Top Best Family Lawyers | 13996 Available

An attorney born and raised in Orange County. Joseph has spent his entire life in Orange County and the Los Angeles area. If you want someone intimately familiar with problems distinct to Orange County families, contact Joseph Franzi at The Franzi Law Group.. In addition to being a Family Law attorney, Joseph is one of the few individuals certified as a Court approved minor's counsel for the county of Orange.

Mr. Rios served his country with distinction in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam era, 1966 to 1970. Following his honorable discharge, he attended the University of California Irvine, where he graduated with honors-cum laude, in 1972. He then attended Law School at the University of California Berkley, Boalt Hall, where he also graduated with honors in 1975. The early part of Mr. Rios’ career involved representation of Native American people throughout the western states. He served in the Governor’s office in Sacramento from 1977 to 1979 where he was the top legal advisor to then Governor Jerry Brown on Native American rights issues. Mr. Rios returned to this home in 1979 at which time he opened his law office and has been a sole practitioner until his recent association with his daughter, Serita. Ms. Rios practices out of their Fresno office where she focuses on serious criminal cases. She also received academic distinction during her educational career.

David A. Ortiz, a Queens County native, born of Colombian and Peruvian parents, is a conscientious attorney who understands the plight that clients and their families suffer during the divorce process. Mr. Ortiz is employed by the Law Offices of Donald Mastrodomenico, P.C. He is a former court attorney for the Supervising Justice of the Matrimonial Parts in Bronx County, the Honorable La Tia W. Martin. Mr. Ortiz was helped manage the daily matrimonial calendar and conferenced the numerous matrimonial cases that were scheduled to appear before the Part. He facilitated settlements between parties in contentious divorce actions by narrowing the issues and by offering his knowledge of the law to resolve any remaining issues. Mr. Ortiz also helped draft decisions on motions concerning all types of procedural and substantive issues of law for the Judge’s review, including decisions after trial that required reviewing all submitted evidence and testimony. Mr. Ortiz has encountered almost all matrimonial issues that could arise in a divorce action, having thoroughly researched and drafted decisions for a Supreme Court Matrimonial Justice.

Norma Samra is an experienced attorney and a founding partner of Samra Dhillon & Associates. She earned her J.D. from Santa Clara University and was admitted to the California State Bar in 1986. After law school graduation, Norma joined the firm Mentz, Finn, Clarke, & McDowell as an associate attorney. In that role, she practiced administrative law and primarily handled workers’ compensation defense cases. Since then, Norma has extended her practice and now offers services in the areas of family law, divorce, probate, personal injury, trusts and estates, and workers’ compensation law.

My practice is dedicated to promoting peaceful resolutions and assisting individuals and families resolve their differences outside of court.  I am a trained Family Law Mediator and Collaborative Divorce Attorney. I focus my practice on helping people in conflict work together productively, efficiently and amicably to reach agreements.  My goal is to enable my clients to not only resolve the current issues between them, but also help them develop more productive communication patterns to allow them to be able to resolve any future issues that may arise, particularly if they share children.  In the comfort of my office or another Collaborative Team member, or over Zoom conferences, we are able to complete all the necessary legal paperwork, work cooperatively to disclose all relevant information and documentation on the issues in your matter, and negotiate agreements that you believe are fair and equitable for your unique situation, all without the need to ever set foot in a courtroom.. My practice is based in Elk Grove, California, close to Hwy 99, with easy freeway access.. In every situation, I strive to reduce the financial and emotional cost of divorce, separation and child custody matters.  I am a Certified Family Law Specialist, State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization.  Please visit our website to schedule a Consultation.

