Top Best Family Lawyers | 13996 Available

I served as counsel for New York City Children’s Services for approximately two years. During that time, I was responsible for a high volume case load, from inception to conclusion. While representing New York State I ran the gambit of hearings (pre and post dispositional), motion practice, trial procedure, and appellate issues.Currently, I am a member of the Assigned Law Guardian Family Law Panel for indigent defense in Queens, NY. I am responsible for cases involving: child abuse and neglect , custody, child support, juvenile delinquency, termination of parental rights and visitation.Moreover, I have experience and a substantial working knowledge of Administrative law. In particular, claims brought against New York City and New York State under 19 NYCRR Part 400 concerning unemployment insurance.Lastly, while I have virtually no practical experience in Constitutional Law or Civil Rights cases, they nonetheless are of specific interest to me. To that end, I am a member of the Civil Liberties Committee for the New York County Lawyers Association, and part of a special subcommittee reviewing First Amendment concerns on cyberbullying regulation.Bar Associations:-Queens-Brooklyn-New York State>Young Lawyers Division >Trial and Litigation section-New York City>Young Lawyer Connect Committee-American Bar Association>Blawger on constitutional law and legal updates-New York County Lawyer's Association>Civil Liberties/Rights committee>Family Welfare committee>Young Lawyers DivisionAdditionally:I have judged two mock trial competitions in the past year. The first was an intercollegiate competition at St. John's University. The second was the international Empire Mock Trial Competition held at the Federal Courthouse in Brooklyn, NY. Lastly, I am an active member of the New York Civil Liberties Union and have led workshops to high school students about their First Amendment rights within the school.Specialties:Family law litigation; Article 10 neglect and abuse cases, child custody and visitation. Administrative law, specifically administrative cases brought under 19 NYCRR part 400 - administrative (fair) hearings concerning unemployment insurance.

I have moved to Colorado!  I am currently licensed to practice law in Colorado and in Texas.. I have practiced family law (including divorce, child support, child custody, modifications, enforcements)  in Texas from 1990 to 2022 and since 2022 in Colorado.   I believe that treating others with respect and dignity inspires those others to treat you the same way and this motto has always served me well, both personally and professionally.  I do not believe that a lawyer should create chaos or cause harm in any family.  Families can indeed be "restructured" successfully - without the often permanent emotional and financial damage that some traditional family lawyers endorse.. I am very proud of my reputation for integrity with my peers (lawyers and Judges) and that reputation along with my many years of experience offers my clients unique opportunities to work through their family issues.  I am able to work together respectfully with other lawyers to encourage creative and family-specific solutions for my clients.  Traditional litigation can be like war in terms of harm to folks, both financially and emotionally, and it leaves permanent scars on children.  There is a better way!. I have been practicing family law using the "Collaborative" method since 2004.  Collaborative family matters save your sanity and your family relationships.  Collaboration enables spouses or parents to process a family matter entirely outside the court system - leaving total control of the outcome of parenting and financial decisions to the spouses or parents themselves.  You literally never have to step foot in a courtroom, or air your "dirty laundry" in public, or suffer the indignity of having a complete stranger (even the most well-meaning and outstanding Judge is a stranger to you) dictate to you how to manage your life, your family relationships, your children, or your finances.   Check out Colorado Collaborative Divorce Professionals or Foothills Collaborative Divorce Professionals for more information.. In a Collaborative case your lawyers and other allied neutral professionals (examples of allied neutral professionals: a parenting professional, a mental health professional, a family communications facilitator, a divorce financial professional) work together to offer creative solutions and develop unique family-specific options for the spouses or parents to consider.  It is like a full team effort working towards the goals set by the parents or spouses themselves at the outset of a case, and completely opposite the traditional mud-flinging, lawyer head-bashing, and anger-supporting, chaos of the courtroom environment.  In a collaborative case your lawyers help you choose the allied professionals to work with during the case depending upon your own family issues and needs.  These allied professionals do not represent either party but offer neutral transparent guidance and help create options for solutions to your own family issues.. Enthusiasm for the benefits offered to families by the Collaborative process among lawyers (those who prefer to be problem solvers and not those who encourage hostility and aggression), social workers, counsellors, and enlightened Judges, has really taken off across the country and in Texas we now have a well developed collaborative family law protocol and many successful collaborative practice groups. Collaborative practice groups comprise lawyers, mental health professionals, financial professionals and parenting professionals who work together in a local area and who collectively adhere to a certain set of ethical and educational policies. I update my collaborative training education every single year, participate in local and state wide collaborative groups, and am an active collaborative divorce practitioner. I strive to offer the collaborative process as an option to my divorce clients who seek a less damaging way to restructure their lives. I am also a certified mediator and able to help negotiate settlement agreements for folks who prefer to keep their misery out of the public view and who wish to make decisions for themselves and to move forward with their lives much sooner than they can with traditional litigation. There really is a better way to divorce!. I will be happy to discuss these options with you and to answer your questions!

