Find a Professional

General Comments

Alison’s practice includes mediation, collaborative divorce, and consulting/agreement review for clients involved in mediation and other settlement processes. A compassionate and trusted advisor, Alison strives to meet clients’ needs with flexible scheduling, responsive communication, and a variety of services ranging from stand-alone consultations for those needing one-time advice or paperwork assistance, to the support of an interdisciplinary team. She works with families and couples who are dissolving a marriage and/or domestic partnership, unmarried couples who are separating or co-parenting, and couples considering marriage or cohabitation. Alison also works with extended families and adult siblings in facilitated family decision making on topics including family-owned businesses.

Alison specializes in online mediation and serves clients throughout California, also offering in-person meetings at her office in Oakland. Through her work designing trainings and continuing education for mediators and divorce professionals, Alison maintains a robust referral network. She enjoys helping couples and individuals plan their process roadmap and connect with the right professionals to support their family through transition while keeping them out of court.

Alison received her law degree from the University of California Berkeley, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Berkeley Journal of Gender, Law, and Justice. She received her B.A. (cum laude) from the University of California Los Angeles. An active attorney and member of the State Bar of California for over 20 years, Alison was drawn to conflict resolution work and its potential for improving outcomes, reducing costs, and promoting understanding and healing for participants. She has extensive training in mediation and collaborative law and devotes her practice entirely to consensual dispute resolution. Alison lives in Oakland, California with her partner and two teenage sons.

General Comments

I have been practicing law since 1989, virtually all of which has been devoted to family law, first as a litigator, then mediation, and beginning in 2004, collaboration. My current practice is comprised of all three models. I believe it is important for every client to understand each of the three available paths to resolving their divorce, and then pick the model that best suits their particular situation. My preference is to resolve issues outside of court. When clients and their attorneys make a commitment to do that, which is the hallmark of a collaborative divorce case, the clients are best able to maintain control over their lives and the outcome of the issues in their divorce. While collaborative divorce can be exceedingly challenging, I have found it to be the most rewarding work I have done as a family law attorney. I grew up in the East Bay and received my undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley and law degree from Golden Gate University. I currently live in Oakland with my wife and daughter. Len Weiler and I have been law partners since 1999. Our office has been in San Ramon since 1990. I have been an active member (treasurer and steering committee currently) of our local collaborative practice group (now Collaborative Practice East Bay) and a member of The International Academy of Collaborative Professionals since 2004. I have been a member of our three local bar associations, Contra Costa County, Alameda County, and Eastern Alameda County, for the last 19 years. I have served on the Board of The Eastern Alameda County Bar Association since 1994 and am a Past President (1999). I also joined the Board at my daughter’s school in May 2007 and have very much enjoyed the challenges that presents.

General Comments

Bekki Callaway (they/them) is a queer, non-monogamous mediator in the San Francisco Bay Area who works with LGBTQIA+, non-monogamous, neurodivergent, and other non-traditional families and allies. Their legal practice focuses on creating affordable solutions for family transitions that account for each family’s unique needs and treat all individuals with respect, compassion, and kindness. Bekki offers a sliding scale fee to help prevent cost from being a barrier to accessing legal services.

Bekki provides collaborative divorce and mediation services to couples and polycules ending a marriage, domestic partnership, or cohabitation. They work both as a collaborative attorney, a mediator, and as a consulting attorney for individuals in mediation. Bekki also helps families create co-habitation agreements and pre- or post-nuptial agreements. They practice primarily in Alameda, Contra Costa, and Solano counties, but offer services to clients throughout California.

Bekki earned their J.D. from Berkeley School of Law in 2011, and is a member of the Alameda and Contra Costa County Bar Associations. They volunteer as a mediator for the Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center and teach conflict conversation skills. Outside of their legal practice, Bekki is passionate about creating community and chosen family. They co-founded the Poly Alt Parenting group, which holds regular potlucks and discussions for non-monogamous families and allies, and also run a sex positive womxn’s mediation group. Bekki writes about the intersection of non-traditional families and the law at https://newhorizonsfamilylaw.substack.com.

General Comments

Compassion, communication, and authenticity are as important to my work as are my legal skills. I never forget that my work is in service to my clients and I strive to bring respect and empathy to all my interactions.

I believe that families don’t belong in court. That’s why I devote my practice to helping couples resolve disputes peacefully, with respect and dignity.

During my decades in court handling contested custody, support, and property division cases, I saw first-hand how divorce litigation can take a great toll on a family. Fear and anger make it hard for normally reasonable people to compromise. The children are under great stress. Even when one side “wins,” both sides come away emotionally damaged.

