Member, State Bar of California, since 1977
Certified Specialist in Family Law, State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization, since 1986
Admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of California since 1977
Admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Central District of California since 1978
Admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, since 1978
Member, Bar Association of Santa Cruz County, since 1985
Participation in mediation groups since 1980
Participation in Collaborative Law groups since 2001
Member, Collaborative Practice of Santa Cruz County, since 2003
Founder, Divorce Helpline, 1989
Board of Directors, Bar Association of Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County Women Lawyers
President of the Board, Kuumbwa Jazz Center, a member-supported non-profit arts organization
Currently: Judge pro tem, Santa Cruz County Early Neutral Evaluation Program
Judge pro tem, Los Angeles County Superior Court
Judge pro tem, Santa Cruz County Superior Court, Municipal Court and Traffic Court
I attended UCLA as an undergraduate and majored in music. I received my JD at Whittier College Law School in Los Angeles, graduating with honors.
In Los Angeles I went into private practice and served as a judge pro tem in the Superior Court. I passed my examination to become a Certified Specialist in Family Law when I moved to Santa Cruz in 1986.
After my move to Santa Cruz I soon began practicing non-adversarial law exclusively. In 1989 I was a co-founder, with attorneys Ed Sherman and Peggy Williams, of Divorce Helpline, a completely unique law practice serving clients statewide. We were established as a sister company to Nolo Press Occidental, the publishers of the book How to Do Your Own Divorce in California, which has been in print continuously since 1977 and has sold over a million copies. Divorce Helpline now has nine offices statewide and continues to focus exclusively on non-adversarial practice. Over the years Divorce Helpline assisted over a hundred thousand people with their divorces. I recently divested myself of my ownership shares of Divorce Helpline, but remain in close personal and professional relationship with the new owners. I now practice part-time. My work hours are flexible, and I have observed that this flexibility has resulted in an increase in efficiency as compared to those attorneys still engaged in the rigors of full-time work.
Since 2005 I have practiced estate planning in addition to family law. This work has deepened my understanding of the family and its financial dynamics, as well as the law as it applies to families and children.
I am an accomplished amateur pianist and regularly play chamber music with my friends. Playing Brahms and Beethoven requires talent, focus and hard work — some of the same qualities needed for the practice of law. My close family includes my daughter, son-in-law and three-year-old granddaughter, who live in San Francisco. I have experienced divorce and widowhood, but now enjoy my single life here in Santa Cruz.