Louisa Schlieben provides her clients with committed, empathetic, straight-forward representation, focused on helping them navigate challenging circumstances so that they can move their lives forward in a healthy way.. Since transitioning to family law in 2015, Louisa has gained experience in issues concerning divorce, parenting time and decision making (custody), child support, emergency motions, child abuse and domestic violence. She has handled complex jurisdictional matters, high asset divorces, support cases involving unconventional income sources, international and interstate abductions involving the FBI and the State Department, and emotionally wrought matters involving non-parent intervenors. Through it all, she has witnessed the best and very worst that these situations bring out in people.. Always ready to fight for the underdog, Louisa’s approach to her work is informed by her training as a public defender. She started representing clients while still in law school, working with the Alaska Public Defender Agency and the Legal Aid Society in New York City under a student license, then moved to Denver after law school to become a deputy public defender. These experiences provided her with exceptional mentorship, as well as the opportunity to represent hundreds of clients facing traffic, misdemeanor and felony charges, and to try over a dozen cases to juries before the one-year anniversary of her bar admission.. As a native Ney Yorker, Louisa was surprised to learn she was as at home in Alaska’s interior and Denver Colorado as she was in her hometown. But her path to a legal career was different than most attorneys. One of five children, Louisa grew up in a redlined neighborhood of what was then considered Harlem. She was a dedicated student of classical ballet from the time she could walk until she was seventeen years old, performing as a child with the New York City Ballet and the American Ballet Theater. She is fluent in German from spending elementary school at a German language school in White Plains New York, she spent middle school at an elite private all-girls Catholic school on an employee scholarship, then attended two different performing arts high schools before graduating from the Waldorf school her Grandfather once ran. She worked full time to pay her way through Hunter College (CUNY), spent a year working for one of the first women to graduate law school, then attended the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law on a full academic scholarship.. Louisa has lived the experiences of many modern families. She knows it takes courage to entrust a stranger (especially a lawyer) with the most important aspects of ones life: their long-term financial security, the wellbeing of their children, and sometimes even their physical safety. She believes in collaborating with her clients throughout their case to find the best path forward for their unique circumstances and always strives to put children first. You can trust that Louisa will not judge you for your confidences or your tears. Louisa will always be honest with you and will fight hard for your interests.

I am a 1994 graduate of the University of Denver College of Law and have been associated with the firm since 1995.  My areas of practice include Estate Planning and Probate, Real Estate with an emphasis in Community Association Law, Family Law, and general civil litigation.  I am married with three children and live in Arvada.  I love the practice of law and am lucky to be working with a great group of lawyers. I enjoy trail running, downhill and backcountry skiing, and listening to and discovering new music.  Thanks for researching my profile and I hope we can help you with your legal needs.

