Best Lawyers in America for Family Law: Arbitration and Mediation
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About Banafsheh Banafsheh Lari is an associate attorney with Ciancio Ciancio Brown, P.C. and a member of the Family Law Team. Banafsheh earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Affairs with an emphasis on the Middle East from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2012. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in 2015. Banafsheh began her legal career as a law clerk in Adams County District Court primarily for the Honorable Jac...
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...
Vanessa Soto Nellis is a Certified Family Law Specialist as designated by the California Board of Legal Specialization. Ms. Nellis typically represents high net worth clients in the west San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles; in all aspects of divorce, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, cohabitation agreements, and family law mediation.
Maria Montoya Chavez is an attorney with Sutin, Thayer & Browne APC in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has been recognized by Best Lawyers since 2018 for her work in Collaborative Law: Family Law, Family Law, Family Law Arbitration, and Family Law Mediation. This recognition is based on peer review by attorneys practicing in the same geographic and practice areas. Maria Montoya Chavez has practiced law since 2000 and focuses exclusively on family law matters, including divorce, child custody...
Many years selected by her peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers In Connecticut, Connecticut Superlawyers, Best Law Firm, Best Lawyers in the New York area, Best Lawyers in New England. Awarded Connecticut Magazine "Top 25 Women Attorneys" as recognized for excellence by peers in the legal community for professional achievement and high ethical standards.. Attorney Mariani is board certified as a Family Law Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, an American Bar Association accr...
John R. “Rob” Hill represents clients in divorce and post-decree divorce proceedings as well as child support and child custody hearings. He drafts pre-nuptial agreements and handles appeals. He represents clients with cash flow, spousal maintenance and specializes in complex financial issues in divorce cases, including closely-held businesses, executive compensation, non-marital property, intellectual property and retirement benefits. Rob has represented numerous parents in conte...
Bar Admissions: New Jersey New York District of Columbia U.S. District Court U.S. Supreme Court Jerry S. D’Aniello, a member of the firm, devotes his practice exclusively to all aspects of divorce and family law. Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Matrimonial Law Attorney, he has worked with clients whose needs lie in all areas of matrimonial and family law, including divorce litigation, mediation, and arbitration; post-judgment litigation; custody and parenting time issu...
With over 30 years in the legal field, my journey as a lawyer has been marked by a commitment to fostering resolution and understanding through Collaborative Law and Mediation. Unlike traditional legal paths, something about mediation and helping people in conflict find a better, more productive way to resolve their differences attracted me to Mediation and Collaborative law. While starting my career at a notable Fifth Avenue matrimonial litigation firm, I volunteered as a court mediator, wit...
Charles F. Bowes is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law and Family Law Mediation. Charles F., who practices law in Austin, Texas, has been recognized since 2017. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Charles F. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Kristen A. Algert is a Board-Certified family law Partner at Goranson Bain Ausley in Austin and one of the most peer-distinguished collaborative law practitioners in Texas. She has been included in The Best Lawyers in America© in the fields of Family Law, Family Law Mediation, and Collaborative Law: Family Law continuously since 2007, representing nearly two decades of sustained peer recognition. Best Lawyers has named Kris “Lawyer of the Year” in Austin for Collaborative Law...
Leigh represents clients in Family Law and Family Law Mediation matters throughout Austin, Texas. She approaches each case with care and diligence, working toward practical resolutions through trial, settlement conferences, or mediation when appropriate. As a child of divorce, Leigh understands the emotional and financial challenges families face and applies thoughtful problem-solving skills to complex legal issues. Leigh regularly handles high-conflict family law cases involving complex prop...
Erica R. Kemmerley is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Collaborative Law: Family Law, Family Law, Family Law Arbitration and Family Law Mediation. Erica R., who practices law in Denver, Colorado, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Erica R. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
John G. DiPiano is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law and Family Law Arbitration. John G., who practices law in Salem, Massachusetts, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which John G. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Paul J. Reinstein is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law, Family Law Mediation and Mediation. Paul J., who practices law in Annapolis, Maryland, has been recognized since 2007. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Paul J. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
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...
Kelly A. Scott is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law, Family Law Arbitration and Family Law Mediation. Kelly A., who practices law in Hartford, Connecticut, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Kelly A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
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.