I have been practicing in family law and civil litigation since August 2007. I have handled hundreds of family law cases in the areas of divorce, legal separation, annulment, paternity and custody-visitation disputes. From 2016 to 2023, I had also worked for some small- to medium-sized family law firms. I serve the San Diego Superior Court system as a volunteer Pro Tem Judge, meaning I will preside over mandatory settlement conferences (MSCs) to help parties come to a global resolution of their divorce or legal separation. Although I have represented many clients in high-conflict custody-visitation cases over the years (and I still do), I am also on the Court-approved list of attorneys serving as counsel to minor children involved in custody-visitation disputes. These cases have the Court appointing an attorney (or “minor’s counsel”) to represent the minor child or children during pending litigation. I have also handled hundreds of restraining orders (including domestic violence, civil harassment, and elder abuse). I see the practice of law today as an opportunity to correct a wrong and overcome injustice, where it presents itself. Before becoming licensed to practice law in June 2007, I had worked as legal intern for the San Diego City Attorney Office’s Criminal Division, Code Enforcement Unit, from 1999 to 2005. Between 2005 and 2007, I also worked for the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department – Civil Division as a legal assistant. Prior to this, in 1998 and 1999, I also volunteered at the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program’s Domestic Violence Clinic, assisting individuals with drafting declarations and filling out judicial council forms. Prior to entering Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 1998, I worked as a journalist and news editor for several publications, for approximately eight years. Although I was born and raised in Los Angeles, I consider San Diego to be home.
