Avila Beach Family Lawyers

Douglas A. Hatherley is a Certified Family Law Specialist and the founding attorney of The Hatherley Firm, Inc., a family law practice based in Irvine, California. He represents clients throughout Orange County in matters involving divorce, custody and visitation, support, domestic violence, paternity, and complex property division. Mr. Hatherley earned his B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley, and his J.D. from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. During law school, he externed for a judge in the Los Angeles Superior Court’s Family Law Division and served as Senior Production Editor of the Loyola of Los Angeles International and...

As the principal attorney at The Goldberg Legal Group, Mr. David Goldberg brings over 18 years of experience as a practicing attorney to your case. He is both aggressive and detail oriented in all areas of family and divorce law in Irvine. Much of his early years was spent working as a personal injury lawyer, where he gained extensive experience representing those who need insurance defense or were pursuing civil litigation. This experience got him interested in family law. Family law also brought with it a broader appeal for David Goldberg. Because it covers a range of issues, it allows...

I am an experienced Private Judge-Mediator, specializing in Arbitration & Mediation for Divorce and Family Law matters. I practice throughout the Newport Beach-Costa Mesa, California area.

Private dispute resolution is a clear alternative to public litigation, helping to resolve legal matters with efficiency and fairness. A private hearing or trial can be scheduled at your convenience and in a comfortable environment. I am dedicated to achieving satisfactory resolutions for all parties.

Serving on the Orange County Superior Court bench for a decade has provided me with unique training, knowledge and legal understanding. I have seen thousands of cases, and am...

I have been a practicing lawyer in family and criminal law for over 20 years. Primarily, my practice concentrates on family law. My major focus is divorce and child custody. Over the years I have successfully litigated many child custody disputes. I have dealt even further with international child custody disputes and interstate child custody disputes. I went to UCLA for my undergraduate studies where I majored in English Literature and minored in Spanish. I took many classes that focused on film directing and producing as I was very interested in going into film production. I have been interviewed...

I am Douglas Pinkham, Orange County Divorce Attorney, as well as Family Law. I have practiced California family law dedicatedly for over 16 years. Beyond the technical, legal, aspect of the law, I understand first-hand the raw emotions, the complexities, and even the financial costs that come with a divorce, having gone through one myself. More than a lawyer who has thorough knowledge, and the required experience, you will be working with someone who has been where you are. Our entire team is here for you.

Attorney Jeffery L. Heath has been practicing law in Orange County California for over 25 years. Jeffery's law practice emphasizes in Family Law, Divorce, Child Custody, Child Support, Visitation, DUI Defense, and Criminal Defense. Over the years Jeffery has established him self as a strong advocate who is willing to do anything for his clients.

Ms. Hilliard is a highly respected and accomplished lawyer, having been awarded the American Jurisprudence Award in Family Law and White Collar Crime.

Renee Ross is certified in Family Law by The State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization and is a highly skilled and insightful attorney. She represents family law clients throughout Pleasanton and the surrounding areas. She has more than a decade of experience and handles a broad range of cases including divorce, child custody and support, high net worth divorce, and same-sex family law issues. Attorney Ross can also provide counsel for adoptions, domestic partnership issues, complex property divisions, and other family law cases. She is passionate about providing personalized legal solutions for her clients, guiding them with skill...

Practice Areas: Estates & Trusts, Trust and Estate Litigation, Elder Abuse, Conservatorships, Real Property, Business Litigation, Family, Divorce, Custody, Support Ms. Wickers handles clients legal needs including representing clients in trial, and appeals. In 2020, Christina Wickers obtained a Top Attorney Avvo Rating of 10/10 and was selected by Super Lawyers, Rising Stars List, for Southern California, in both 2020 and 2022 – a top rated Trusts and Estates Attorney in Southern California. No more than 2.5% of attorneys in the State of California are named to the Super Lawyers, Rising Star List. Similarly, she has...