My search for alternatives to litigation led me to Mediation and Collaborative Practice. I am grateful to have these real tools to help families reduce the tension and conflict of a divorce.

What Clients Say

“I would highly recommend Emily De Falla for family law matters and collaborative practice divorce. Not only is she strong and outspoken when necessary, but she is also remarkably insightful and perceptive – two qualities which are particularly important during a collaborative practice divorce. Her communication was clear, calm and kind as she guided me through the complexities of the divorce process. You will be well-represented with Emily De Falla as your lawyer.” –B.D

Locations

Serving Contra Costa, Alameda, Napa and Solano counties with offices in Walnut Creek and Danville, CA.

Services

• Mediation (Family Law and Trusts & Estates)
• Collaborative Divorce
• Consulting Attorney (Family Law)
• Prenuptial & Marital Agreements
• Wills & Trusts
• Collaborative Dispute Resolution (Trusts & Estates)

Profession Education and Licensing

• University of California Hastings College of the Law 1988 (Honors)
• Admitted to practice, State Bar of California 1988

Public Service

• Chair of Board of Directors, Long Term Care Ombudsman Services of Contra Costa
• Solano Counties (Board Chair)
• Board Member, Collaborative Practice California

Professional Associations

• Collaborative Practice California
• Collaborative Practice East Bay
• Collaborative Practice Silicon Valley Trusts & Estates Committee (Ass. Member)
• International Academy of Collaborative Professionals
• California Lawyers Association (Trusts & Estates and Family Law Sections)
• Alameda County Bar Association (Family Law Section
• Contra Costa Bar Association (Trusts & Estates, Family Law Sections)
• Academy of Professional Family Mediators
• Association for Alternative Dispute Resolution of Northern California
• Association of Family and Conciliation Courts
• California Assn. of Marriage and Family Therapists (Ass. Member)
• California Dispute Resolution Council

. . . keeping families out of court

General Comments

I have practiced family law exclusively since 2005 because I find great meaning working directly with my clients on matters that deeply affect their lives. Having been divorced myself, I know how important it is to have a caring, competent, and effective attorney in a family law matter. Whether I’m coaching my client behind the scenes, negotiating a settlement in a meeting or mediation, or litigating in court, I take my responsibilities seriously knowing that the results I achieve will have long-lasting effects. I take pleasure in applying my expertise to resolve legal matters so that my clients can move on with their lives. While I can and do litigate with the best of them, I prefer keeping my clients out of court so they can direct their own futures, instead of having a judge direct it for them.

I am a Certified Family Law Specialist with the State Bar of California and am active in the following organizations: Association of Certified Family Law Specialists; Alameda County Family Law Association; and the Alameda County, Contra Costa County, and California Bar Association Family Law Sections. I also volunteer in the Alameda County Superior Court as a Family Law Settlement Referee helping to settle thorny cases that are on the eve of trial. I received my undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley and my law degree at UC Davis.

General Comments

Amanda L. Gordon concentrates her legal practice on all aspects of Divorce and Family law including property division, spousal and child support, parentage and custody matters, drafting pre- and post-marital agreements.

Amanda’s goal in working with divorcing clients is to ensure that they are fully informed of their options, rights, and choices. She believes that clients are better prepared to make decisions when they have all available information. She has enjoyed working in multi-disciplinary teams and knows that divorce can be one of the most emotionally and financially stressful experiences for clients. For that reason, she believes finding the right professional for each client is critical.

Amanda is a Bay Area native, growing up in Palo Alto and attending Castilleja High School. She graduated from Wesleyan University and worked in Advertising for several years before she attended Santa Clara University School of Law. She now lives in the East Bay and on the weekends, you can find Amanda hiking with her poorly behaved Labradoodle, Griffin.

Amanda is committed to community impact work and volunteers with Glide Memorial Church, the Alameda County Bar Association, and the Justice Diversity Center.

General Comments

Tamarah Haet is an experienced family law attorney providing family mediation and collaborative practice services for clients in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. She is committed to providing skilled services to married couples, unmarried couples, and domestic partners in all areas of family law, including dissolution and legal separation, child custody and support, spousal support, property division, and pre- and post-marital agreements. Tamarah earned her law degree at the UC Davis School of Law and a Dual B.A. in Social Welfare and Legal Studies at UC Berkeley.

