The RegistryCounty Record · California

Family Law Lawyers in Marin County, California

Searching for a family law attorney in Marin County? Counsel for divorce, custody, support, and the agreements that hold families steady. This page indexes the county's family law coverage from the State Bar of California's official roll, with identity-verification markers where available.

The county just north of the Golden Gate; its superior court sits in the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Marin County Civic Center in San Rafael, and trust, estate, and real property matters run heavy in its civil docket. Venue for most family law matters arising in the county lies with the Superior Court of California, County of Marin, seated at San Rafael.

Deadlines shape these cases before merits do · a divorce cannot be final sooner than six months after the respondent is served (Cal. Fam. Code § 2339). Residency first: six months in California and three months in the filing county (Cal. Fam. Code § 2320). Custody, support, and property orders can issue while the six-month clock runs.

This page is the Marin County chapter of the registry's statewide record · Family Law Attorneys in California collects all 58 counties.

The clock & the court

Statute of limitations

A divorce cannot be final sooner than six months after the respondent is served.

Cal. Fam. Code § 2339

Residency first: six months in California and three months in the filing county (Cal. Fam. Code § 2320). Custody, support, and property orders can issue while the six-month clock runs.

Court of record

Superior Court of California, County of Marin.

County seat: San Rafael

Official court information, locations, and filing rules: www.marin.courts.ca.gov

Family Law · Marin County roster

123 attorneys on the official State Bar of California roll list family law among their practice areas with an address of record in Marin County.

113 of them hold an active licence; the remainder are recorded as inactive and are not currently eligible to practise.

The roster concentrates in San Rafael (59), Novato (13), Corte Madera (12) and Mill Valley (10).

26 hold a State Bar Certified Legal Specialist designation, a certification issued by the State Bar's Board of Legal Specialization, and not a rating or a ranking.

2 are recorded as taking client work in a language other than English.

Admission years on this roster run from 1963 to 2024.

The employers most represented here are Kaspar & Lugay, LLP (5), Taubman Dias Dominguez LLP (4) and Kaspar & Lugay LLP (3).

Armin M. Najafi

Family Law · San Rafael

Bar #282033 · Admitted 2012

Official record

Bryan C. Nazario

Family Law · Bel Tiburon

Bar #278907 · Admitted 2011

Official record

Mary L. Needham

Family Law · Mill Valley

Bar #168225 · Admitted 1993

Official record

Nancy Ann Nugent

Family Law · San Rafael

Bar #74852 · Admitted 1977

Official record

David B. Ostiller

Family Law · San Rafael

Bar #95841 · Admitted 1980

Official record

Andrea L. Palash

Family Law · San Rafael

Bar #128831 · Admitted 1987

Official record

Hansa R. Patel

Family Law · Ross

Bar #218609 · Admitted 2002

Official record

Douglas B. Powell

Family Law · Corte Madera

Bar #298472 · Admitted 2014

Official record

Kelly Y. Reiter

Family Law · San Rafael

Bar #202957 · Admitted 1999

Official record

The full Marin County roster · 113 attorneys with an active license and a family law practice area: is listed by surname in the 1 sections below.

Family Law matters in Marin County

The matters this field covers, as Californians search for them. Each attorney's own profile states which of these they take.

  • divorce and legal separation
  • child custody and visitation
  • child support
  • spousal support
  • community property division
  • prenuptial and postnuptial agreements
  • paternity
  • domestic violence restraining orders
  • move-away requests
  • adoption and guardianship
  • modification and enforcement of orders

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Family Law questions, cited

How is property divided in a California divorce?

California is a community property state. Assets and debts acquired during the marriage are generally community property (Cal. Fam. Code § 760) and are divided equally at divorce (Cal. Fam. Code § 2550). Separate property: what each spouse owned before marriage or received by gift or inheritance (Cal. Fam. Code § 770), stays with that spouse, though tracing commingled assets often becomes the real dispute.

How long does a divorce take in California?

At minimum six months and one day from service of the petition, Cal. Fam. Code § 2339 bars an earlier termination of marital status. Uncontested cases can be ready for judgment when the waiting period ends; contested custody or property cases routinely take longer, driven by the county superior court's family division calendar.

How is child custody decided in California?

By the best interest of the child, per Cal. Fam. Code §§ 3011 and 3020, weighing the child's health, safety, and welfare, any history of abuse, and each parent's contact with the child. California public policy favors frequent and continuing contact with both parents where safe. Most counties require mediation through Family Court Services before a contested custody hearing (Cal. Fam. Code § 3170).

How is child support calculated in California?

Under the statewide uniform guideline formula in Cal. Fam. Code § 4055, which turns primarily on both parents' net disposable incomes and the percentage of time each parent has physical responsibility for the children. The guideline amount is presumptively correct (Cal. Fam. Code § 4057); courts depart from it only in limited circumstances.

Do I need to live in California to file for divorce here?

Yes: one spouse must have lived in California for six months and in the county of filing for three months before the petition (Cal. Fam. Code § 2320). If neither spouse yet qualifies, a legal separation can be filed first and amended to a dissolution once residency is met.

Legal information, not legal advice.

From the answer files

Every family law attorney in Marin County, by surname

Related counsel in Marin County

Family Law in nearby counties

Source: Cal. Fam. Code § 2339 · State Bar of California licensee records · Checked: · Maintained by the California Attorney Registry from official State Bar of California records. Legal information, not legal advice.

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