Best Lawyers in America for Family Law
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About Dipak Dipak P. Patel is a Partner and member of the Civil and Commercial Litigation, Employment Law, and Family Law teams. He is experienced in providing business entity and individual clients with practical advice regarding all aspects of the employment relationship and has worked for over a decade as counsel to both startups and established businesses, and as a litigator. He regularly represents companies and owners in both agency and court proceedings, in addition to representing ind...
Douglas Hatherley is a distinguished Certified Family Law Specialist and Aliso Viejo divorce attorney , focusing on family law litigation serving the Orange County area , including child custody and visitation , spousal support , child support , domestic violence , paternity, division of assets , and post-judgment modification . He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School. With a career dedicated exclu...
Troy Nixon is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law. Troy, who practices law in Portland, Oregon, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Troy is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
CARL A. MURWAY is a partner in the Cleveland office of Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP and co-chair of the Private Client Practice Group. He represents clients in a variety of family law matters, including dissolution of marriage, divorce, custody and premarital agreements. Mr. Murway's experience includes complex business valuation issues, treatment of deferred compensation and retirement assets in divorce, analysis of complex executive compensation arrangements, and tax considerations i...
Belinda Hanson is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law and Family Law Mediation. Belinda, who practices law in San Mateo, California, has been recognized since 2003. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Belinda is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Cynthia Coulter George is a founding partner of the law firm. She graduated from Cornell University in 1975 and received her law degree from Loyola University in 1978, where she was a member of the Loyola Law Review. Following graduation, Attorney George joined the law firm of Cummings & Lockwood. She became a Partner of Cummings & Lockwood in 1987, having focused most of her career in the area of matrimonial law. Attorney George is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawy...
Gary L. Nickelson is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law. Gary L., who practices law in Fort Worth, Texas, has been recognized since 1995. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Gary L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Elizabeth Selmo brings skills in both negotiation and courtroom advocacy in helping clients successfully resolve family law matters and move forward with their lives. She represents a wide variety of individuals, from successful professionals to spouses of primary earners, and empowers them to make educated choices for their futures. Elizabeth works with clients to identify solutions that will achieve their goals, while striving to reduce hostility and keep cases outside of court. At the same...
“My clients are priority number one. I approach each interaction with integrity, respect, and well-reasoned advocacy to best meet your needs. Working to reach a positive outcome for you is my greatest reward.” With more than four decades of experience, I have a depth of knowledge that gives me clarity, wisdom, and skills that few can match. It’s exciting for me to be at this point in my career and I look forward each day to making a difference in the lives of my clients. I h...
Bob Meadows was admitted to the Alabama State Bar in 1974, after receiving an A.B. in Economics from Davidson College in 1971, and a J.D. from the University of Alabama in 1974. After law school, Bob clerked for Judge R. E. Varner, Middle District of Alabama, in Montgomery, Alabama. Bob is a native of Opelika and serves as the senior member of Capell & Howard’s Opelika/Auburn office. Bob is engaged in a general practice with an emphasis on trial work. In the past, Bob has served as ...
Lynn Wilson McNally is a partner and Board Certified Family Law Specialist by the North Carolina State Bar Board of Legal Specialization and certified Family Financial Settlement Mediator by the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission. She represents individuals in matters regarding separation, divorce, child custody, child support, alimony, equitable distribution, domestic violence, termination of parental rights, legitimation and other matters pertaining to family law. Since beginning ...
Phil is an AV-rated® trial lawyer. He has tried multiple jury and bench trials and has argued cases in the Colorado Supreme Court, the Colorado Court of Appeals, the Georgia Court of Appeals, the Illinois Appellate Court, the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, and the state trial courts of Colorado, Georgia and Illinois. Phil is licensed to practice before all state courts of Colorado and Georgi...
David N. Hofstein is the Founding Shareholder and President of Hofstein Weiner & Meyer, P.C. David is a pioneer in modern family law, having begun his practice in domestic relations contemporaneously with the adoption of the Pennsylvania Divorce Code in 1980. His practice today focuses on complex divorce and custody matters, representing, in a discrete manner, many high net worth individuals and prominent members of the community, including professionals, corporate executives and entrepre...
Jacqueline Newman is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Collaborative Law: Family Law, Family Law and Family Law Mediation. Jacqueline, who practices law in New York, New York, has been recognized since 2016. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jacqueline is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Rachel Whitsitt is an Overland Park-based family law attorney. She assists clients in Kansas and Missouri with matters of divorce, paternity, child custody and support, spousal maintenance, guardianship, and grandparent rights. Rachel has ample experience with high-asset divorce cases and related issues—including complex property valuations and making and interpreting premarital agreements.
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.