General Comments

Bernie Kempen is a 4th generation lawyer, with the firm of Probart Cloete and Kempen being founded in 1874 in Victoria West, South Africa. He emigrated to the US forty-one years ago. He graduated with a B.A. from the University of Cape Town and obtained his JD from Golden Gate University School of Law.

Bernie was a Family Law associate with Cunningham and Lansden and thereafter a sole practitioner since 1996. In 2002 he was certified by the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization as a Certified Family Law Specialist.

Bernie has served on many PTA and Community Theatre boards. He is a Rotarian devoted to Service above Self and adheres to the Rotary 4-Way test: Is it the truth? is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Is it beneficial to all?

General Comments

Camille King is a family law mediator and collaborative attorney, specializing in dissolution of marriage and domestic partnerships, as well as cohabitation agreements and premarital agreements.  Camille is the immediate past Chair of the Steering Committee for Collaborative Practice East Bay. Camille has served as a member of the Board of Directors of The Mediation Society and of Collaborative Practice California, as the Chair of the ADR Executive Committee for Alameda County Bar Association (ACBA), and as a volunteer community mediator for SEEDS Community Resolution Center. Camille received her J.D. from UC Hastings College of the Law and her B.A. from University of Georgia.

General Comments

Arlene Kostant is a State Bar Certified Family Law Specialist assisting clients in resolving family law issues through negotiation, mediation, and collaboration. She is a former President of CPEB (Collaborative Practice East Bay) and a former co-chair of Collaborative Practice San Francisco. Arlene is a recipient of the Eureka Award recognizing contributions to collaborative practice in the state. In addition to her work with collaborative practice groups, Arlene is a member of the Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco Bar Associations’ Family Law Sections, as well as their Alternative Dispute Resolution Sections. Arlene has acted as judge pro tem for the San Francisco Family Law court and has an “AV” rating by Martindale-Hubbell. She was selected by the San Francisco Daily Journal as one of California’s 25 most sought-after family law mediators and is regularly listed as a Northern California “Super Lawyer” by Law and Politics Publishers. Arlene has trained extensively in mediation and collaboration skills, has previously taught mediation and negotiation at UC Law San Francisco (formerly Hastings), and negotiation at UC Berkeley (Boalt Hall) Law Schools. In addition, she leads negotiation workshops for law firms, collaborative practice groups, and private industry. Arlene is committed to helping parties stay out of court and to reaching solutions that truly work for them.

General Comments

Meghan Lang works as a collaborative professional, mediator, conflict coach, and consulting attorney in Albany. She received her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and her JD from the UCLA Public Interest Law and Policy Program.  She specializes in helping people in emotionally complex relationships navigate challenging conversations, including premarital and cohabitation agreements, the dissolution of marriage and domestic partnerships, and co-parenting agreements. Meghan believes that every conflict is an opportunity to enhance understanding, improve communication, and repair relationships.

Meghan is a member of the State Bar of California, the Bar Association of San Francisco, Alameda County Bar Association, and the Berkeley-Albany Bar Association. She also a Steering Committee member of Collaborative Practice East Bay (CPEB), the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP), and the Association for Dispute Resolution of Northern California. Meghan volunteers as a mediator and coach with SEEDS Community Resolution Center in Berkeley, where she also serves on the Board of Directors.

General Comments

I practice family law because I enjoy working closely with clients during a time when they are most in need of caring, straight-forward assistance. I advise clients through all aspects of marital dissolutions, including child and spousal support, child custody and visitation, and property valuation and division. No two cases are the same, and I strive to provide thoughtful, tailored guidance to clients both in and out of the courtroom.

I am a Certified Family Law Specialist and have numerous bar association memberships, including the Association of Certified Family Law Specialists and Family Law Sections of the Alameda County, Contra Costa County, San Francisco County, and California Bar Associations. I serve on the Alameda County Bar Association Family Law Executive Committee, and volunteer in the courts assisting the court and self-represented litigants to settle their cases and prepare required legal forms.

Outside of the office I enjoy hiking with my dog (Apple), spending time with my family, and reading for my long-standing book club.

Anne Mania has been a family law mediator and attorney in California for over a decade. Anne firmly believes that parties and their children are best served reaching agreements that work for their individual situations. Her experience as a litigator has consistently reinforced her commitment to helping parties resolve their issues without going to court. She takes a practical and solution-oriented approach to all of her cases and her goal is always to help people reach a fair resolution of issues so that everyone can move forward with their lives as quickly and peacefully as possible.

General Comments

Deborah J. Marx has been practicing family law since 1981 and is happy to be participating in this new model for conflict resolution. She is a Certified Family Law Specialist (State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization). She is the divorced parent of two grown children.

