Family Law
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March 2008
Looking for a great recommendation for a Family Law Attorney in the
Eastbay. I would prefer the Walnut Creek area, but definitley open to any
surrounding areas.
Thanks!
Susan
I would recommend Larry Rosen. He's a mediator (also an attorney), and
helped me through a very tough divorce--so that it wasn't nearly as
tough. He's in oakland (other side of the tunnel!) and SF. 415-356-9834.
BB
Hi, I'm happy to recommend a friend, Lillian Epstein, who is warm, bright, and
empathic, and now in her own family law practice in Berkeley.
Lilian Epstein
510-868-3302
lilian[at]epsteinfamilylaw.com
Good Luck
Oct 2006
Looking for an attorney highly experienced in family law,
custody.
Thank you
I have tremendous appreciation for my family law attorney, Mary Oaklund, who
has won multiple court judgements for me and my kids (custody and schooling
issues) through her legal wisdom, sharp wit, and silver tongue (no dirty
play). These successes are especially notable in that she has been up against
an attorney who other lawyers seem to detest dealing with because of her
nastiness (not the legal term, I suppose) and legal subterfuge. I highly
recommend Mary Oaklund 483-6047 I'm so glad I found her.
Nov 2005
I am looking for a good family law attorney. I need someone to
review my divorce papers and let me know what my rights are when
it comes to my Golden Retriever, Jake.
I appreciate any recommendations.
Erin
Divorce is pretty messy. When I started grad school in the
engineering department my spouse became, shall we say,
unsupportive. We decided to part ways since I wanted to get a
PhD, and she wanted me to work for real money. Sigh... But I
did manage to find a good divorce attorney. I called a good
deal of the San Francisco family law attorneys, and didn't
really click with anyone. When I finally got to the 'Law
Offices of Jessica Watson' I had a noticeably different
experience. She answered my questions rather than waiting for
her turn to speak. She told me upfront what her rates were,
which I couldn't get from others. She gave me references to
look up and made me feel that I would be part of the process.
I'm a control freak, so I really appreciated her catering to my
special needs. I didn't feel like Ms. Watson was going to stamp
a number on my case and put in a boilerplate performance. Felt
very personalized...like my case, my life, was important. I
appreciated that.
So, a high recommendation to the Law Office of Jessica Watson.
The webpage is here: http://www.sfchildandfamilylaw.com
her website says they specialize in divorce, adoption, and
dependency.
-Pascal
June 2005
I am looking for an attorney that specializes in child support.
Not to go into too much detail, my husband is having to go to
court for ''contempt''. He had been paying child support regularly
until he lost his job back in October. He now has a job and has
started paying as of May, but he still received a letter
ordering him to go to court. Is there an attorney out there that
helps the fathers?????
anon
A really good lawyer is David Wong. His number is 510 868 1716.
His rates are reasonable and he is smart, aggressive, and is very
professional.
Greg
June 2005
I'm pretty sure my ex is underreporting his considerable income and I'm looking for
an attorney who is skilled in financial investigation and aggressive as well as being a
relatively decent human being. Don't know if I can get all of that in one package but
I've been turned off by the few attys I've interviewed so far, who seem competent
and high-powered in legal matters but cold and indifferent as people and
contemptuous of my child-centered values. I don't expect my lawyer to be my friend
but can't imagine working with someone who can't muster some semblance of
kindness.
Scorned Nurturer
I have used Lori Wallerstein, recommended here, to investigate
hidden assets. She left no stone unturned and found things in
Europe as well as California. Still don't know how she did it.
She is also an attorney but focuses only on investigations and
business advising. She is at One Embarcadero is SF at 415-773-
2821. She is very easy to talk to and empathetic. Pretty funny
too. She would probably help you find a lawyer you can work
with. Good luck
Sept 2004
I am looking for an lawyer who specializes in family law, in the
East Bay.
Mom in need
I know someone who is a psychologist and arbitrator in family
law and no doubt knows lawyers in that business.