Custody, Visitation, Child Support, Father's Rights, Move Aways, Paternity

David is a Partner and Certified Family Law Specialist by the California Board of Legal Specialization. With a background in finance and business valuation, David specializes in family law matters that involve complex financial issues related to support and property division, including founder's stock, stock options, restricted stock, venture capital interests and other business interests. David also has extensive experience in contested custody matters involving recommending mediation, custody evaluations and the appointment of a special master/parenting coordinator. In addition to his litigation practice, David serves as a consulting attorney to his clients who are attending mediation.. David was named to the Super Lawyers' Northern California Rising Stars lists in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.. David is a member of the Contra Costa County, Alameda County, San Mateo County and Santa Clara County Bar Associations.. David was on the Board of Directors of the Family Law Section of the Contra Costa County Bar Association from 2014 through 2018, serving as the Family Law Section President in 2017. David is currently on the Board of Directors of the entire Contra Costa County Bar Association.

Marisa C. San Filippo is a Certified Family Law Specialist and Partner in the firm's Family Law Department. Ms. San Filippo has practiced family law her entire career, and handles a wide variety of cases, including high conflict custody and complex high-asset financial matters.  Ms. San Filippo brings bringing her tenacity, knowledge, and compassion to each matter, handlings cases involving dissolution, legal separation, property characterization and division, child custody and visitation, pre-marital agreements, child and spousal support (initial orders and post-judgment modifications) and paternity matters.  Ms. San Filippo's areas of expertise focus on complicated financial issues, including cases involving valuation of business and partnership interests, goodwill, and equity compensation.  Ms. San Filippo is also an experienced custody attorney, with a background in issues including gatekeeping, move-aways, substance abuse, special needs, and conflicted co-parenting relationships.  Ms. San Filippo has extensive experience drafting and negotiating pre-marital and post-marital agreements.. Ms. San Filippo is a member of the State Bar of California Bar Association, and the San Mateo County and the Santa Clara County Bar Associations. She is also a member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts.. Ms. San Filippo earned her J.D., cum laude, from the University of San Francisco School of Law in May 2008. She also graduated as a member of the McAuliffe Honor Society. While in law school, Ms. San Filippo was a member of the University of San Francisco Law Review and published her comment in the fall of 2007. She received a CALI Award for Excellence in Family Law in spring 2007 and an award for Best Brief for Moot Court in spring 2006.  Ms. San Filippo earned her B.A. in History from the University of California, Berkeley with high honors.. Prior to joining Flicker, Kerin, Kruger & Bissada LLP, Ms. San Filippo spent the summers after her first and second years of law school with the firm as a law clerk.  Upon graduation, she joined the firm as an associate in 2008. She has been a partner with the firm since 2016.

The Law Office of Diane J.N. Morin was established in 1992. Our office is in Palo Alto, California, and we practice in San Mateo, Santa Clara counties as well as San Francisco. The office also works with an attorney who has had extensive experience in adoption law. After practicing criminal law for many years (both prosecution and defense), we now concentrate exclusively on family law. Ms. Morin has dual nationality, and was raised in another country, she has an extensive clientele from other countries. In the past few years, she has developed a practice in mediation and collaborative law as well as litigation.. Ms. Morin enjoys taking classes to expand her understanding of fields of family law; she attends classes in Family Law, Mental Health as it relates to Family Law, business law, litigation, and trial practice. She has a particular interest in international law because she is a native speaker of Italian and fluent speaker of French. In the past she was also a Research Attorney for the Superior Courts, a District Attorney and represented clients in criminal defense, She continues to be interested in these differing topics. As a mediator and collaborative law attorney, she also attends classes in these areas on a yearly basis and always exceed the required amount of continuing education.

I can help you build an amicable co-parenting relationship and untangle your assets so that you can begin again. At the start of a family law case, most people want a fast and fair process that stays out of court. I can help you achieve those goals, while also planning for trial in the background, just in case.