General Comments

Emma practices family law as a litigating attorney, a consulting lawyer, and a neutral mediator. She currently sits on the Family Law Section Executive Committee of the Alameda County Bar Association and is a member of the East Bay Collaborative Practice Group. Before coming to Blum, Gibbs, Davies & Owen, Emma worked with East Bay Family Defenders; the East Bay Community Law Center; and the Bronx Defenders Family Defense Practice. Emma earned her JD at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, where she was elected to the Order of the Coif. While at Berkeley Law, she was a member of the Berkeley Law Trial Team and a Written & Oral Advocacy Teaching Assistant. Emma also earned her BA at UC Berkeley, where she double-majored in Rhetoric and in Theatre & Performance Studies and graduated with High Honors. She is an East Bay native.

General Comments

Driven by a passion for social justice, Katie focuses solely on family law. Katie is determined to positively impact the lives of her clients and their families during difficult and often emotional times by providing counsel that’s both empathetic and pragmatic. She ensures that her clients’ rights are protected while maintaining focus on the big picture. Katie has taken extensive Alternative Dispute Resolution courses, including an intensive 40-hour mediation course, and has been trained as a collaborative divorce attorney. She prides herself on utilizing settlement-oriented tools in her everyday practice to ensure the best possible outcome for her clients.

Katie’s past legal experience includes representing both parents and children in the foster care system and clerking for the Hon. Donald J. Sullivan of the San Francisco Superior Court. She has worked at various child advocacy organizations, including an NGO in Bangalore, India. Additionally, through the Alameda County Family Justice Center, Katie ran a free family law clinic and supervised law students as they provided pro bono services for domestic violence survivors.

Katie is currently an adjunct faculty member at San Francisco State University and Golden Gate Law School. Outside of the office, Katie spends her free time engaging in local adventures with her family and experimenting with new recipes.

General Comments

Renée Ross is a Fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and International Academy of Family Lawyers. She is also a Certified Family Law Specialist. Renee has been recognized as a “Super Lawyer” every year since 2014 and has received annual recognition as one of the Top 50 Women Lawyers in Northern California. Renee has practiced family law exclusively since 2005, including in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Napa, and Marin counties. She is experienced in all types of family law, including divorce, custody, spousal and child support, paternity, domestic partnership dissolution, and high-asset, complex property division.

In 2004, I opened Mediation Offices to offer non-adversarial family law legal services, with offices in Oakland and San Francisco. After graduating from UC Berkeley and Golden Gate School of Law’s Honors Lawyering Program, I have spent my entire twenty-year career practicing exclusively mediation and Collaborative Practice. I strive to provide high-quality legal services with an emphasis on also creating a conciliatory environment for my clients. My goal is to honor the trust that clients place in Mediation Offices to guide them through some of life’s most challenging times by being intellectually and emotionally present to my clients’ unique situations while also being highly accessible and responsive. Always enjoying learning and studying to optimize my legal services, I earned an LLM in Taxation Law from Golden Gate University School of Law’s program in December 2012.

I am a member of the State Bar of California and an active member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals and the Alameda County Bar Association.

I, also, have the incredible pleasure of being on a long and treasured journey studying and practicing Eastern philosophy.

General Comments

Marcy relishes her work as a mediator and collaborative professional and is committed to helping clients create lasting agreements without stepping foot in a courthouse. When working as a consulting attorney, she provides legal advice and support to clients who are in mediation with a different mediator. When representing clients in a cooperative negotiation, she works toward settlement with the other party or the other party’s attorney.

Marcy has a strong background in conflict resolution, having trained for years with the Bay Area Non-Violent Communication Center and the Center for Understanding in Conflict. She draws on her many years of experience and training to determine the approach most appropriate to her clients’ circumstances.

Marcy is a member of the State Bar of California, the Contra Costa Bar Association (ADR board member), and Alameda County Bar Association. She is also a Steering Committee member of Collaborative Practice East Bay (CPEB) and a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP). She served as the co-chair of the 2021 Collaborative Practice of California Annual Celebration.

Marcy earned her bachelor’s degree in Economics from UCLA and her JD from the King Hall School of Law at University of California, Davis. She has guest lectured on family law mediation at UC Davis Law School and has enjoyed teaching communication techniques to other attorneys as a presenter for Continuing Education of the Bar.

