic partnership, paternity, custody, visitation, domestic violence, adoption, guardianship, support, an annulment, legal separation, or post-judgment issues. Regardless which of these processes you are dealing with, we understand the strain and pressure that these matters inevitably put on clients and the necessity of providing strong representation. Therefore, we strive to make the entire process as easy...

My approach to each family law case is specifically tailored to the needs of each client. Some cases require aggressive litigation, while other times, settlement is the best (and cheapest) choice for all involved. As your attorney, you can expect me to give you guidance based on the law, and to be transparent with you about your options. My role is to advise you, but not to make decisions for you. I enjoy partnering with my clients to get them their desired outcome. I am also very responsive to client communication. I pride myself on keeping you...

Business and International Experience
Wayne started in Auckland New Zealand, graduating after completing a challenging combined Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws in just 4 years, achieving top marks at his law school at Auckland University made up of 11,000 students where he was elected Student President in a landslide victory in his last year. Then recruited by a leading Merchant Bank, MARAC Corporation, Wayne moved to Citibank before becoming the founding Company Secretary for New Zealand's first publicly listed Investment Bank, founding Company Secretary for NZ’s first publicly listed Venture Capital company and a Director of a...

John D. Cahners is a State Bar Certified Specialist in Criminal Law, who was a former senior prosecutor with the Santa Clara County District Attorneys Office. He has been defending those charged with crimes, since 1980.

He has been successful at handling all kinds of criminal defense with experience that includes every kind of crime, from DUI to Homicide. As a result of the new trend in prosecutions, he has become expert in handling Domestic Violence cases, and has devoted a substantial percentage of his practice to that area.

AV peer review rated by Martindale Hubble, he is also recognized by San...

Harvey Ziff has again been honored as being listed as a "Northern California Super Lawyer" based on peer recognition and great achievements in representing personal injury plaintiffs.

Harvey Ziff attended the Wharton School of Finance, University of Pennsylvania (BS) and Stanford University School of Law. While at Stanford, Mr. Ziff served as editor on the Stanford Law Review from 1966-1967. Mr. Ziff also earned a masters of law (LLM) from Northwestern University (1969).

After graduating from Stanford University School of Law, Mr. Ziff served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in San Francisco from 1968–1969 where he successfully prosecuted felony cases through...

Crabtree Law PC is a full service, bi-lingual (SPANISH), family law firm dedicated to delivering personal, practical, and effective representation at an affordable cost. We are conveniently located in Walnut Creek, California. Attorney Maria Crabtree received her Bachelor of Arts degrees in Psychology and Communications from the University of California at Davis. She later returned to the University of California, Davis and earned her J.D. degree. As a sole practitioner, Ms. Crabtree is dedicated to helping families navigate through the complexities of the laws and policies that rule family law issues. Dissolution of marriage (divorce), child custody...

Throughout her legal career, Vanessa has practiced exclusively in family law. With her legal training and knowledge, she provides compassion and advocacy for her clients. Vanessa’s experience working on a broad spectrum of family law matters include divorce, pre-divorce counseling and planning, premarital agreements, complex marital property issues, high conflict child custody disputes, child and spousal support issues and domestic violence prevention and defense. Vanessa protects her clients’ assets and the best interests of her clients and their children. She represents clients in public court and before private judicial officers. In addition, she serves as a consulting attorney for clients...

Christine Pham is a San Francisco native with over 10 years of litigation experience. Her background in litigation, bankruptcy, and knowledge of California family law, combined with her creative legal strategies and sincere compassion for her clients, has made her a recognized and trusted name in and around the Bay Area.

Christine focuses her practice on helping families and couples in a range of family law and family formation matters, including child custody and support, spousal support (alimony), dissolution of marriage (divorce), legal separation, division of property, and assisted reproduction.

Christine’s dedication to her clients is reflected in the testimonials they give...

While I was always interested in a legal career as I grew up and went through my years of education, it was not until I became quite involved in the civil rights movement during the 1960’s that I really began to understand how absolutely vital it was to protect the individual rights of citizens. This is especially true for persons charged with a criminal offense. People ask how I can represent “guilty” people, or those persons accused of serious crimes. The fact is I am proud and honored to do so because I deeply believe in the principles of...

Jessica joined Mello & Pickering LLP in January 2015. In 2011 Jessica received her undergraduate degree from Saint Mary’s College of California where she majored in political science. After graduating from Saint Mary’s, she received her law degree from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 2014. She was then admitted to the California State Bar in December 2014, after passing the state bar exam on her first attempt. During her law school education, Jessica gained extensive experience in family law working for the Department of Child Support Services, the San Francisco Bar Association’s family law project and a solo family...

"Live so that when your children think of fairness and integrity, they think of you." Erin Farley brings over 24 years of legal experience to the firm. She is well-respected in the community for her work and was voted in 2013 and 2015 as the Best Attorney in Petaluma by the Argus-Courier's People's Choice Awards. Ms. Farley's work focuses on dissolutions, child support, child custody, spousal support, post-judgment support, comprehensive property division, and prenuptial agreements. Ms. Farley brings experience, insight, and compassion to what is likely the most emotionally difficult of court proceedings. Ms. Farley is a member of the...

