Practicing as a California attorney for over 13 years, Kristen is a skilled family law attorney and mediator with a particular specialty in child custody and support. She is a Certified Collaborative Divorce Attorney and a Certified Divorce Coach through the Moving On Method, and she brings that training to the most sensitive and contentious issues families face: high-conflict custody disputes, parental alienation, school choice disagreements, and post-judgment modifications of custody and child support. Her focus is to put the needs of children first when there is conflict, and to rebuild safe and secure environments in which children can thrive.
Kristen’s experience spans the full range of complex family law matters, including asset and property division, child custody and support, school choice disputes, spousal support, and post-judgment modifications. When parents’ circumstances change after a judgment (a new work schedule, a relocation or move-away request, a shift in income, or a custody arrangement that no longer reflects reality), Kristen helps clients update custody and support orders so they match the family’s actual life; because California calculates child support in significant part from each parent’s timeshare with the children, a meaningful change in the parenting schedule is often itself a basis to revisit support. When a parent appears to be lowering their income to reduce a support obligation, she knows the court is not required to take that reduced income at face value, and she builds the record (work history, qualifications, and the circumstances of the change) needed to argue that support should rest on earning capacity. In cases where one parent is undermining a child’s relationship with the other, she pairs strong advocacy with a child-centered, practical approach aimed at restoring stability rather than escalating conflict, drawing on the court’s ability to adjust the parenting schedule or order counseling and reunification services once the pattern can be shown. When parents who share joint legal custody cannot agree on where a child will attend school, she works to resolve the disagreement collaboratively where possible and litigates it when necessary, keeping the child’s continuity and stability at the center. She is dedicated to achieving the right outcomes for her clients, combining firm advocacy with problem-solving that keeps a family’s most important priorities at the forefront.
As a member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC), the interdisciplinary organization of judges, lawyers, and mental-health professionals focused on the resolution of family conflict, Kristen stays grounded in current thinking on children’s adjustment, co-parenting, and high-conflict dynamics, and she brings that perspective into both collaborative and contested matters.
Originally from Puyallup, Washington, Kristen has made the Bay Area her home since 2002 and represents families throughout the region, including San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Alameda counties and the greater East Bay. Outside of work, she spends her time volunteering for her children’s elementary and middle schools, making costumes for her daughter’s ballet school, walking her dog, and maintaining a small garden. She loves to be outdoors with her family and hiking in the mountains.
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