I help families throughout Colorado navigate through the stress and anxiety encountered in difficult domestic relations cases.  I am here to help you protect your kids, assets, and pets.  I provide creative solutions to unique and difficult problems and always strive to minimize the cost of litigation while maintaining the highest standards.. When I'm not working you can find me in the mountains, especially on a powder day!

A Colorado native, Krista earned a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School, the nation’s premier journalism school, writing and reporting for NBC-TV, The Denver Post, and New York Newsday before becoming a Pulitzer-nominated reporter for Knight-Ridder Newspapers. She then worked extensively in marketing and public relations in California’s Silicon Valley, launching a variety of high-tech companies and products before returning to Colorado to run her own PR consultancy with clients such as Apple and Sony.. Later, Krista had the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong interest in law, going to school at night to earn a law degree while simultaneously working. At the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, she graduated near the top of her class and received numerous awards for scholastic excellence and legal writing and research. While in law school, Krista worked at Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office, Colorado Court of Appeals, U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. District Court, and served as a law clerk to former U.S. Attorney Michael J. Norton.. After law school, she was hired as a law clerk to a federal judge at the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, one of the most prestigious and highly sought roles for new lawyers. There, Krista handled the court side of hundreds of federal lawsuits, steering them from their filing through final orders. She also learned the art of mediation by participating in extensive settlement conferences with the judge for whom she clerked.. Despite having many opportunities to take the typical route from her clerkship into complex civil litigation, Krista began her family law work at a leading boutique law firm focused exclusively on family law matters, establishing and then deepening her understanding of best practices.. She later opened her own firm to concentrate her efforts more fully on putting children first, seeking cost-effective solutions, and preserving as much civility as possible for people affected in all areas of family law.. Krista’s family law experience is vast, spanning straightforward and amicable divorce through international cases with complex jurisdictional and criminal elements. Through careful case-strategy planning and execution and a relentless attention to detail, Krista also has an excellent track record of settling cases, taking only the most extreme cases all the way to trial. Please see these testimonials from former clients.. Krista’s current practice engages her directly in every facet of the firm’s cases involving issues of marriage and parental rights. Because of her commitment, however, to children, she spends the vast majority of her time serving as a child advocate to represent directly or provide input to courts, parents, and counsel on children’s best interests. She also speaks nationally and locally on child-advocacy issues, teaching other attorneys and judicial officers ways to best meet children’s needs. She has been a leading voice for the use of child legal representatives in domestic cases, bringing the role to courts throughout Colorado and encouraging the practice nationally. She serves too as a child and family investigator, mediator (having completed mediation and negotiation training through Harvard Business School and the National Association of Certified Mediators), a parenting coordinator and decision maker, and as a guardian ad litem. She is trained and authorized to practice in these roles by the Office of the Child’s Representative as well as the State Court’s Administrative Office as well as being licensed to practice law in Colorado and Wyoming.

