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| ATTORNEYS' PROFILES
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Irwin
B. Feinberg
Partner, Head of our Litigation Department
Litigation, Probate & Trust Department
ifeinberg@fmbklaw.com
Ext. 201
Irwin B. Feinberg is
our firm's lead litigator and a partner. Mr. Feinberg completed his undergraduate work at
UCLA in 1976 and earned his J.D. from the University of California at Davis in 1979. He
clerked for the Honorable Bertram Janes, Justice of the California Court of Appeal. Before
founding FMBK, he originally practiced at the law firm of Buchalter, Nemer, Fields,
Chrystie & Younger. Mr. Feinberg has an AV rating with Martindale-Hubbell.
Mr. Feinberg continues to serve on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of Our House, a grief support center, and previously served three years as its Board Chair. He continues to serve on the Board of Directors of Westview School, and previously was Chairman of that Board and recipient of the Champion Award for his services to the school. He is currently the Vice President of the Board of Directors of Claire's Place Foundation and previously served as a Member of the Board of Directors of Kayne ERAS and the Cure FD Foundation. He was named as a Super Lawyer by Los Angeles Magazine, 2005 through 2011. Mr. Feinberg lives in Pacific Palisades with his wife, Deb, and has three sons. |
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Steven
A. Mindel, CFLS*
Managing Partner, Head of our Business Transactions Department
Business Transactions & Family Law
smindel@fmbklaw.com Ext. 220 Steven A. Mindel, a Certified Family Law Specialist* since 1998, is the
Managing Partner of FMBK and heads our firm's Business Transactions Department. Mr. Mindel
graduated Magna Cum Laude from UCLA in 1981 and from the USC Law Center in 1985.
Mr. Mindel currently serves as the Past
President of the Board of Trustees of University
Synagogue and previously served on the Governing Board of Directors of Los
Angeles Free Clinic where he received two special recognition
awards for his volunteerism. He was appointed and served a two year term on the California
State Bar Family Law Section Executive Committee ("FLEXCOM".) He also served
as an Advisor to FLEXCOM for four additional years. Mr. Mindel was named as a Super Lawyer
by Los Angeles Magazine, 2004 through 2011, and was
named one of Southern California's Top 100 lawyers, 2007
through 2011. In addition to being featured on the cover of the
Super Lawyers insert in the 2009 issue of Los
Angeles Magazine, he was featured in an article titled, "The
Man Who Would De-Fang Divorce," in the 2009 Super Lawyers Magazine. Mr. Mindel
was selected by his peers for inclusion in The
Best Lawyers® 2010 and 2011. He has an AV rating with Martindale Hubbell.
Mr. Mindel is a frequent guest lecturer.
Some recent presentations include: "Premarital Agreements" and "How
to Keep Your Law Firm From Becoming a Not For Profit Organization" for White,
Zuckerman, Warsavsky, Luna, Wolf & Hunt; "The Intersection of Post Marital
Agreements and Estate Planning" for the Legal Education Institute; "Marketing
101 for Attorneys" for the Beverly Bills Bar Association Barristers; and "Preparing
for Child Custody Evaluations" for Divorce Magazine.
In addition, he is on the Levitt
& Quinn Family Law Center Advisory Council. He is a lifetime member of the UCLA
Alumni Association. Mr. Mindel is the author of "
Cooking For Our Friends," a cookbook that includes step-by-step instructions on
cooking meals for parties of more than 40 people. He is on the board of Pacific
Coast Soccer Club (PCSC). In addition, he is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and an Eagle
Boy Scout. Mr. Mindel resides in Pacific Palisades with his wife, Nancy and their
children.
View Mr. Mindel's recent television
appearances:
Early Show - Schwarzenegger-Shriver split
Good Day LA - McCourt-LA Dodgers
Good Morning America - Michael Douglas' legal
situation
Entertainment Tonight - Sandra
Bullock's legal situation, Charlie
Sheen's situation, Schwarzenegger-Shriver
split, Lopez-Anthony split, Moore-Kutcher split
The Insider Halle Berry's legal situation, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's Engagement
Today Show - Schwarzenegger-Shriver
split
AP Television - Tiger Woods' situation, Schwarzenegger-Shriver split
CBS 2 News - McCourt-LA Dodgers, Larry King's legal situation, Schwarzenegger-Shriver split
KCAL 9 News - McCourt-LA Dodgers, Larry King's legal situation, Mel Gibson's legal situation, Tiger Woods' situation, Eva Longoria and Tony Parker's legal situation,
Moore-Kutcher split
NBC 4 News - Dennis Hopper's legal situation
KTLA 5 News - General divorce advice Part 1, General divorce advice Part 2, McCourt-LA Dodgers, Schwarzenegger-Shriver split
E! News - Sandra Bullock's legal
situation, Sandra Bullock's
legal situation
CNN Prime News - Sandra Bullock's situation
ABC 7 News - Charlie Sheen's situation December
2009, April 2011, Tiger Woods situation, McCourt-LA Dodgers
Divorce October 2009, March 2010, May
2010, December 2010, June 2011, Schwarzenegger-Shriver split, Kobe-Vanessa Bryant split
Listen to Mr. Mindel on NPR and The Michael Eric Dyson
Show. |
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Robert C. Brandt, CFLS*
Partner, Head of our Family Law Department
Family Law
rbrandt@fmbklaw.com Ext. 227
Robert C. Brandt is a Certified Family Law
Specialist* and heads our firm's Family Law Department. He is a Fellow of both the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, where
he serves as Treasurer of the Southern California Chapter, and the International
Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Mr. Brandt graduated from San Diego State University
in 1971 with Distinction in Speech Arts. He earned a Masters degree in Speech from UCLA in
1972 and his JD from Southwestern University School of Law in 1976.
