Rombro & Manley LLPLos Angeles County Divorce Attorney

Education:

J.D., Tulane University School of Law, New Orleans, Louisiana 1972.

B.A., University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1966.

Military:

Officer Candidate School - Commissioned Second Lieutenant, United States Army, 1967. Active duty in the United States and Southeast Asia, 1967 to 1969. Reserve duty, 1969 to 1980.

Legal Experience:

General practice of law with emphasis on family law, 1975 to the present. Certified Specialist in Family Law, California Board of Legal Specialization of the State Bar of California, license number 58151 since 1994. Martindale-Hubbell AV peer review rated for the last 25 years. Selected as a Southern California Super Lawyer for the last 15 years.

Deputy District Attorney, County of Los Angeles, 1974 to 1975, criminal prosecutions.

Law Clerk to United States Circuit Judge Stanley N. Barnes, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 1972 to 1973.

Research Assistant to United States District Judge Lansing L. Mitchell, Eastern District of Louisiana, part time, 1970 to 1971.

Legal Services:

Judge pro tempore, Los Angeles Superior Court, 1989 to present.

Judge pro tempore, Los Angeles Municipal Court, 1980 to 1988.

Mediator, LASC, ADR, now “DSO,” for family law matters, 1992 to present.

Co-Chair and member of the Children’s Issues Sub-Committee of the State Bar of California, Los Angeles Regional Standing Committee, 1984 to 2013.

Member, Executive Committee of the Family Law Section of the State Bar of California,

(“FLEXCOM”).

FLEXCOM Membership Chair, October, 2013, to October, 2016.

FLEXCOM Co-Chair, Public Relations, October, 2014, to October, 2015.

Chair, Los Angeles Regional Legislative Liaison, California Lawyers Association Family Law Section Executive Committee, 2018 to the present.

Membership and Benefits Director, Association of Certified Family Law Specialists (ACFLS), 2022 to 2024.

Mediator, LACBA Dispute Resolution Services, 1991 to 1996.

Arbitrator and mediator, LACBA Attorney-Client Mediation and Arbitration Services program (“ACMAS”), 2014 to the present.

Member, Board of Directors, South Bay Bar Association, 2002 to 2008.

Administrator for the Family Law Mediation and the pro bono attorney panels for matters in the Southwest District.

Lecturer and materials author for family law, ethics and trial advocacy, National Business Institutes, 2003, to 2022.

Lead Counsel in District Court of Appeal Family Law Appellate Matters:

In re Marriage of Hinker, Court of Appeal case G061718; In re Marriage of Jensen, Court of Appeal case B320565; In re Marriage of Olson, Court of Appeal case B278303; In re Marriage of Corona, Court of Appeal case B266351; In re Marriage of Chau, Court of Appeal case B265261; In re Marriage of Kohanzadeh, Court of Appeal case B262868; In re Marriage of Niemann, Court of Appeal case B254637; In re Marriage of Boodram, Court of Appeal case B246368; In re Marriage of Stewart-Ruiz v. Ruiz, Court of Appeal case B245375; In re Marriage of Terrill, Court of Appeal case B234241; In re Marriage of Roney, Court of Appeal case B233870; Cundall v. Superior Court of Los Angeles County et al., Court of Appeal case B232137; Children and Family Services v. R. L., Court of Appeal case B211574; In re Marriage of Williams, Court of Appeal case B203802; In re Marriage of Grauman, Court of Appeal case B202790; In re Marriage of Colavita, Court of Appeal case B183083; In re Marriage of Weiss, Court of Appeal case B170048; In re Marriage of Wong-Kraatz v. Kraatz, Court of Appeal case B163119; In re Marriage of Sandman, Court of Appeal case B149384; In re Marriage of Harshman, Court of Appeal case B134819; Galan v. Jacobson, Court of Appeal case B130838; In re Marriage of Geraci, Court of Appeal case B064999.

Publications in The State Bar of California Family Law News:

Contempt Demystified, Issue 1, 2016, Volume 38, Number 1;

In re Marriage of Olson Presents a Conundrum That Should Be Addressed by the Legislature, 2017, Issue 1, Volume 39.

Publications in the Journal of the Association of Certified Family Law Specialists:

It Was a Dark and Rainy Night: California's Decision to Protect Women's Property Rights, Fall 2023, Number 3;

The Burden of Tracing Separate Property: California’s Departure from the Community Property System, Part One, Winter 2024, Number 4

The Burden of Tracing Separate Property: California’s Departure from the Community Property System, Part Two, Summer 2024, Number 3

Webinar and Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Presentations:

Understanding Declarations of Disclosures, Continuing Education of the Bar (“CEB”), November 2023;

The Use of Forensics in Tracing and Characterization, Panel Chair, Association of Certified Family Specialists’ (“ACFLS”) Spring Seminar, March 4, 2022;

War and Marriage: Impact of War on the Military's Families, 7th Annual Seminar - Cultural Competency in Family Law Practice, July 27, 2019, Panel Chair, Iranian American Lawyers’ Association;

Preliminary Declarations of Disclosure: What Is It and How to Prepare One, California Lawyers Association, September 17, 2019;

Appropriate and Ethical Use of Evidence Code Section 733 Consultants, December 12, 2019, California Lawyers Association;

California Divorce Law Fundamentals, June 3, 2020, National Business Institutes; Custody and Visitation Considerations, June 3, 2020, National Business Institutes; Presenter, National Business Institutes, A Paralegal's Guide to Discovery in Divorce, November 03, 2021; Presenter, National Business Institutes, Complex Divorce Litigation Guide - Post-Trial Modifications and Challenges, October 11, 2021;

Family Law Publications in the National Business Institute:

2004: Custody-Fantasy and Realism; Ethical Perils in Divorce Practice; Attachments; How to Complete the Divorce; 2005: Ethics as it Relates to Domestic Law; Child Custody; Exploring Custody, Visitation and Support Issues; Completing the Divorce; 2007: Ethics, Evidence and Experts; Preliminary Observations Regarding Disclosure Requirements; 2008: Ethical Considerations in Divorce Cases; 2013: Prosecution of Contempt; Advanced Child and Spousal Support Issues; Trial of a Divorce Case; Enforcement & Post-Trial Modifications: Preliminary Observations & Rules; 2014: Marriage Dissolution - Process and Procedure; Strategies for the Effective Use of Discovery; Child Custody and Visitation; 2015: Contempt Actions; and Ethics.; 2016: Contempt Actions; Mental Health Issues in Family Law; 2017: Complex Assets in Divorce: Commingled/Transmuted Assets: What's Separate, Marital?; Family Law From Start to Finish; Divorce Cases From Start to Finish for Paralegals: Settlement and Trial; Admission/Exclusion of Unique Evidence; 2018: Settlement and Trial; Practical Application of the "Big Six" to Real-world Courtroom Events.