San Rafael Family Lawyers

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...

30 years of practice experience in Divorce Law; 12 years of Real Property practice prior to that; Real Estate Broker 20 years. Corporate background; business valuations; division of property. Years of trial experience, but love collaborative law and am a highly trained mediator. Highly skilled with custody of children at once heartbreaking and often cruel. Serious trial experience with false sexual abuse allegations; true sexual abuse allegations. Empathic, concerned, and compassionate, yet can draw boundaries because every minute I am engaged in your case; you will receive an hourly bill. Trial lawyer Trained Child Counsel Mediator Collaborative Law Practitioner

I am a full time family law/divorce mediator in San Francisco. I have been practicing law for 11 years and have been mediating for 6 years. I work with couples to stay out of court and to reach creative and fair agreements together in the privacy of my office.

Lawyer Jennifer Ani | Top Attorney Juvenile

I will do my best to resolve your case as quickly, easily, inexpensively, and amicably as possible. Through competent, caring and empathetic representation, as aggressive as necessary, I will keep you fully informed and in control of every step of the process. I invite you to read the many excellent reviews contained on the Client Testimonials page of my website. I treat my clients the way I would want to be treated if I needed a family law attorney. My service to you includes providing the most cost effective alternatives to resolving your case or situation. I provide full legal representation,...

I'm a family law attorney regularly practicing in the San Francisco Bay area in Marin, Sonoma, San Francisco, Napa and Contra Costa counties. In custody matters, I do interstate and international (Hague) cases. For more information about me and my practice, go to helzberglaw.com.

Because your family is the most important part of who you are, family law issues can create tremendous stress and upset in your life. With compassion and care, Kristine Fowler Cirby will be candid in reviewing the unique aspects of your case, clearly spelling out your options, and giving you realistic advice on how best to move forward.

For more than 28 years Kris has dedicated her life to helping families find the best resolution to their legal matters. She has worked with many different kinds of families with many different types of problems. Her experience has given...

For 22 years, I have devoted my career as a lawyer to helping parties resolve their conflicts efficiently, effectively and respectfully. I believe the quality of a mediated resolution, and of the mediation process, to be as important to the parties as the fact of resolution.

Jeremy is an honorably-discharged U.S. Coast Guard veteran who served his country from 2007 to 2014 aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Munro (WHEC-724) homeported out of Kodiak, Alaska, and as a Marine Science Technician in Alameda, California and Paducah, Kentucky.

After becoming a parent while stationed in Paducah in 2013, Jeremy separated from the Coast Guard to return to the Bay Area to establish a relationship with his son. At that time, Jeremy’s primary goal became to attend law school in order to help those parents who care deeply about their children, but struggling to establish a relationship and custody of...

Offering you a client-focused approach to legal problem solving, for divorce, custody, support and for small business contracts, agreements and protections. I help people sort through legal challenges. If you are dealing with debt or facing bankruptcy, going through a divorce or custody battle or wrestling with problems in a small business, I'd be happy to speak with you.

With a progressive law practice since 2007, Mr. Ali Shahrestani is a bi-coastal litigation attorney representing international and domestic clients in state and federal legal matters in CA, NY, and MA. He has been featured in print and TV news for his legal expertise, is a recipient of multiple awards and a graduate of top rated universities with honors, and has donated much effort and time to public education, legal journalism, and social justice activism. 1) Education Law - K-12, College, Graduate, Students, Teachers, Schools 2) Divorce & Child Custody - High Conflict, LGBTQ, Father's Rights 3) Business, Contracts, & Real Estate Law...

DEBRA R. SCHOENBERG, ESQ., HAS A LONG AND DISTINGUISHED CAREER.
More than thirty years ago, she established her own firm, which has vast experience and expertise in the highly sensitive and complex practice of family law. Ms. Schoenberg has established a professional reputation for thoroughness, strategic thinking, keen attention to detail, loyalty, and dedication to client service.

Today Ms. Schoenberg handles cases that range from complex financial issues and extensive marital estates, to high-conflict custody matters. Adept at negotiating resolutions as well as aggressively pursuing litigated outcomes, she also handles straightforward family law cases, pre- and post-marital agreements, and marital settlements. Ms....

Valerie Fenchel is the CEO and founder of Fenchel Family Law. Her legal services empower men and women to navigate marriage and divorce toward more vibrant futures. She advises clients, devises strategies, and works with therapists, actuaries, and forensic accountants to settle or litigate cases. As a witness to the damage caused by divorce over the course of her career as a family law attorney and educator, Valerie has gained extensive experience in helping families in crisis. Experience & Background Valerie is actively involved in the legal community. She is the lead attorney of Shalom Bayit’s Pro Bono Legal Panel, Secretary of...

Ariel Sosna is a founding partner of Van Voorhis & Sosna LLP. She is certified as a specialist in Family Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. Ms. Sosna has been exclusively practicing family law in California (San Francisco Bay Area) since 2007.

Ms. Sosna received her J.D., with a concentration in Family Law, from U.C. Hastings School of the Law and her B.A. in Psychology from U.C. Berkeley.

Before starting her own practice, Ms. Sosna was an associate at a well-known San Francisco law firm. She was co-chairperson of the Family Law Section of the San Francisco...

I am an accomplished Divorce, Family, and Arbitration & Mediation attorney. I compassionately represent clients throughout the Bay Area with a broad range of family law matters.

As a Certified Family Law Specialist, I provide the experience, knowledge and skill needed to advocate for the best possible outcomes. I am dedicated to exceptional counsel to meet your family's legal needs and goals.

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,...

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...

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...

"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...

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.

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.

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...