Top Best Family Lawyers | 13996 Available

The Bains Law Offices was created with the vision of providing exemplary Legal Services to the Fresno area, and the greater Central Valley. We understand that law is not a cookie cutter business and make a custom plan that best suits our clients.. The Bains Law Offices was established with the vision of providing exemplary legal services to the Fresno area and the greater Central Valley. We focus primarily on matters of family law, immigration law, and estate planning. We find innovative and personalized solutions for clients facing legal issues in any of these areas. We take great pride in providing exceptional services and creating meaningful attorney-client relationships based on a foundation of trust and integrity.. The Bains Law Offices516 West Shaw Avenue, Suite 200Fresno, California 93704

Attorney Stegall is a member of the California State Bar Association and a Certified Family Law Specialist.  She also belngs to the Family Law Section of the Fresno County Bar Association and is a founding member of the Central Valley Collaborative Law Affiliates. She is active in the local community, volunteering with Central California Legal Services, where she was named Pro Bono Attorney of the Year in 2006. Ms. Stegall is also a participating attorney with the Attorney Referral Network of the Fresno Bar Association.. Certified Legal Specialties   • Family, State of California Board of Legal Specialization, 2004Bar Admissions   • California, 1996   • U.S. District Court Eastern District of California, 1996Education   • San Joaquin College of Law, Fresno, California      o J.D. - 1996      o Law Review: San Joaquin Agricultural Law Review, 1994 - 1996Honors and Awards   • State Bar of California, 1996 - 2008   • Family Law Section of Bar, 1997 - 2008Professional Associations and Memberships   • Executive Association of Fresno, 1998 - 2008   • Fresno County Bar Association, 1996 - 2008

Mary Castro-Ayala is one of the founding partners of the law firm of Miller & Ayala. She is a native resident of Fresno and has strong ties with the local community. Ms. Castro-Ayala is a renowned family law attorney, who has participated in several high profile divorce matters and provides sound legal advice and expertise.. Ms. Castro- Ayala is sought after by family law experts as a contributing force in the area of family law. Her knowledge in the area of divorce, child custody and support issues is unmatched. If you are looking for a family law attorney in Fresno, California or any other area of the central valley, call Mary Castro-Ayala today.. Ms. Castro-Ayala graduated near the top of her law school class and has litigated several complex family law and civil matters in the Central Valley. Until recently, she was an associate with the law firm of Pascuzzi, Moore & Stoker in Fresno, California. At her previous law firm, Mary Castro-Ayala handled all of her firm’s family law matters. She was considered the go-to person for divorce, child custody and support issues.. Her experience in aggressive litigation and her compassionate demeanor make Mary Castro-Ayala an exceptional family law attorney. Ms. Castro-Ayala has successfully represented individuals and corporations from the beginning of litigation through trial and entry of the judgment. Ms. Castro-Ayala’s aggressive and compassionate approach to dissolution actions and child custody and visitation matters allows the client to feel protected and secure.. Ms. Castro-Ayala is a member of the State Bar of California, Fresno County Bar Association, and the VIP Mentoring Program. She is a graduate of San Joaquin College of Law and has a bachelor’s of science in criminology from Fresno State University.

Matthew Fletcher has been practicing law with McCormick Barstow since 1998. He is a Partner in the firm and a member of the Family Law Practice Group.  Mr. Fletcher has extensive experience in litigating family law matters, focusing his practice in this area on representing high net worth individuals in complex property division and valuation cases.

Clifton Lurkis has devoted his entire career to family law and is a Certified Family Law Specialist, having been certified by the State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization in 2009. He handles all areas of family law including child custody and visitation, child and spousal support, domestic violence restraining orders, complex property disputes including valuations of various businesses, and prenuptial agreements & postnuptial agreements.

Eileen M. Coughlan Avila’s practice of law began in 1982, when she did general litigation and managed case litigation for the federal government.  After the birth of her son in 1993, Eileen decided to devote her practice solely to family law.  She became a certified family law practitioner through the California Board of Legal Specialization in 2001.  Her practice is 100% devoted to family law and mediation.. Although her family law practice was first devoted to litigation and uncontested cases, over time Eileen has devoted more of her practice to mediation and negotiation.  She is a certified mediator through the University of California Extension Program.  In recent years, she has also been extensively trained in collaborative law and makes use of this training whenever possible in her cases.. Eileen strives to fully understand her client’s perspective and although she provides rational advice based on the law, she prides herself on being accessible to her clients.  When a client is in crisis, she will be there for that client.  She works well helping clients to form support networks, including interacting with other family members when appropriate and needed, helping to retain psychotherapists, CPAs, financial experts, vocational and custody evaluators, and other professionals as needed.. As a first generation American and having married into a Hispanic family, Eileen embraces cultural diversity and always works to be sensitive to a family’s culture.  She is also sensitive to clients' psychological issues and disabilities when these are concerns in their family law case.

