Clayton Family Lawyers

A Bay Area native, Chelsea has always been committed to making a difference in the local community. Family law has provided her the avenue to help families in transition, while maintaining civility and focus on issues that truly matter. Chelsea graduated Cum Laude and received her Bachelor’s Degree from Saint Leo University in St. Leo, Florida, which she attended on a volleyball scholarship. She returned to the Bay Area for law school and graduated with her Juris Doctor Degree from Santa Clara University School of Law in 2015. While in law school, Chelsea used her classroom knowledge to help families while working...

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 assists clients with all aspects of family law matters. He is experienced with complex financial issues, such as business valuation and characterization, private equity,...

Julia Lemon became an associate at Lonich and Patton, LLP in November 2007. Julia is well versed in Estate Planning and Business Law, however she has a a special interest in Family Law matters. Julia began her relationship with the firm as a second year law clerk in 2005. Julia was raised in San Jose and attended Presentation High School. Thereafter, she attended the University of California at Davis where she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority. In 2004, Julia graduated with honors and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa, earning a Bachelor's Degree with a major in...

Susan Dent is a recently admitted member of the California Bar, joining Lonich and Patton from a C.F.L.S. litigation firm in Newport Beach, CA. Ms. Dent was an active member of the law school community at Santa Clara University, serving as both an associate and editor for the Santa Clara Law Review, an Executive Board member for Honors Moot Court Internal, and as the president of Santa Clara Law's Criminal Law Society. Ms. Dent also served as a research assistant for SCU's Center for Global Law and Policy. Thoughout law school, Ms. Dent clerked for Hon. Jerome...

Business and International Experience
Wayne started in Auckland New Zealand, graduating after completing a challenging combined Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws in just 4 years, achieving top marks at his law school at Auckland University made up of 11,000 students where he was elected Student President in a landslide victory in his last year. Then recruited by a leading Merchant Bank, MARAC Corporation, Wayne moved to Citibank before becoming the founding Company Secretary for New Zealand's first publicly listed Investment Bank, founding Company Secretary for NZ’s first publicly listed Venture Capital company and a Director of a...

Kara represents individuals in all aspects of family law, including divorce, property division, child and spousal support issues, child custody and visitation, attorney fees and costs, as well as domestic violence restraining orders, prenuptial and post-nuptial agreements. Kara’s clientele incorporates a broad range between C-level executives, business owners, engineers, start-up employees, other attorneys, medical professionals, and stay at home parents.

Charlie has extensive litigation and trial experience, having litigated countless contested hearings and various jury trials. Although Charlie practices all areas of family law, his practice now focuses on complex and high-asset dissolutions, many of which require collaboration with business counsel, estate planning counsel, and/or criminal counsel. Charlie practices in all Bay Area Counties, including but not limited to San Francisco County, San Mateo County, Santa Clara County, and Alameda County. Charlie believes that no two family law cases are alike and that each case requires a clear understanding of his client’s needs and ultimate goals in order to achieve...

My approach to each family law case is specifically tailored to the needs of each client. Some cases require aggressive litigation, while other times, settlement is the best (and cheapest) choice for all involved. As your attorney, you can expect me to give you guidance based on the law, and to be transparent with you about your options. My role is to advise you, but not to make decisions for you. I enjoy partnering with my clients to get them their desired outcome. I am also very responsive to client communication. I pride myself on keeping you...

Attorney Gary D. Sparks is an accomplished lawyer who has successfully provided legal services and representation to families, husbands, wives, parents, military service members, and same sex partners for nearly two decades. Gary was a regular guest for several years on the former Ronn Owens Program on KGO-AM 810 in San Francisco, and has been interviewed by local and national publications in addition to publishing several of his own legal guides.

Gary graduated first in his class from John F. Kennedy University School of Law, where he was awarded magna cum laude honors for excellence in academic achievement and received...

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...

