Best Lawyers in California, United States for Family Law
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Michelle Ralph received her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Irvine, majoring in Social Ecology, with a minor in Psychology. She then earned her Juris Doctor degree from Western State College of Law, graduating summa cum laude and Valedictorian of her graduating class. While at Western State College of Law, Michelle clerked for Justice Edward Wallin at the Court of Appeal, Fourth District, Division Three. Before joining Minyard Morris, Michelle practiced civil litigatio...
Lorie S. Nachlis is a San Francisco family law attorney with more than 40 years of experience representing clients in complex family law matters. She is certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization in Family Law and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and the International Academy of Family Lawyers. At Nachlis Cohade Lopez-Whitaker LLP , Ms. Nachlis represents clients in divorce , child custody , support , property division , mediation , and ot...
Christine De Santis is a Partner at HFM and is certified as a legal specialist in family law by the State Bar of California. Ms. De Santis specializes in handling dissolution of marriage and paternity cases, child custody and visitation, child support and spousal support, and division of assets and debts, and mediations. She also handles step-parent adoptions and child support cases through the San Diego County Department of Child Support Services. Ms. De Santis has been named a San Diego Sup...
Gregory G. Brown, Esq. is an accomplished jury trial veteran and Certified Specialist in Civil Trial Advocacy, a distinction earned by only 140 lawyers in California. A trial lawyer for over 30 years, he has spent over 200 days as lead trial counsel in jury trials throughout California. A student of the jury trial, Brown has been awardedMartindale-Hubbell’s highest honor, an AV Rating, signifying that his legal abilities are of the “very highest standard” and his professiona...
In her representation of Silicon Valley’s high earners or their spouses, Jennifer Crum draws upon nearly 20 years of experience untangling complex assets acquired in the unique tech economy.Jennifer combines her mastery of high-asset marital dissolutions with compassion for the emotional and personal transition her clients are experiencing. She is among an elite group of California attorneys recognized as a Certified Family Law Specialist. Jennifer is highly experienced in divorces invo...
Ariel Sosna is a family law attorney serving clients in San Francisco, California through Van Voorhis & Sosna LLP . Before establishing her own practice, she worked at a San Francisco law firm representing individuals and families in a wide range of family law matters. Her practice includes divorce , child custody , child support , spousal support , property division, and other complex family law disputes. In addition to litigation, Ariel has substantial experience in mediation and collab...
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...
Amanda Beall is a highly regarded California family law attorney with a proven track record representing high-net-worth individuals and complex estates since 2017. She specializes in sophisticated family law and litigation matters, including divorce, spousal and child support, custody and visitation disputes, paternity, and domestic violence cases. As a Partner at Garelick Family Law, PC, Amanda combines strategic legal advocacy with compassionate client support, guiding clients through some ...
Lisa R. Zonder is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Collaborative Law: Family Law, Family Law and Family Law Mediation. Lisa R., who practices law in Calabasas, California, has been recognized since 2019. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Lisa R. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Donna T. Gibbs is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law. Donna T., who practices law in Oakland, California, has been recognized since 2008. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Donna T. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Jason M. Schwartz is a Partner at Stegmeier, Gelbart, Schwartz & Benavente, LLP, and exclusively practices family law. Jason has been with the firm since he was admitted to the State Bar of California in summer 2001. Jason earned his Juris Doctor Degree from Western State University College of Law in December 2000, and his Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of North Texas, where he majored in political science with a double minor in criminal justice and journalism. Jason has b...
Joseph P. Crawford is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law and Family Law Mediation. Joseph P., who practices law in San Mateo, California, has been recognized since 2009. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Joseph P. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Sarah Arnott is a Partner at Van Voorhis & Sosna LLP in San Francisco, California, where she represents clients in a wide range of Family Law matters . She was certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legalization in Family Law in 2015 and is trained in Collaborative Divorce. Sarah previously served as Chair of the Family Law Section of the San Francisco Bar Association’s Barristers Club in 2013 and currently serves as Secretary of the San Francisco Bar Association Family L...
Thomas W. Tuttle is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law. Thomas W., who practices law in Irvine, California, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Thomas W. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Louise Sackley is a Family Law attorney with Van Voorhis & Sosna LLP in San Francisco, California. She represents clients in a wide range of family law matters , including divorce , legal separation , child custody , parenting plans, child and spousal support , parentage actions, and premarital and postmarital agreements . Louise began her legal career in the United Kingdom, first serving as a court clerk and later working as a paralegal in the capital markets and structured finance group...
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.