Education and Certifications: J.D., Santa Clara University School of Law, 1975, Magna Cum Laude. Admitted to Practice in California (1975) and Nevada (2005). Certified Family Law Specialist, Certified by the California State Bar Board of Specialization.
Awards: Named one of "Most Respected Lawyers" in poll conducted by California Lawyer, September 1989 [". . . fine lawyer, excellent legal scholar," ". . . renowned Qualified Domestic Relations Orders expert," ". . . good negotiator and advocate," ". . . dedicated to clients and fellow attorneys."]; Recipient, Sixth Annual Hall of Fame Award, Association of Certified Family Law Specialists (ACFLS), December 1996. Holder of Martindale-Hubbell A-V rating.
Authorship: Contributing commentator to Matthew Bender’s California Family Law Monthly, for over ten years. Published articles include: "What to Do After the Divorce Until the QDRO is Done," The Writ [Washoe County, NV], 2008; "Employee Benefits: Dealing with State & Local Government Retirement Plans," Family Law News, 1994; "Family Law Primer: The Temporary QDRO & the Qualified Pre-retirement Survivor Annuity (QPSA) in ERISA Qualified Plans,"Fairshare [Prentice-Hall], 1996. Co-Author with Actuary Donald W. Parkyn of "Dividing Pensions on Marital Dissolution," 55 California State Bar Journal 464, 1980; "Establishment of Separate Accounts for PERS and STRS Members under Civil Code Section 4800.8", Family Law News, Summer 1990; "Marriage of Gillmore: Must Re-Reading for QDRO Drafters", Family Law News, Summer 1992.
Lecturing: Including: Dealing with State & Local Government Plans in Divorce and Separation, (ACFLS, 1997); Family Lawyer’s Employee Benefits Seminar (Santa Clara County Bar Association, 1997); Family Law Developments and Strategies (Matthew Bender & Co. Inc. and Sacramento and San Francisco Bar Associations, 1998); Property Bits and Pieces (California Center for Judicial Education and Research), Newport Beach, 1999), Employee Benefits, Santa Clara County Bar Association, 2004; What to Do in 2006 with Your Case Involving an Employee Benefit Plan, ACFLS, 2006; Care and Feeding of Pension Experts on Divorce, (Monterey County Bar Association, 2008).
Memberships and Affiliations: Including: Fellow, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML); Delegate to the Family Law Council of Community Property States, April 1992, Seattle, WA (jointly sponsored by Washington State Bar Association). Ad Hoc participant from ACFLS at the meeting of California Law Revision Commission September 11, 1992, Oakland, CA. (Re proposed revisions to Family Law Code.) Participant, California Legislature, Assembly Committee on Judiciary, Family Law Workshops 11/20/92 and 7/27/94, Sacramento (Mikki Bako Sorenson, Counsel to the Committee & Family Law Consultant); several resulting Family Code pension provisions adopted, effective 1/1/95. Family Lawyer's Employee Benefits Seminar.Santa Clara County Bar Association Family Law Section, May 1997;
Court Recognition: Author of successful pension portion of appellate briefs in In re Marriage of Drapeau (2001) 93 Cal.App.4th 1086 regarding community nature of early retirement benefits. Appointed as or qualified as expert on pension disposition on marital termination, Superior Courts of Alameda, Butte, Los Angeles, Santa Clara and Stanislaus counties.
