Best Lawyers in America for Family Law
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State
Mr. Rowe’s practice has been limited exclusively to litigation for nearly five decades. He has represented a broad range of individual and institutional clients in state and federal courts in New Jersey and other states throughout the country, and has served as lead counsel in a myriad of diverse and prominent business litigations. He has tried to conclusion numerous cases involving trade secrets, antitrust, stock fraud, real estate brokerage, corporate and partnership disputes, as well...
Stephen R. Smith is a partner in the Phoenix law firm of FROMM SMITH & GADOW, P.C . where his practice is limited to complex family law litigation, mediation, and appellate matters. He has been a Certified Specialist in Family Law since 2000 and a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers since 2011 . He is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America (2015-16) in the field of family law. Admitted to the State Bar of Arizona in 1994, Mr. Smith received his Bachelor of Science de...
Tanya brings a unique perspective to Sherr Puttmann Akins Lamb PC through her extensive background as a Master of Social Work (MSW). Prior to graduating cum laude from DePaul University College of Law, Tanya spent eight years as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker conducting custody evaluations and providing courtroom testimony of her custody findings and recommendations. Her experience gives her special insight into cases involving mental health and substance abuse issues, as well as complex d...
Laura Dale is Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Her practice is concentrated in the area of family law involving high conflict divorce, high net worth property division, both domestic and foreign, property valuation, custody cases, international child abduction brought under The Hague Convention and complex multi-jurisdictional family law disputes. Ms. Dale is a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers and a USA Delegate on the Board of Gov...
Michael A. Haber is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law. Michael A., who practices law in Highland Park, Illinois, has been recognized since 2014. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Michael A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Marilynne R. Ryan (Mal) is a partner at Ryan Faenza Carey and has been a practicing attorney since 1986 concentrating exclusively in divorce and family law. Attorney Ryan is a seasoned practitioner and represents clients in all aspects of divorce and family law. She is certified in conciliation, mediation and collaborative law. Her vast experience and knowledge in the field of divorce and family law, coupled with her non-nonsense approach, qualify her as a worthy advocate for clients who desi...
Benson Varghese is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: General Practice, Criminal Defense: White-Collar and Family Law. Benson Varghese is the founder and managing partner of Varghese Summersett, a premier Texas law firm known for its elite attorneys and exceptional results in personal injury, family law, and criminal defense. In addition to overseeing the firm — which has offices in Fort Worth, Dallas, Southlake, and Houston — Be...
Naveed Kalantar is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law. Naveed, who practices law in Virginia Beach, Virginia, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Naveed is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
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...
Kristina Badalian is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law. Kristina, who practices law in Rockville, Maryland, has been recognized since 2018. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Kristina is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Charles Montgomery is a N.C. Board Certified Specialist in Family Law*, as certified by the North Carolina State Bar. Charles has been a certified Family Law Specialist for over nineteen years. He is one of only 243 lawyers statewide to achieve this distinction in Family Law of the more than 20,000 licensed North Carolina lawyers. His practice emphasizes equitable distribution of property, child custody, child support, alimony and divorce. In addition to more than thirty-nine years' experienc...
Moving Foward, With Integrity and Respect Kelly Caperton Fischer on doing what’s best for clients: I excel at finding creative and respectful solutions to family law matters, including property and child-related issues. Understanding that each family is unique and has different end goals, I use “collaborative law” as a critical foundation to help clients put settlement at the forefront, negotiate more openly and truly focus on what is best for their family. This results in t...
Adam C. Kibort (JD/MBA) is a Partner with Grund & Leavitt, PC. He is a Fellow and Past-President of the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) and is a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL). He practices exclusively in the area of family law, representing parties in the litigation and resolution of matrimonial and family related matters. He counsels clients on a wide range of divorce-related issues including custody disputes, analysis...
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.