General Comments

Charlie Spiegel’s Bay Area based legal practice includes divorce and custody mediation, pre and post nuptial planning and agreements, adoption, surrogacy and real estate matters. Charlie is one of the co-writers of Divorce Options, a free or low cost online California statewide public education program about divorce process choices, and continues to be actively involved with that program. Charlie served as Co-Chair of the National Board of LambdaLegal.org, and was a founding Executive Director of Our Family, the Bay Area’s LGBT family organization. Charlie also served on the Board of Directors for KidsTurn (now a program of Safe and Sound), Collaborative Practice California, and Collaborative Practice SF, and is a member of the National Family Law Institute.

Charlie has had 25 years of wide experience in real estate since graduating New York University School of Law with honors, He received a Fammy award from San Francisco’s Jewish Family & Children’s Services in 2009, and in 2017 the OurFamily.org award for his advocacy for families. He has lived in the SF Bay Area since just before the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, and through his own family’s divorce. He sees clients in his main office in SF’s Noe Valley, Civic Center, Montclair in Oakland, and Orinda; and where appropriate online whenever a California case has participants.

Email is the best initial contact for Charlie.

“Do not cut what can be untied.” This proverb illustrates my goal while working with people in conflict. I started my legal career litigating contentious cases in family court, where I witnessed firsthand how litigation further destroyed many people’s relationships. My proudest moments from my litigating days were not the trial victories I won in court, but the settlements I negotiated, where both my client and the opposing party felt lighter and less resentful towards each other by the end.

I have now transitioned completely into alternative dispute resolution to help families resolve their issues in a non-adversarial setting. My services include: direct legal representation to clients in the collaborative divorce process, mediation, and legal consulting for clients in mediation. I apply a compassionate, holistic and human-focused approach in all areas of my practice. Success to me means handling each case with tailored care, fostering empathy, and minimizing damage as much as possible. Ultimately, I try to help people who couldn’t partner in marriage learn to be a team in divorce (and even beyond, for those with children). I am fluent in Spanish and offer bilingual services as well.

Prior to obtaining my JD degree from UC Berkeley School of Law, I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree from UC Berkeley, with a major in International Development and a minor in Anthropology. After graduating, I worked as an in-home caretaker for an elderly woman with Alzheimer’s Disease, and then moved to Argentina, where I learned Spanish, studied (and practiced) the art of clowning, and taught English as a Second Language (ESL). In all my work and play, I strive to connect with people on a deeper level, to truly understand them, and to help them understand both themselves better and those with whom they are in relationship.

General Comments

Jenna Williams, Esq. is a collaborative family law attorney and mediator dedicated to helping families resolve conflict in a healthier, more peaceful way. After years litigating civil and family law cases in court, Jenna started her family law practice with the intention of focusing exclusively on out-of-court solutions such as collaborative divorce and mediation. She believes families deserve a process that minimizes conflict, reduces stress, and helps everyone move forward with clarity and respect.

Jenna specializes in all aspects of divorce (child custody, child support, spousal support, division of property) and also prepares premarital and post-marital agreements. Her approach is warm, practical, and highly client-centered—she tailors her services to the unique needs and priorities of each couple or family she works with. Her goal is to create a supportive environment where clients feel heard and empowered to make thoughtful, lasting decisions for their future.

Jenna earned her J.D. from Pepperdine University School of Law and was admitted to the California State Bar in 2013. Outside of her practice, she enjoys running, hiking, yoga, and exploring our country’s beautiful national parks.

General Comments

Ariel Winger has practiced family law exclusively since 1999.  In 2007, after years of litigating domestic-violence cases, Ariel turned to Mediation and Collaborative Practice Divorce as more humane, holistic, and cost-effective alternatives to the traditionally combative, court-based options.

Ariel is passionate about helping parting couples avoid the stress and expense of a court-based divorce/separation and offers services as a Mediator (working as a neutral third party for both participants), as a Collaborative Practice Attorney (working with one party), as an Independent Consulting Attorney (providing legal advice for one party in mediation), and as a Non-Adversarial Attorney (negotiating out-of-court settlements on behalf of one party).

Ariel has been a member of Collaborative Practice East Bay since 2007.  She served on the Steering Committee and was a founding member of the Modest Means Committee- dedicated to offering Collaborative Practice Divorce to low-income clients.

Ariel has worked with diverse populations and non-traditional families for over 20 years, including LGBTQ+ and polyamorous couples, and those struggling with mental health issues, addiction, and trauma.  Drawing on her study of Buddhism and Non-Violent Communication, Ariel offers compassionate and non-judgmental services to parting couples of all races, ethnicities, socio-economic statuses, sexual orientations, and gender identities.