The lawyers and staff who make up Morris & Morris are not that different from the people we represent. We encounter the same highs and lows and we share the same desire for happy and healthy families. Since the founding of our San Gabriel Valley law firm in 1997, those common interests have only served to reinforce our belief in what we do. We have children of our own and we can identify with both the difficulties and the benefits of raising a family in Southern California. We can help you ensure that your children are provided for whether...

Michael Perez serves as an Associate Attorney at Envision Family Law. Previously, he worked as an Associate Attorney at a prestigious Beverly Hills family law firm, where he handled domestic violence restraining orders, support matters, and dissolution cases involving complex property distribution. Michael holds a B.A. in Communication Studies from UCLA and obtained his Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. During law school, he was actively involved in the Public Interest Law Foundation, dedicated to supporting underrepresented individuals in the legal system. He also participated in the Street Law Teaching Practicum, collaborating with Judith Schwartz-Behar, esq. from the Harriett...

David Booth is a graduate of Brigham Young University and Chapman University School of Law and began practicing law in 2008. Immediately following law school, David took a position with the Orange County Department of Child Support Services as a staff attorney. David later went on to a position as an deputy district attorney, where he honed his trial skills. David is now the lead attorney at the Law Office of Cameron M. Fernandez where David practices divorce and family law in Irvine and throughout Orange County.

Michèle Bissada is a Principal at Flicker, Kerin, Kruger & Bissada, in Silicon Valley and serves as a neutral throughout California. She is a Certified Specialist in Family Law (CFLS), Fellow of both the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) and International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL), and member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC). With over 30 years of experience, Ms. Bissada is a seasoned mediator with a prominent litigation background. She specializes in both complex financial and high-conflict custody matters. Highly committed to her practice, she has achieved notable success assisting parties in resolving the most...

Redefining Divorce is a mediation firm that assists couples through amicable dissolutions and legal separations. The goal of Redefining Divorce is to help couples get through an extremely difficult time by providing guidance, compassion and affordable fees. We are successful because we are efficient and know how to navigate our clients through the murky emotional waters of the process. With our seasoned mediators, therapists, and financial advisors we are able to make this experience a bit less difficult and significantly less expensive.

We focus on quick resolutions by eliminating multiple parties and mediate between the couple only. The couple develops their...

I was born and raised in San Francisco and have been a San Mateo County resident for the past 34 years. I have been practicing law for over 20 years and understand the difficult time one goes through in a break up. No one can do better than I in achieving your goals and wishes.

Known for her expert representation of California’s senior executives and their spouses, Kiana protects her clients in high asset divorces and contested custody cases. In her twenty years of legal practice, Kiana has negotiated and litigated the full spectrum of disputes that occur in financially sophisticated divorces and contested custody cases. Kiana graduated Cornell Law School with a concentration in business law. Prior to finding her passion in family law, she was a business litigator at Reed Smith LLP one of the nation’s 20 largest global law firms. She has a B.A in psychology from UC Berkeley and has taken countless negotiation trainings at...

The Law Offices of Fernando J. Bernheim is committed to providing professional legal services and aggressive representation backed by extensive knowledge and experience in matters of law. We understand the impact that your legal issue has upon your life and we are dedicated to assuring you every remedy within the scope of the law.


For more than ten years, Attorney F. J. Bernheim has represented clients on a range of issues relating to:

Family Law
Criminal Law
Personal Injury/Civil
Bankruptcy
Real Estate
Immigration
Wills And Trusts.

Douglas Borthwick Esq. was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1965. He graduated with high honors (Magna Cum Laude) from Muskingum University in 1988 with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Business, Economics, and Religion. At Muskingum University he was the recipient of the prestigious Wall Street Journal Student Achievement Award, and the Financial Executive Institute Award. Attorney Douglas Borthwick received his Juris Doctorate degree in 1991 from Capital University Law School where he was the recipient of an academic scholarship and was on the Dean's List. Throughout his time in Law School, he worked as an Intern at the...