Before you decide to schedule a consultation with me, I want you to have a sense of who I am. I take a small number of clients and believe the attorney-client relationship, which is the basis of your comfort and success in the dissolution process, needs to be a strong fit. To that end, this is a slightly non-traditional attorney bio intended to help the right clients find me and the rest to find the perfect fit somewhere else.. Family is everything. People often speculate that as a divorce lawyer I must be cynical about marriage and family but nothing could be further from the truth. We live in a society that makes co-creating an enduring marriage very difficult and many of us were not raised with the skills to find and identify the right partner or to maintain a lifelong marriage. That doesn’t change the fact that creating a family is among the most noble things we will ever do. Ending a marriage and altering the shape of a family system must be handled with the same sanctity of purpose as starting one.. A divorce is painful, terrifying, and sometimes overwhelming…but it can also be an opportunity for growth and healing. You know the metaphor: a caterpillar becomes terrified, unrecognizable mush before reorganizing itself and emerging as a butterfly. It might feel like your world is ending right now but it is a privilege for me to help you land solidly on the other side of this enormous change ready to thrive.. I am also a divorcée and mother. I have been through the exact same process my clients are going through now and understand, in the deepest sense, what it is like to be divorcing. I represent my clients with the same sensitivity and diligence I applied to my own dissolution. Beyond that, I understand the fragility and fear that often accompanies the end of a marriage. Clients need an honest, kind, sharp, and gutsy counselor to advise them. I honor the dignity of every client by providing legal excellence, candor, emotional skill, and a grounded, focused presence of advocacy.. I am a dedicated family law practitioner because it’s all about family for me. Before law school when I was exploring the possibility of a career in law, I worked as a paralegal for Meakins Law, a family law firm based in Berkeley where I fell in love with divorce law, our clients, and my colleagues. During law school, I worked in family court as a judicial clerk for the Honorable Roberta S. Hayashi in Santa Clara County and I served as President of Santa Clara Law’s Family Law Society and Student Bar Association. After graduation, I returned to Meakins Law as an attorney where I stayed until I set out to build my own practice.. I am an alumna of UC Berkeley and Santa Clara University School of Law. After graduating law school in 2017, I joined the Santa Clara Law faculty and taught Appellate Advocacy, Advanced Legal Writing, and co-taught Civil Procedure. My legal scholarship and publications focus on reproductive and life-extension biotechnologies, competitive governance, and economic analysis of law. I have also coached ABA Negotiation Competition teams for Santa Clara’s Honors Moot Court program. My work has been featured in The Recorder, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Times, and MSNBC, among others.. In my free time, I enjoy songwriting and playing guitar, lifting weights, and taking my 4 year old daughter on adventures.. My relationships with my clients are truly collaborative. I have specialized legal knowledge and experience in the unique ecosystem of family law. You know your history, your family, and what you need to thrive during and after this enormous transition. If you are looking for a family attorney who will work with you and guide you through these changes, I’m your girl. Send me an email or use my website form to schedule a consultation!

Lydia E. Crandall is an associate in the Family Law Group.  Lydia began work with the Family Law Group in 2004 as a law clerk. She clerked with the firm throughout law school and became an associate of the firm in 2007.. While completing her law degree, Lydia served as senior editor of the Golden Gate University Law Review and was a member of the law school’s Moot Court Board. She was also selected to participate in the intensive Honors Lawyering Program.. Lydia handles a variety of family law matters including dissolution of marriage cases, post-judgment support and custody modifications, as well as premarital and postmarital agreements.  She has been trained as a mediator and in Collaborative Practice.. Lydia has been named a Northern California Rising Star every year since 2009 by Super Lawyers Magazine. She served as Co-Chair of the Family Law Section of the San Mateo County Bar Association in 2010 and as Chair in 2011.  She is currently co-chair of Collaborative Practice of San Mateo County and the Family Law Section of the Palo Alto Bar Association.  Lydia has also co-authored articles on disclosure obligations and attorney’s fees and sanctions in family law cases.. Prior to attending law school, Ms. Crandall studied abroad in Australia and volunteered in Bahia, Brazil.