Best Lawyers in California, United States for Family Law: Arbitration and Mediation
Kimberly A. Madigan is a Certified Family Law Specialist and a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. She is a founding partner of Madigan & Lewis, LLP, a woman-owned and operated law firm serving families of all circumstances in the Silicon Valley. Ms. Madigan has been practicing law for over 20 years. As a Fellow of the Academy, Ms. Madigan is among a distinguished group of family law attorneys in the United States. She litigates some of the most complex family law matte...
Belinda Hanson is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Family Law and Family Law Mediation. Belinda practices law in San Mateo, California Best Lawyers has recognized Belinda Hanson since 2003. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Belinda Hanson is held by other lawyers.
Paula J. Swensen, who was born in Orange, New Jersey in 1955, has been an Orange County resident since 2000 after relocating to California from New England. Ms. Swensen lives in Trabuco Canyon and has three children. She is an avid sports fan, supporting any and all teams from the Boston area. Ms. Swensen graduated from the University of New Hampshire (B.S., Behavioral Science, highest honors, 1996) and Franklin Pierce Law Center (J.D., 1999; M.A., Intellectual Property). Between her second a...
Michael Bonetto is a San Francisco, California family law attorney with Moradi Neufer LLP . He has been practicing family law since his admission to the California Bar in 2007 and focuses his work exclusively on this area of law. Michael represents clients in a wide range of family law matters, including divorce , spousal and child support , complex property division , business valuation, separate property tracing, child custody and visitation , and the prosecution and defense of domestic vio...
Joseph P. Crawford is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Family Law and Family Law Mediation. Joseph P. practices law in San Mateo, California Best Lawyers has recognized Joseph P. Crawford since 2009. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Joseph P. Crawford is held by other lawyers.
Born and raised as the only Chinese-American on the French Caribbean island of Saint Martin where his family still calls home, Alex had brief stints throughout the Caribbean and South America where he attended schools taught only in French, Spanish, and Papiamento. Alex eventually migrated to the United States and earned his undergraduate degree from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and his Juris Doctorate in Virginia from George Mason University School of Law, a Tier...
Sarah T. Schaffer, CFLS is a family law attorney and mediator, holding the prestigious Certified Family Law Specialist designation from the State Bar of California. Schaffer Family Law Group, APC is a full-service Mediation, Divorce, and Family Law firm dedicated to delivering practical & effective results to high net-worth clients. Ms. Schaffer builds her practice on a thorough knowledge of the law, excellent research skills, superior presentation to the court, and most of all calm, comp...
As a certified Family Law Specialist and the founding partner of Shebby Hirashima LLP, David Shebby brings more than three decades of trial experience to his Los Angeles Family Law practice. In addition to being a Certified Family Law Specialist, David is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Family Law Executive Committee, and an adjunct professor at Loyola Law School, where he teaches marital property. David recei...
Born in Great Neck, NY, Jordon moved west to southern California in 1981. He graduated from Cal State Fullerton in 1994 and from the Whittier School of Law in 2000. Jordon is a Certified Specialist in Family Law, as per the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. During law school, Jordon was a member of the Moot Court Honors Board and also served as its Chief Justice in 2000. He was placed on the Dean's List for achievement in academics as well. Upon his graduation, Jordon rec...
Judi Curtin was born in New York City, New York in 1951, and has been an Orange County resident since 1979, following her graduation from law school and admission to the California Bar Association in 1978. She is married and has three children (Jessica is a lawyer, Jordan is a clinical social worker, Jillian is a second-year student at NYU and has her black belt in Shaolin Kempo). Judi is a Certified Family Law Specialist, admitted to the US Supreme Court, and has been rated AV by Martindale ...
Samantha Klein is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Family Law and Family Law Mediation. Samantha practices law in Los Angeles, California Best Lawyers has recognized Samantha Klein since 2025. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Samantha Klein is held by other lawyers.
Kiana Moradi is a Partner with Moradi Neufer LLP in San Francisco, California. Her practice focuses on representing California senior executives and their spouses in high-asset divorce matters and contested child custody disputes . Kiana approaches each case with care and diligence, helping clients address complex legal and financial issues while planning for the next stage of their lives. In addition to divorce and custody matters, Kiana regularly assists individuals and families with family...
Jacqueline A. Whisnant, born in Burbank, California in 1960, has been an Orange County resident since 1985. She and her husband, Bruce Whisnant, have two children. Ms. Whisnant graduated from California State University, Northridge (B.A., 1984) and Loyola Law School of Los Angeles (J.D., 1987). While in law school, she was a member of the Philip C. Jessup International Moot Court Honors Program and held the position of judicial extern for the Honorable Allan E. Broussard of the California Sta...
Nicole Schmidt is a partner and Certified Family Law Specialist at Bremer Whyte Brown & O’Meara. Nicole Schmidt focuses on divorce and family law matters in Newport Beach and San Diego. Ms. Schmidt has experience in a plethora of issues arising in the general area of family law, including prenuptial and post-nuptial agreements, child custody and visitation, spousal support, child support, divorce, and complex asset and debt division. She specializes in cases involving non-traditiona...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.