Lulu was born in Taiwan and raised on California’s Central Coast. After finishing high school, she moved to Southern California to attend U.C. Riverside. She later relocated to the Bay Area for law school and has made it her home ever since. Driven by a lifelong passion for helping others, particularly those who are underrepresented, Lulu pursued a career in law. Since then, she has been a dedicated advocate for survivors of interpersonal violence and is also a certified domestic violence counselor. Lulu is committed to championing individuals and empowering them to overcome challenges. Family law involves some of the most...

Sarah Arnott is an Attorney at Van Voorhis & Sosna LLP. Ms. Arnott was certified as a specialist in Family Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization in 2015, and served as the chairperson of the family law section of the San Francisco Bar Association's Barristers Club in 2013.

A native of New York and North Carolina, Ms. Arnott moved to California to attend Santa Clara University School of Law, from which she received her J.D. Ms. Arnott has exclusively practiced family law since 2008. She is well-versed in all areas of family law, including dissolutions, custody,...

Andrea represents clients in all areas of family law, including divorce, legal separation, annulment, custody and visitation, support, and complex property division.

Andrea understands the impact a divorce and other family law issues can have on people’s lives and is committed to provide support to litigants with family law issues, while explaining the law to them and advocating for the best results possible.

Mr. Luna grew up in Porterville, California which is located in rural Tulare County. He joined the United States Air Force, immediately out of high school, where he worked hydraulic systems on the F-111 Aardvark.

After leaving the United States Air Force, he moved back to his hometown and enrolled in community college. Suffice it to say, it took Mr. Luna a few years of stumbling through various courses, before he found his passion in the law. While in community college, he enrolled (at the prompting of a local attorney) in an ABA approved Paralegal Program and the rest is...

Scott Mitchell is highly experienced in a wide range of legal matters, including bankruptcy, personal injury, criminal defense, and divorce. He has handled thousands of cases, developing an in-depth knowledge and a nuanced understanding of many areas of the law. Nothing substitutes real-world experience and proven knowledge, and with Attorney Mitchell, you have access to a seasoned attorney who knows the ins and outs of many state and federal courts. He works hard for his clients in order to get the right results. If you would like to see how Attorney Mitchell can help you, call for a FREE consultation.

Lydia is a Certified Family Law Specialist as certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization and has experience in all aspects of family law matters, including child custody and visitation; child and spousal support; property identification, characterization, valuation and division; reimbursement claims; pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements; and domestic violence issues. Lydia also provides representation in guardianships and step-parent adoptions. Lydia serves a broad range of clients including attorneys, doctors, business owners. parents and grandparents. She is passionate about providing counsel that is empathetic and pragmatic and ensuring that her clients are aware of their options. Lydia works...

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...

Arlette completed her law degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 2010. Prior to earning her J.D., she received a B.A. in History and a B.A. in International and Area Studies at the University of Oklahoma. She is admitted to practice law in the State of California and the State of Oklahoma.

Arlette has solely practiced family law since 2010. Her family law experience began prior to graduating from law school when she worked as a law clerk at the family law firm of Cindy Allen and Associates, PLLC. After graduating from law school, Arlette worked as an...

Christine Pham is a San Francisco native with over 10 years of litigation experience. Her background in litigation, bankruptcy, and knowledge of California family law, combined with her creative legal strategies and sincere compassion for her clients, has made her a recognized and trusted name in and around the Bay Area.

Christine focuses her practice on helping families and couples in a range of family law and family formation matters, including child custody and support, spousal support (alimony), dissolution of marriage (divorce), legal separation, division of property, and assisted reproduction.

Christine’s dedication to her clients is reflected in the testimonials they give...

Jessica joined Mello & Pickering LLP in January 2015. In 2011 Jessica received her undergraduate degree from Saint Mary’s College of California where she majored in political science. After graduating from Saint Mary’s, she received her law degree from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 2014. She was then admitted to the California State Bar in December 2014, after passing the state bar exam on her first attempt. During her law school education, Jessica gained extensive experience in family law working for the Department of Child Support Services, the San Francisco Bar Association’s family law project and a solo family...