She is a personal friend of mine so I don't feel comfortable
putting her contact info on a public forum but if you're
interested you can contact me and I'll share her e-mail with you
directly.
ilona
I would recommend that you speak to Through Understanding (and
Larry Rosen). He's a lawyer and mediator. Essentially, he helps
couples find a way to divorce in a harmonious way. I saw some
really positive posts about him on Berekeley Parent's Network a
few months back and then called with a little skepticism. My
(soon-to-be-ex) husband and I have now met with him twice and I
can't tell you how helpful it's been for us. My husband had an
affair a year ago and I though I really don't want much of a
relationship at all with him, I don't want to fight either. I
mean I want what's best for my kids, which is for us to co-parent
and at least respect each other, even if we're apart. Larry has
helped us move far away from intense anger. My husband has
''heard'' me for the first time in so many years. And I don't
forgive him but I do understand him better now, which is
interesting. We've put in place some temporary agreements which
we plan to finalize in the months to cmoe, and i just feel better
about my life. Larry is pretty talented and generous person. He
is a lawyer but not in the traditional sense, i guess. I've
actually been really looking foward to posting this note for a
long time.
Jane
ps His web Address is www.ThroughUnderstanding.com
[editor:
additional reviews about Through Understanding
Jan 2004
This is a bit far afield, but can anyone recommend a good family law attorney
in the Sacramento area?
anon this time
I can highly recommend a close friend of mine's mother, Camille
Hemmer, who has a family law practice in Sacramento. I have
not had experience with her professionally, but can extrapolate
from my experience with her as a person, that she would be a
good choice. Her phone number is 916/920-9504 and address:
797 University Ave. Sacramento, CA 95825.
Try Barbara Bender at Stein & Baydaline. I don't know how much
family law she does, but she did our family trusts. She's very
straightforward and nothing surprises her - I'd describe her as
worldly. If she doesn't do family law, she could at least point
you in the right direction for the Sacramento area. Her email
address is: bbender@stein-bay.com
Good luck.
Sharon
We have used Attorney Hugh Allen who is a Certified Family Law
Specialist. He is in Rancho Cordova phone 916-852-0222. If you
are looking for an attorney to fight for you he is the person to
have. We won our case with him which was a real miracle. He is
tough but extremely good. I would recommend him very highly.
JH
Dec 2003
Does anyone have any experiences with David Bunn, who is
a family law attorney in Berkeley? I am looking for someone
who is obviously knowledgeable, able to negotiate well, yet
caring/understanding with his clients. It seems difficult to
evaluate good attorneys in this field, and your feedback will
be most appreciated.
Anon.
Richard Hill, on 5th Street in Berkeley, is the top of the heap
when it comes to Trusts and Estates law. He can do the most
simplest of trusts to more complicated scenarios of estate
protection and division. His pedigree is impeccable, he was the
trusts and estates person for Morrison and Forrester (sp?) for
many years, he has a lovely personality, and he does not watch
the clock, scrupulously.
Many attorneys use him, which is really the highest possible
endorsement.
And,good for you for taking care of business.
Richard Hill Fan
I don't know anything about David Bunn. However I used to
practice family law and can recommend a good family law
attorneys and mediators in the East Bay.
Lawyers:
Susan Bender 832-1411
Ann Fallon 925-296-6000
Margaret Gannon 452-1700
Cynthia Podren 849-9008
Dennis Rothhaar 763-5611
Family law Mediators:
Eva Herzer 526-5144
Martina Reaves 559-2685
Mediator for intergenerational/cultural family issues:
Adele Grunberg 530-9049
Amy
Oct 2003
hi,
I need to find a family lawyer who has experience with how the
Child Protective Services system works. There is an ongoing CPS
investigation which is supposed to determine whether my toddler
is being sexually abused. Because my child is young, CPS has
been slow to come to any conclusions, and their investigation,
though still open, has been completely inactive over the past
couple of months. I haven't found a way to stop my child's
other parent from visiting my child (unsupervised visits are
court ordered and still ongoing). I need to find someone who
can help me work with CPS and the family court services system
to come up with a visitation schedule that is not a risk to my
young child.
I would sincerely appreciate any leads you might be able to give
me.
anonymous
Here's a quote from a lawyer I know [I asked about your concern]:
''Sounds to me like this person's case is in Family Court, and a Family
Court judge has ruled it premature to have supervised visits. In cases
such as this, there is usually dirt on both sides..... And since every case
keeps the same judge throughout, judges know the case history pretty
well.
The only way to get CPS moving is for the person to motivate the Family
Court Services mediator handling her case, or, provide evidence
something new has occurred. However, given CPS speed of late, if
something new happens, I would file an Emergency Screening before a
judge instead.
Another CPS thought: Unfortunately, the budget cutbacks have slashed
resources and staff. So, the person needs to phone and write letters
regularly.
However, once the person gets before a judge again, she/he really
needs to pin the judge down to reasons why the current custody order
remains in place.''
I hope it helps.
-anon
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