Mr. Brandt belongs to the Los Angeles
County and Beverly Hills Bar Associations, the Association of Certified Family Law
Specialists, and the United States District Courts. He is the current Chair of the Los
Angeles County Bar Association Family Law Section, former Chair Elect, Section Vice
Chair, Treasurer and Secretary, and has been a member of the Los Angeles County Bar
Association Executive Committee Family Law Section for more than six years. In addition,
Mr. Brandt is a member of the Beverly
Hills Bar Association Family Law Section Executive Committee (2009-2010). He has
previously served as the Chairperson of the Continuing Legal Education Subcommittee. Mr.
Brandt participated in the forming of the Family Law Branch of the American
Inns of Court in Los Angeles and has been on its Executive Committee since 2006. Among
other achievements is his experience as a volunteer mediator for the Los Angeles Superior
Court and as a grader for the Family Law section of the State Bar of California Board of
Legal Specialization. Mr. Brandt frequently participates in Continuing Legal Education
seminars as a lecturer, moderator and panel member. He was named as a Super Lawyer by Los
Angeles Magazine, 2005 through 2011, one of Southern
California's Top 100 lawyers in 2009 through 2011 and he was named one of the Top Ten Lawyers in Southern
California for 2012.
Mr. Brandt was selected by his peers for inclusion in The
Best Lawyers® 2010 and 2011. He has an AV rating with Martindale-Hubbell. Mr. Brandt
co-authored Chapter 3A, entitled, "Family
Law/Domestic Relations Issues Affecting a High Net Worth Athlete or Coach," in
the Thompson
West four-volume treatise, "Law of Professional Amateur Sports" (c) 2009.
Mr. Brandt also co-authored the article, "Under
Influence in Probate and Family Law Matters," with partner Howard Klein. The
article was published in the September 2008 issue of Los
Angeles Lawyer, and Brandt and Klein were featured on the cover of the magazine. Mr.
Brandt resides in Calabasas, California with his wife Lynn, a school psychologist. They
have three children, three grandsons and one granddaughter.
View Mr. Brandt's recent television appearances on:
Entertainment Tonight: Tiger
Woods' situation, Schwarzenegger-Shriver split May 11, 2011, May 17, 2011
KTLA Channel 5 News: Sandra
Bullock's situation and Social Media as
Divorce Evidence
Legal Broadcast Network: Schwarzenegger-Shriver
split
Listen to Mr. Brandt on KNX
1070 |
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Howard
S. Klein, CEPTPLS**
Partner, Head of our Probate & Trust Department
Probate & Trust Department, Family Law
hklein@fmbklaw.com Ext. 225Howard S. Klein, a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust
and Probate Law** since 1993, heads our firm's Probate Department. Mr. Klein graduated
Summa Cum Laude in 1958 from UCLA, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in his junior
year. He graduated from UCLA Law School in 1961, worked as a trust administrator, and has
practiced law in Los Angeles County for over 40 years. Mr. Klein also holds an
"AV" rating with Martindale-Hubbell.
Mr. Klein has practiced family law for over
35 years and has lectured, written and been a frequent panelist for Continuing Education
of the Bar and most major local bar associations, primarily on probate/family law
cross-over issues, on which he is an acknowledged authority. He is on the Los Angeles
Superior Court Probate Mediation Panel and has mediated over 100 cases in the past decade.
Mr. Klein is the immediate past Chair of
the State Bar Advisory Commission on Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law. He has
chaired the Probate Section of the Beverly Hills Bar Association and sat for six years on
the Executive Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association Trust and Estate
Section. He was named as a Super Lawyer by Los Angeles Magazine, 2005 through 2011, and was named on of Southern California's Top 100
Lawyers in 2011. He was selected by his peers for inclusion in The
Best Lawyers® 2010 and 2011. Howard Klein authored the article "Tales of Two Courts - Legal Changes in marital status can have a
dramatic impact on existing estate plans", which was published in Los Angeles
Lawyer Magazine, April 2005. Mr. Klein also co-authored with Geoffrey M. Murry the article
"Estate
Planning for Non-traditional Couples", which was published in the California
Board of Legal Specialization Digest, 2007. In addition, Mr. Klein authored the article
"Transmutation
and the Ascendance of Undue Influence", which was published in the California
Trusts and Estates Quarterly, Fall 2008. Also, Mr. Klein co-authored the article, "Under
the Influence in Probate and Family Law Matters," with partner Robert Brandt. The
article was published in the September 2008 issue of Los
Angeles Lawyer, and Klein and Brandt were featured on the cover of the magazine.