Divorce work can be trying and can also be challenging and sometimes very complicated, but because I care so much about people, I find joy in doing the job every single day. Having worked as a family law lawyer exclusively for the past 20 years I can easily say that I am an expert in my field and that I have built a team of experts that provide excellent service and top-notch legal skills.  I have had the opportunity to enhance or help the lives of many individuals and their families during their most difficult and challenging times. Whether it is a divorce, a custody battle, a modification of maintenance or child support or modification of a custody or parenting time order, defense or prosecution of a contempt matter or mediation of one of those matters, I have been there to ease my client's minds and provide them with top notch legal representation (or settlement, in the event of mediations). My goal is always to negotiate an amicable settlement or resolution, but when matters require trial or court, I have a total of 24 years of litigation experience and I have taken hundreds of cases to trial. I am a published author of a legal article, a continuing legal education presenter and currently the Vice Chair of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. And a former Chair of the Colorado Bar Association's Family Law Section. My former associate, Jamie Rutten, and current associate Melina Moses have filed several appeals and with two, successful in creating or upholding new law related to non-parent paternity and maternity actions.  Every year since 2011, my peers rated me as a Super Lawyer, and since 2012 I have been rated as a Top 100 Colorado Super Lawyer, a Top 50 Colorado Women Super Lawyer, and since 2015 a 5280 Top Lawyer. I have been named Best Lawyer in the family law  and mediation fields by Best Lawyers, and CCB has been named a Best Firm by the same and US News.  I have built multiple teams of excellent, highly-rated family law lawyers during my years as a mentor and leader of the family law section in our firm(s).  I and am proud to say my team is as successful as I am at providing the specialization and expertise a client needs in a family law case.  My personal specialty is working on high asset, high net-worth, high income divorce and custody matters. I also work on many divorces where business are involved, and/or complex financials, trusts, pre-nuptials and pos-nuptials, and other complex issues. My team includes ten associates, ranging in gender, age, and years of experience and we are supported by 5 experienced family law paralegals.  My firm, Ciancio, Ciancio Brown, P.C. (CCB) has total of 15 attorneys that specialize in most "typical" areas of law, including business disputes, real estate, commercial and civil litigation, criminal law, personal injury law, wrongful death, and employment law. Our strengths include our "specialization" our "expertise" and our "dedication" to our clients. This gives me, my team and our firm the edge that is necessary in today's complex and challenging legal world.   We practice law throughout the State of Colorado with offices located in Denver, Broomfield,  and Breckenridge. Recently we also acquired a long-time all mediation/arbitration business that handles all types of family law mediations, where we offer a variety of mediators, experience, rates, hours, and all new high-tech means of scheduling and settlement procedures. If you need a legal expert I hope you consider CCB in your time of need, and I promise you'll be impressed.

Maile is a Colorado native with legal experience in several counties throughout the state. She became an attorney in order to help other people and to make legal assistance accessible to persons from all walks of life. Maile has practiced family law since 2008 and previously worked for one of the nation's largest family law firms. She is also a trained Child and Family Investigator. Additionally, Maile has experience in several other areas, including but not limited to collections, debt settlement, civil litigation, landlord/tenant law, criminal defense, contracts and LLC/Corporations.

An avid chess player, Myles focuses his practice on family law matters — including divorce, separation, child custody, and child support — and mediation. Myles is a graduate of the Monfort College of Business at the University of Northern Colorado, where he received the Academic Excellence Award. He received his law degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder School of Law, where he was a student attorney with the Family Law Clinical Program. Myles also served as a law clerk at a Boulder litigation firm and a legal intern at Centennial telecommunications company, Verio, Inc. Prior to joining Johnson Law Group, Myles worked for a mid-sized law firm in Greeley practicing probate, real estate, and business litigation, and also for a law firm in Denver practicing high-end family law and general civil litigation.

Combining a solid business background with legal knowledge and skill, I approach your case with empathy, tenacity and determination.  I constantly strive to add more value for my clients, which is often the key to success.  I am admitted to practice before the U S Supreme Court, and give every case a "constitutional question" level of attention.. Licensed and actively practicing in both Colorado and Texas.  Call to schedule a consultation.

Rebecca I. Gumaer is 100% focused on family law.  I have handled thousands of cases involving spouses and parents transitioning through the dissolution and custody process.  I enjoy breaking marital agreements. I enjoy defending against Common Law Marriage claims.  I enjoy seeing children secure in their relationships with both parents.

