Best Lawyers in America for Family Law: Arbitration and Mediation
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ANNMARIE P. BRIONES is Of Counsel to Cohen and Wolf’s Family Law and Litigation Groups practicing in the firm’s Bridgeport and Westport offices. Ms. Briones practices primarily in the area of family law representing parties in divorce, legal separation, custody and post-judgment dissolution matters. Ms. Briones currently serves on the Faculty of the National Institute of Trial Advocacy. She has frequently served as a court appointed Guardian ad Litem and Attorney for Minor Childre...
Jane focuses her practice on family law issues, particularly complex divorce, paternity, custody, child support, and adoption matters, including both trial and appellate work. Jane is a Certified Parenting Act Mediator. She also works with the rehabilitation or liquidation of insurance companies. Jane has taught Pretrial Litigation Skills and Family Law at the University of Nebraska College of Law and has been a regular speaker at the Family Law Section’s annual seminar. Jane is AV rate...
Jeralyn Lawrence is the Managing Member and Founder of Lawrence Law, and devotes her practice to matrimonial, divorce, and family law, and is a trained collaborative lawyer, divorce mediator, and arbitrator. Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Matrimonial Law Attorney, Jeralyn represents clients with matrimonial and family law needs, including divorce litigation, mediation and arbitration, custody and parenting time issues, alimony and child support, separation and property sett...
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.
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...
Elizabeth A. Roberts is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law, Family Law Arbitration and Family Law Mediation. Elizabeth A., who practices law in Burlington, Massachusetts, has been recognized since 2018. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Elizabeth A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Julie has practiced family law in Southwest Michigan for over 20 years. She is a fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. She is past President of the Kalamazoo County Bar Association. And, she was elected twice to serve as a commissioner for the nine counties that comprise District F of the Michigan State Bar.
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 ...
Shalini Nangia is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Collaborative Law: Family Law, Family Law and Family Law Mediation. Shalini, who practices law in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Shalini is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Michael A. Morris was born in Winston Salem, North Carolina. Michael was named Best Family Law Lawyer of the Year - Orange County in 2013 and 2018 by Best Lawyers in America. He has been listed as one of the Best Lawyers in America by Best Lawyers in America Orange County - Family Law since 2007 and by Super Lawyers each year since 2004. Michael is also listed in Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers (USA) - 2020. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (B.A.) and Western State Un...
Topeka-based family law attorney Ardith Smith-Woertz has been handling cases involving divorce, parentage, child support, child custody, residency, and parenting time for more than three decades. She is a Certified Mediator through the Kansas Office of Judicial Administration and regularly acts as a mediator/conciliator for parties involved in domestic disputes. She also serves on the Kansas Judicial Council’s Family Law Advisory Committee—studying family law issues, writing propo...
Taylor cares about people: She’s an auxiliary board member at The Family Place – a vital area resource for victims of domestic abuse. She’s been active in fundraising efforts for the Genesis Women’s Shelter. She served as a valued member of the Texas Young Lawyers Association board of directors. (The TYLA helps advance the legal profession’s role in serving the public.) But first and foremost, Taylor cares about her clients. “Divorce is not just an ending; ...
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.