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...

I am a founding partner at Lewellen Family Law Group P.C., where our practice is devoted entirely to family law. As a trial attorney and mediator, I handle cases that involve high conflict situations and complex legal challenges in family law litigation. I am recognized by the State Bar of California as a certified family law attorney. Throughout my career, I have advised clients ranging from straightforward divorces to those entangled in intricate financial and custody disputes. My deep-seated experience in complex family law litigation and premarital agreements equips me to guide my clients through difficult times to secure favorable results....

Richard Young is a Master lawyer with the Orange County Bar Association practicing in Family Law, Divorce Law, Custody, Support, Domestic Violence, Asset Division, Pre Nuptials, Divorce, Domestic Violence, Trusts, Wills, Bankruptcy. He graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law in 1994 and immediately formed his firm. He has won awards from the Orange County Bar Association from the Judiciary and Pro Bono Publico as well as Graduating from the Pepperdine College of Advocacy. He has served as a Judge Pro Tem, Senior Mandatory Fee Arbitrator and has successfully handled thousands of Family law matters.

Attorney, therapist, and social worker providing trauma-informed, child-centered litigation services to individuals engaged in high-conflict divorce/child custody disputes. Ms. Wienick served in the United States Army as a military intelligence linguist from 1989-1993. In 1997, she received her undergraduate degrees in political science and Korean studies, magna cum laude, from the University of Washington. She is also a 2000 graduate of the University of California College of the Law at San Francisco, cum laude, and has been a licensed attorney in the state of California since 2000. Ms. Wienick practiced law as a commercial and environmental litigation attorney in Los Angeles...

I am a determined Criminal Defense and Family Law attorney. I represent clients in Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside and Los Angeles counties with legal matters including divorce, domestic violence, guardianships and criminal defense.

During a time of intense stress and uncertainty, you need an experienced and compassionate attorney to advocate for your rights and interests. I am committed to the highest level of integrity while aggressively pursuing the best possible outcomes for my clients.

My interest in law began over 25 years ago, when following high school, I began work as a legal assistant. Since opening my own firm in 2002, my...

Family Law is an area of law that requires more than just an understanding of the law, it requires an understanding of people. When dealing with something as personal as family, emotions can run high and often impact a person's decision making process. At Swanson and Ruegg, we address your needs by helping you to determine what your best options are so that you can decide on which course of action is right for your family. Our Riverside law firm brings over 30 years of combined experience to every family law case we handle. That experience allows us to...

Melody Trujillo is a graduate of McGeorge School of Law who brings to her clients 28 years of legal practice. She and her partner have successfully litigated thousands of cases in Southern California. Ms. Trujillo practices primarily in Family Law representing clients in Hemet, Riverside, San Bernardino, Victorville and all of the San Diego Courts. She is dedicated to her clients. The attorneys and paralegals at Trujillo & Trujillo, APLC are all caring individuals who put their client's needs as paramount. Each paralegal has at minimum a paralegal certificate and an Associate Degree. The...

Matthew J. Knez graduated from the University of Redlands in California where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Creative Writing. He went on to pursue his Law Degree at the University of LaVerne, College of Law in Ontario, California. While pursuing his law degree he earned various awards, including CALI Award in Torts and he was on the Dean’s List. Mr. Knez was also a member of the Justice and Immigration Clinic where he worked with people seeking asylum into the United States from countries where they had experienced persecution or threat of persecution....

For over a decade, Charrisse N. Smith has been a trusted advocate, guiding individuals through the legal system with skill and compassion. Throughout her career, she has earned recognition for her professionalism, dedication to advocacy, and exceptional negotiation and mediation abilities. Committed to changing the narrative surrounding attorneys, Charrisse upholds the highest standards of integrity both in and out of the courtroom. She approaches each case with the same level of dedication and care she would expect for her own legal matters. Charrisse is passionate about family law, finding great fulfillment in helping individuals navigate one of the most challenging periods...