Allison Dundas is a Certified Family Law Specialist who practices family law exclusively, focusing on all aspects of the dissolution process, including diverse financial issues, business valuation, property division, child and spousal support, post and prenuptial agreements, domestic violence and difficult custody disputes.. Ms. Dundas has exclusively practiced family law throughout her career, and now “of counsel” to the firm. Before joining Morgan Tidalgo Sukhodrev & Azzolino LLP, she spent time as a research attorney for the family law courts in San Jose, as well as practicing as an associate at other well-respected family law firms in the Bay Area. She is a skilled advocate, assisting clients both as a consultant in mediation and settlement, as well as providing clients with vigorous representation in contested litigation cases at law and motion hearings and trials.. Ms. Dundas assists clients with all aspects of family law matters. Two of her most proud accomplishments include getting flowers and a hug from a young autistic boy for helping him “stay with his family,” as well as, a $260,000 sanctions award against a spouse who refused to work and pay support. Ms. Dundas’ vast experience helps her come up with creative solutions in times where compromise is appropriate and strategic trial strategy when necessary.. Whether the case revolves around difficult custody or financial issues, Ms. Dundas builds a team of professionals to provide clients with the best representation and counsel necessary to make informed decisions in both settlement and litigation settings. This includes working closely with mental health professionals and forensic accountants as necessary.. Ms. Dundas graduated from the Syracuse University College of Law. While in law school, Ms. Dundas received a Master’s Degree in International Law and Politics from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs affiliated with Syracuse University. She is a member of the bar in New York, Connecticut and California.. Ms. Dundas has a blended family with six children. When not tending to the needs of those children, she enjoys hiking and traveling with her wife.

Rachel Leff-Kich represents clients through all aspects of their marital dissolution action, from initial consultation to settlement and/or trial, and all phases of the process, including post-judgment actions. Her practice includes dissolution, complex property characterization and division, high conflict child custody and visitation, and child and spousal support.. Rachel has practiced family law exclusively since December 2010 in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, representing a diverse range of clients all over the Bay Area. Her clients range from founders of companies, software engineers, lawyers, teachers, to stay at home parents. She has handled numerous domestic violence matters, domestic and international relocations (“move-aways”), Marvin cases, cases involving children with special needs, as well as domestic torts. She also handles straightforward family law cases, pre- and post-marital agreements, and marital settlements, often working closely with financial experts and other professionals. Whether achieving a negotiated resolution or a litigated outcome, Rachel works with her clients to find solutions that best protect their interests.. Rachel enjoys family law because of the opportunity people achieve a positive outcome during what can be an extremely difficult time in their lives. Her conviction, empathy, and legal research and writing skills combine to make her a strong advocate on behalf of her clients, both in and outside the courtroom.

Lauren D. Cirlin is certified by the State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization as a specialist in Family Law. She joined Viola Law Firm P.C. as an Associate Attorney in 2008.  Ms. Cirlin has practiced family law exclusively throughout her legal career.  Ms. Cirlin has also worked on highly contested dissolution cases including those matters involving complex marital property issues and related business litigation.  She has experience handling all aspects of family law litigation, including child custody and visitation, child and spousal support, property division, and domestic violence.. While attending law school at the University of San Francisco, Ms. Cirlin was instrumental in founding the USF Family Law Association.  The Association's primary focus is informing its members in current issues facing local family law attorneys and parties, including recent developments in the law and legal community. She served as co-president of the foundation and was actively involved in organizing programs and sustaining membership.  Under her leadership, the Family Law Association developed into an established campus organization and has continued to grow.

My family law practice includes litigation, collaborative and mediation in San Mateo and San Francisco.   I also have experience drafting marital settlement, post-nuptial and pre-nuptial agreements.  I am a graduate of UC Berkeley and UC Hastings College of the Law. Please feel free to contact me at

Robert (“Bobby”) Cashen is a partner at Morgan Tidalgo Sukhodrev & Azzolino LLP. Mr. Cashen has been named a Super Lawyer’s Rising Star by Super Lawyers Magazine in both 2018 and 2019, an award conferred upon the top 2.5% up and rising attorneys in California. He currently serves as the co-chair of the Family Law Section of the San Mateo County Bar Association and will serve as its chair in 2020.. Mr. Cashen has exclusively practiced family law throughout his career. He is a skilled advocate, assisting clients both as a consultant in mediation and settlement, as well as providing with clients vigorous representation in contested litigation cases at law and motion hearings and trials.. Mr. Cashen assists clients with all aspects of family law matters. He is experienced with complex financial issues, such as business valuation and characterization, private equity, venture capital, and equity compensation, and is adept at untangling these complicated matters in the context of family law cases. These complex issues often have a large impact on child and spousal support, property division, separate property claims, and on claims for breaches of fiduciary duties. Such matters often require the involvement of other professionals in the case, including forensic accountants, tax and corporate counsel, and other financial experts. In these cases, Mr. Cashen builds a team to provide clients with the best representation and counsel necessary to make informed decisions in both settlement and litigation settings.. Mr. Cashen brings a compassionate approach to child custody and visitation matters, an aspect of family law practice that can be most challenging for families. He handles high and low conflict custody matters, move-away requests, cases involving parental alienation, and paternity actions. These cases often require the involvement of mental health professionals to assist the parties and the Court in determining what courses of action are in a child’s best interests. Mr. Cashen works closely with these mental health professionals and clients to ensure their families get through the difficulty of a dissolution with their children’s best interests as the highest priority.. Premarital and postmarital agreements have become commonplace in the family law realm and Mr. Cashen has experience both drafting these agreements, as well as challenging or defending them in enforcement proceedings.. Mr. Cashen graduated from the University of California, Hastings College of the law. While in law school, Bobby received various awards for his writing and oral advocacy, including the second best oralist award at the National Criminal Procedure Moot Court Competition, the CALI Excellence for the Future Award and Witkin Award in Academic Excellence in Professional Responsibility. He also served as a Teaching Assistant in both the first year Moot Court and second year Appellate Advocacy classes, and served on the Moot Court Board. He continues to volunteer for the Moot Court program at Hastings.. Mr. Cashen is an avid golfer and skier and prefers to spend his free time with his family in the outdoors.