Member of California and Federal Bar. Managing partner, current practice involves civil litigation, personal injury litigation for plaintiffs, defense, Probate, Consumer law, Family Law. As an Attorney, I am quite proficient in pleading and practice procedure, legal research in the library, web and computer, judicial procedure and rules of evidence. I have tried over a 200 court and jury trials. I have arbitrated and mediated over 500 cases. I have had experience with Superior, Appeals and Federal courts. I am a hearing officer for the City of Stockton and County of San Joaquin and a Pro...

"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...

The Davalos Law Firm is committed to providing the legal help you need by first examining and reviewing the case, understanding your needs and wishes surrounding the outcome and with honesty and integrity delivering the best possible results for you. We specialize in the following law areas Family, Civil Litigation, Criminal Defense, Landlord Tenant, Real Estate and Foreclosure Defense.

Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law from the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization. Legal services in the areas of (1) Trust & Estate, including Wills, Living Trusts, Probate, Trust Administration, and Conservatorships. (2) Taxation, including Compromise of Tax Liabilities, Tax Payment Agreements and Workouts, Defense Against IRS Collection, Audit and Appeals, and Abatement of Tax Penalties (3) Family Law, including Prenuptial Agreements, Divorce, Custody, Division of Assets, and Guardianships.

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.

Mr. Tabayoyon is an experienced trial attorney that focuses on personal injury and family law matters, including federal and state trial litigation.

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.

For over 14 years, Mr. Baello has litigated high stakes family law actions in three of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States - the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and New York City. Through this diversity of experience, he has the expertise and adaptability to obtain favorable results through trial or settlement in varied situations and tribunals. Ernest is a Certified Family Law Specialist (“CFLS”) per the California Board of Legal Specialization. He is also a graduate of the renowned National Family Law Trial Institute. Mr. Baello provides comprehensive and strategic representation in complicated and high conflict cases. Prior to becoming...

Experienced, dedicated and affordable immigration attorney servings the Immigration community for near 20 years. Record of winning case on asylum, VAWA claim, naturalization with criminal background, waivers, and complex family based immigrant visa petitions.

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...

Help small to medium size companies navigate through a wide variety of legal challenges: formation, funding, governmental impediments, operational legal planning, merger and acquisition, employee relations, and labor compliance. All with the goal of litigation avoidance. Litigation in all California state courts and the Northern and Eastern U.S. District Courts of California.

Quynh (“Quinn”) Chen is a bilingual attorney that has been admitted to practice in the Ninth Circuit of the United States Appellate Court. Her practice areas primarily focus on family law, entity formations, and intellectual property. Her interest is in software patents and helping underrepresented clients in her community.

As part of her interest in software patents, Ms. Chen is proficient in programming in Ruby on Rails, MEAN stack Javascript, and working with various databases. While at Golden Gate University, School of Law, she served as Vice President of Asian Pacific American Law Student Association.

Law Offices of Ali Yousefi was established with the vision to provide outstanding and effective service to litigants in the family law, employment law, and personal injury realms. What clients need the most during litigation are passion, professionalism and expediency. These values are the pillars of our office. At the Law Offices of Ali Yousefi, P.C., we care for peoples rights and our utmost duty is to find legal solutions that will remedy challenges you are facing with the law.

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 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....

Michele Elizabeth Hales has been assisting clients with Family Law matters since her admittance to the California Bar in 1992. In addition to a successful litigation practice, she also offers Alternative Dispute Resolution services, such as Mediation, Collaboration and Unbundled Family Law Assistance. She is dedicated to providing experienced, skilled and knowledgeable representation, and pursuing the best possible outcomes for your family law needs. Michele received her B.A. from the University of California Davis in 1989. She earned her J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law in 1992. Michele is a member of the State Bar of California, Santa Clara...

Family law issues, being deeply personal, can significantly disrupt your life. I approach these sensitive matters with compassion and care. I will be straightforward in evaluating the unique aspects of your case, clearly outlining your options, and providing realistic advice on how to proceed. For over 32 years, I have committed myself to assisting families in navigating the complexities of their legal issues. I have encountered a diverse range of families and challenges, which has broadened my knowledge and allowed me to offer high-quality representation to my clients. I ensure that each client receives the focused attention they deserve and strive...