Rachel L. Young is a Senior Attorney at Setter Roche Smith & Shellenberger, LLP. Ms. Young was admitted to the Bar of the State of Colorado in 2010 and has maintained an active litigation practice since that time. She was awarded the 2017 Nationally Ranked Top 10 Under 40 for excellence in the field of family law in 2017 by the National Academy of Family Law Attorneys.. Ms. Young’s practice is focused in the areas of family law, contracts, and probate, with additional litigation experience in ethics, criminal, malpractice, and juvenile matters. Ms. Young is dedicated to assisting her clients through difficult times and complex court systems. Within her practice, she is skilled at representing her clients in negotiations and courtroom proceedings.. Ms. Young prides herself on her ability to communicate, both orally and in writing, superior work ethic, and analytical reasoning skills, and Ms. Young’s attention to detail, directly translate to her practice areas and enable her to provide strategic legal representation. By cultivating attorney-client relationships and strong lines of communication, she is able to provide clients with a better understanding of their legal issues which enables the client to more fully participate in their legal matter and make informed decisions. She understands the needs of her clients and takes the time to understand the client's goals in order to fight for the best possible outcome, advocating for their financial and emotional well-being throughout every step of the legal process.. Prior to joining Setter Roche Smith & Shellenberger in 2020, Ms. Young served as Managing Attorney and Senior Family Law Attorney, overseeing and training attorneys and paralegals. She has litigated in courtrooms across the State of Colorado from Durango to Craig and Fort Morgan to Grand Junction.. Ms. Young earned her Juris Doctorate at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in Denver, Colorado. She completed her dual undergraduate degrees at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, earning the Departmental Award of Excellence in her senior year, amongst other accolades.

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Attorney Christina Lukacsy Friedman earned her B.A. in history from the University of California, Davis. After working in the financial industry and starting a family, Christina then went on to pursue her passion for family law by attending the Sturm College of Law at the University of Denver. She has called Colorado home since 2012.. During law school, Christina interned for Colorado Legal Services in their Family and Children Unit, the Honorable Ross B.H. Buchanan, and was a judicial fellow for the Honorable Michael J. Vallejos in the 2nd judicial district.. Christina has dedicated her legal career to the practice of family law, which has also included estate planning. She has worked on complex family law cases including dissolutions of marriage, APRs (custody), post-decree modifications, relocations, putative and common law marriages, petitions for invalidity of marriage, and prenup invalidation and enforcement. She comes to Halligan with a comprehensive command of family law and its interplay with other areas of practice.. Christina’s strongest skills include her candor and ability to size up a situation, articulation of her client’s needs, and sensitivity to clients during what will be, for most, one of the most difficult transition stages of their lives. Christina knows first-hand the high stakes at play in family law proceedings, and her experiences have informed her own understanding and perspective of being a family law practitioner, making her a committed and dedicated advocate for her clients.. In her spare time, Christina enjoys cycling, gardening, playing piano and guitar, and spending time with her two children while taking advantage of all the outdoor splendor Colorado has to offer.

“My first priority is my clients and finding solutions that will help them move forward in life in the best possible position.”. Michelle Searcy joined Halligan in 2022.  Michelle comes to the firm with over a decade of significant family law practice in Colorado.  She provides her clients the knowledge and experience gathered during her ten plus years of domestic relations practice.  She has handled a variety of family law cases from simple to complex, including dissolution of marriage, allocation of parental responsibilities, third-party parent cases, modifications, enforcement proceedings, child support and adoptions.  Michelle also brings additional appellate experience to the firm, with both brief writing and oral arguments in the Colorado Court of Appeals as part of her skill set.  Michelle enjoys practicing family law and enjoys helping clients resolve issues which have a significant impact on their families and finances.. While Michelle handles cases all over the Denver metropolitan area, her primary focus is in Denver, Adams, Jefferson, Broomfield, and Boulder County district courts.  Given her level of experience, Michelle is familiar with the courts, rules, and procedures in all the metro area counties.. While being a skilled trial attorney, Michelle also prides herself on her ability to negotiate satisfactory outcomes whenever possible. From Michelle’s perspective, a negotiated settlement provides a client the ability to dictate their future, rather than letting a judicial officer, a stranger, decide.  Nonetheless, she also recognizes that not all cases will settle.  As such, she believes the cornerstone of good trial practice lies in thorough preparation for court.  She also believes that persuasive legal writing at each step of a case can have an impact on how the judge might view matters when the day of trial comes.