Rhoda Chandler is a Super Lawyers "Rising Star" and a Certified Family Law Specialist as designated by the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization. Ms. Chandler is a native Californian, born and raised in Los Angeles, where she graduated from California State University Los Angeles. Prior to obtaining her law degree Ms. Chandler was an executive with one of California's largest Fortune 500, New York Stock Exchanged, retail grocery companies and brings that extensive business and management experience to the practice of law. Ms. Chandler obtained her Juris Doctorate at Creighton University School of Law where she was a member...

A native of Northern California, Mr. Kim attended the University of California – Davis, where he received his B.A. in Communications. Following graduation he moved to the Midwest and attended the Maurer School of Law at Indiana University – Bloomington, obtaining his J.D. in 2011. He is a member of California State Bar and has practiced law in California for the last 7 years.

Mr. Kim speaks Korean fluently and his primary area of practice is Family Law. Having worked at My Sister’s House, one of Sacramento’s Domestic Violence Prevention Non-profit Organizations prior to entering private practice, he has a wide...

"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...

Kristine is an experienced litigator with extensive training in mediation and alternative dispute resolution. Kristine returned to school in 2005 as a single parent following her own divorce, and her commitment to her clients is grounded in having personally experienced the stress and uncertainty that often goes hand in hand with even the most amicable of divorces.

Kristine strongly believes in the importance of reducing the level of conflict whenever possible, regardless of which process option is utilized. This is particularly true when there are children

Kristine can assist with premarital agreements, parentage actions, post-marital agreements, dissolution and legal separation, and with...

I have extensive experience with litigation and mediation in all areas of Family Law. I am dedicated to providing outstanding advocacy for clients in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside Counties.

I assist clients with both the emotional and legal matters that arise in family situations. With a practical approach, I am committed to a close and interactive client relationship, focused on attaining the best outcomes.

Visit my website for more information. Contact me for a free consultation to discuss how I can assist you with your family law needs.

Paul W. Thorndal is a partner at Wald & Thorndal. He specializes in divorces of all kinds with an emphasis on gay divorce. Mr. Thorndal is a Certified Family Law Specialist (The State Bar of California Legal Specialization). Wald & Thorndal's practice areas include: Divorce, Dissolution & Contested Parentage Actions for all families; Custody Disputes; Mediation; Marvin Actions. Legal services provided at both the TRIAL and APPELLATE level. Assisted Reproduction; Adoptions of All Kinds; Family Contracts; Parenting Law including Surrogacy; Donor Contracts for Egg and/or Sperm Donations; Pre-Nupital Agreements; Co-Parenting Agreements; Domestic Partnership Agreements; Name Changes.

Jacob Harker is a San Francisco Bay Area attorney. Mr. Harker has set up and run his law practice in a cost-effective and practical manner. He has done so in an effort to pass on the savings to his clients. As an attorney, Mr. Harker sees his practice as taking the lead in a new era of legal services.

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...

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...

Drew received his Bachelor of Arts from Queens University of Charlotte, where he majored in Psychology and served as captain of the university tennis team. After college, he attended graduate school at West Virginia University, where he earned master’s degrees in social work and public administration, and participated in many community outreach projects. He also demonstrated exceptional work ethic by completing two master’s programs while simultaneously working as a tennis coach to help pay for his education. He later received his Juris Doctor degree from California Western School of Law, where he was a Dean’s List student and member of...

Thomas Georgianna is an associate attorney at the Boyd Law firm office located in Orange County, CA. Mr. Georgianna focuses his legal practice on a variety of different types of legal issues and cases, including family law. Some of the family law practice areas that Thomas Georgianna handles regularly, include but are not limited to: Child support, child custody, spousal support, alimony, annulments, prenuptial agreements, postnuptial agreements, military divorce, high profile divorce, complex property division, property settlement, step parent adoption, same sex marriage, domestic partnership, legal separation, child visitation, relocation, paternity, asset protection strategy, modification of support, high...