Attorney Profiles

I have been in private practice in California since 1986. I spent the first several years of practice working in civil litigation, including personal injury and product liability cases. The remaining years of practice have been devoted to working with families and children. I am a certified family law specialist, having received my certification from the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization in 2001.

My professional experience has also included serving as judge pro tem on numerous occasions for the Solano County Superior Court; volunteering for the Solano County Bar Association's domestic violence response program; serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the Solano County Bar Association; and serving as editor of the Solano County Bar Association's legal newsletter. I have spent a large portion of my career representing children on a court appointed basis in both family law and dependency matters.

I am admitted to practice in all of the courts of the State of California , the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, and the United States Supreme Court. I have also participated in both basic and advanced training in the practice of collaborative law, and was one of a small number of Solano County attorneys who worked together to form a collaborative practice group in this community. I am also trained as a mediator, having participated in and completed the Strauss Institute for Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University , Mediation Training.

I approach the practice of family law with strong consideration on issues regarding how children are handled and treated in the court process. One of my most basic beliefs is that child custody disputes are not best resolved by the court, and that other methods of dispute resolution are typically best for most children. Such other methods include private mediation, therapeutic mediation, and collaborative practice with other skilled professionals.

In this practice, we strongly believe that children should not be required to bear the burden of their parent's failed relationship. We share a strong commitment to obtaining child focused resolutions, and clients are encouraged to do likewise. Although we strive to keep children out of court to the extent possible, and far away from court room conflict, we are nonetheless prepared to do whatever may be necessary to assist our clients in protecting their children's best interests.

Areas of Practice

• Family Law
• Divorce
• Child Custody
• Guardianships
• Family Law Mediation Specialists
• Child Support
• Spousal Support
• Property Division
• Legal Separation
• Annulment
• Step-Parent Adoption
• Domestic Violence Restraining Orders
• Minors Counsel

Certification/Specialties

• CFLS, Certified Family Law Specialist, California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization

Bar Admissions

• California, 1986
• U.S. District Court Eastern District of California, 1997
• U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 1986

Education

• John F. Kennedy University School of Law, Pleasant Hill, California, 1986
  J.D.
  
  
• Toledo University, Toledo, Ohio
  Major: Psychology
  
  
• Collaborative Law Practice Training, 1999
  
  
• Minor's Counsel Training, Sacramento Bar Association, 2008
  
  
• Strauss Institute, Pepperdine University, Mediation Training, 2007
  
  
• The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce, Janet Johnston Seminar, 2001
  
  
• Continuing legal education in family law areas
  
  

Professional Associations and Memberships

• California State Bar Association, 1986 - Present
  
  
• California State Bar, State Board of Legal Specialization, Family Law, 2001 - Present