-- Over 16 years experience in Family Law -- Certified Family Law Specialist -- Good Listener & Idea Generator -- Can Think Outside the Box to Help You Get Great Results -- Friendly Style Facilitates Settlements

Meet the "Claw of Justice"

Ronald A. Cabanayan focuses on DUI, criminal defense, and immigration/naturalization. His network of highly qualified mentors and advisers has a combined experience of over 50 years that he can bring to work for you. This is what he calls the Claw Network. Ronald is admitted to practice in all California courts and in Federal Court, Northern District of California. Professional organization memberships include California DUI Lawyers Association, California Attorneys for Criminal Justice, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, National College for DUI Defense, Santa Clara County Bar Association, San Mateo County Bar Association, and American Bar...

Dmitry Stadlin fights for his clients, in Civil or Criminal courtrooms, and before any case is even filed. Mr. Stadlin graduated from the University of California, Davis, with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, and went on to the University of California, Hastings College of the Law where he graduated with a Juris Doctor degree. Mr. Stadlin clerked at three District Attorney’s Offices throughout the Bay Area: Alameda County, San Mateo County, and Santa Clara County. After numerous appearances for “The People” of California, Mr. Stadlin wanted to represent some actual people – real clients. Mr. Stadlin worked on...

Joshua Robinett Jachimowicz was admitted to the State Bar in 2011. Mr. Jachimowicz began working with his father's firm as a law clerk while attending law school. He graduated the University of California at Santa Barbara with a bachelor's degree in Physics. Like his father, he received his law degree from the Santa Clara University School of Law. While at Santa Clara, he received honors for his academic efforts in Wills and Trusts, Employment Discrimination and Trial Techniques classes. As a young attorney, he has handled numerous criminal matters, including petty thefts, drug offenses, and DUIs. Mr. Jachimowicz recently married...

CERTIFICATIONS:
Certified Family Law Specialist
State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization

BAR ADMISSIONS:
California, 1989
U.S. District Court Central District of California, 1989
U.S. District Court Eastern District of California, 1989
U.S. District Court Northern District of California, 1989
U.S. District Court Southern District of California, 1989
EDUCATION:
University of California, Hastings College of the Law, San Francisco, California, J.D.

Having practiced criminal defense for 40 years, I have considerable trial skills and knowledge of how the system works. Before becoming an attorney, I worked seven years as a probation officer. I am very knowledgeable about people, am personable and empathetic. I have spoken Spanish for over 50 years, and many of my clients are Latino.

Family law issues, being deeply personal, can significantly disrupt your life. I approach these sensitive matters with compassion and care. I will be straightforward in evaluating the unique aspects of your case, clearly outlining your options, and providing realistic advice on how to proceed. For over 32 years, I have committed myself to assisting families in navigating the complexities of their legal issues. I have encountered a diverse range of families and challenges, which has broadened my knowledge and allowed me to offer high-quality representation to my clients. I ensure that each client receives the focused attention they deserve and strive...

Mr. Mastro was born in Oakland, grew up around the East Bay, and has spent his life living throughout the Bay Area, from San Francisco to San Jose. Mr. Mastro graduated from the Santa Clara University School of Law in May 2006. He then passed the California State Bar Examination in July 2006 on his first attempt. Thereafter, Mr. Mastro became a Deputy Public Defender in San Joaquin County, representing clients in all manner of criminal cases, in a high-volume capacity. In 2009, Joe decided to return home to open his own law firm. Since then...

I joined the Law Offices of Russo & Prince in January of 2006. Throughout his time at Russo & Prince, I have focused my practice entirely on family law, including family law litigation. I obtained my undergraduate degree at the University of Notre Dame, and my Juris Doctorate at the University of San Francisco, School of Law. I am happy to say that I practice exclusively in the area of family law. My practice includes dissolution of marriage (divorce), annulment, and legal separation, as well as spousal support (alimony), child custody, visitation, child support, division of assets and debts...

Leslie Prince graduated from Hastings Law School in San Francisco in 1981. While in law school, Ms. Prince was a writer and editor for Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly. In addition, she worked as a judicial extern for California Court of Appeals Justice Sidney Feinberg, and as a research assistant for Hastings Law Professor Leo Kanowitz. Ms. Prince has been an attorney in private practice for over 20 years, and was a sole practitioner in Alameda County for over ten years before coming to Solano County in 1994 to become a principal in the Law Offices of Russo and Prince. Ms....

WHO I AM:  A reliable, trustworthy attorney who has exclusively practiced criminal defense in the Napa/Solano area for the past 25+ years. An experienced trial lawyer who has defended several hundred jury trials of all types, including murders, sex crimes, domestic violence, theft offenses, drug crimes, and driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.  The right choice to evaluate, negotiate, and fight for the best possible outcome  when you or your loved one is under threat of jail or prison in Napa or Solano County.   A local practitioner with decades of experience with the same prosecutors, judges, probation officers,...

Attorney Ekaterina Berman is a passionate professional who serves individuals and small businesses since 2006. She decided to start her own office seeing how most clients do not get the legal service they deserve, and compromise their rights. Ekaterina always works personally with her clients, and put emphasis on understanding their situation and adjusting the strategy to their needs and capabilities. Being her client you soon discover that she is a fighter, and will never let go on your behalf. She is a meticulous researcher and will make sure everything is done correctly, and nothing slips through the calendar...

Herrera is an accomplished trial lawyer with over 44 years of jury trial experience, including serious felony matters and "simple" misdemeanors. He has over 26 years experience as an elected school board member, and over 5 years service as Adjunct Professor in Education ("Law & Education") at Sacramento State University. He is a veteran (U.S. Navy) who believes strongly in fighting for the "little guy." You will get honest, straight-forward advice from Herrera, at a most reasonable cost.