Finally, Mr. Klein authored the article, "Parting of the Ways: Clients
contemplating divorce need to consider revision of their estate plans," which was
published in the June 2010 issue of Los Angeles Lawyer. A past member of B'nai
B'rith International ("BBI") Board of Governors, Mr. Klein resides in
Porter Ranch with his wife, Rosalind, who is a former Senior International Vice President
of BBI.
View Mr. Klein's recent television appearances on:
Entertainment Tonight: Whitney Houston's Will |
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Jeremy B. Kline, CFLS*
Partner
Litigation & Family Law
jkline@fmbklaw.com Ext. 219
Jeremy Kline, Certified Family Law
Specialist, graduated Cum Laude from UCLA in 1982 and from the USC Law Center in 1985. Mr.
Kline is a partner and practices in the areas of business, real-estate and commercial
litigation, as well as family law. He has briefed several appeals during his practice,
including City
National Bank v. Adams, 96 Cal.App.4th 315 (2002). Mr. Kline has an AV rating with
Martindale Hubbell. He is a member of the LA County, Beverly Hills, American Bar
Association and the Century City I, Professional
Network Group. He was named as a Super Lawyer by Los Angeles Magazine in 2009, 2010, 2011. He is also a lifetime member
of the UCLA Alumni Association. Jerry has a wife, Betsy, and two children. |
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Wallace
S. Fingerett, CFLS*
Partner
Family Law & Litigation
wfingerett@fmbklaw.com
Ext. 211Wallace S. Fingerett is a
Certified Family Law Specialist. He has been an attorney for more than 30 years. He
graduated from San Diego State University with a degree in business and the University of
La Verne Law School. Mr. Fingerett practices Family Law exclusively. He was named as a
Super Lawyer by Los Angeles Magazine in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Mr.
Fingerett has an AV rating with Martindale-Hubbell.
His experience includes work as a solo
practitioner for more than twenty years and a senior financial consultant for a major
brokerage. Mr. Fingerett has lectured at adult continuing education courses; volunteer
attorney at Senior Citizens Center in Van Nuys and Reseda; volunteer attorney at Haven
Hills Women's Shelter in San Fernando Valley; volunteer attorney at Ventura County Family
Services in Thousand Oaks; volunteer attorney on behalf of Asylum applicants in Texas. He
resides in Woodland Hills with his wife, Rhonda, and two teenage boys. |
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Nancy L. Burt, CFLS*
Associate
Family Law
nburt@fmbklaw.com Ext. 204
Nancy Burt is a Certified Family Law
Specialist. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from UCLA in 1983 and received her law
degree from the University of San Francisco in 1986. Her practice is devoted exclusively
to the practice of family law. Prior to joining FMBK, Ms. Burt practiced with the law firm
of Coleman-Schwimmer & Warren. She has published "Sex Discrimination: Isbister v.
Boy's Club" in the University of San Francisco Law Review, 1985.
Ms. Burt serves on FMBK's Summer Law Clerk
Program Committee along with Taylor Bouchard. |
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John
B. Chason
Associate
Family Law
jchason@fmbklaw.com Ext. 214
John Chason graduated Magna Cum Laude from Humboldt State University with a B.A. in
Philosophy, and received his law degree from The Ohio State University College of Law.
After law school, Mr. Chason worked at The
Alliance for Children's Rights, where he received the Champion for Children award in
1996.
Prior to joining FMBK, Mr. Chason was a sole practitioner in family law and criminal
defense for over 10 years. He was appellate counsel in the case of Ross v. Figueroa (2006)
139 Cal.App.4th 856, one of the few published appellate decisions in the area of domestic
violence restraining orders. He published "Police
Reports: Let Them In or Keep Them Out" in LACBA Family Law News and Review. He
served on the Executive Committee of the Southern California Family Law American Inn of
Court in 2009.
Mr. Chason's practice is primarily family law, with particular expertise in domestic
violence and cross-over family law/criminal matters. |
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Alex Grager, CFLS*
Associate
Family Law
agrager@fmbklaw.com Ext.222
Alex Grager is a Certified Family Law
Specialist. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from the University
of Southern California in 2001 and a law degree from the University of Southern California
Law Center in 2004. While in law school, Mr. Grager worked at Bet Tzedek Legal Service, a
non-profit law group providing low cost/no cost legal counsel to the community. He is
experienced in family law litigation representing clients in all aspect of family law
including custody disputes and domestic violence.
Mr. Grager is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and the Beverly Hills Bar
Association, where he serves on the Board of Governors of the Barristers. He is a co-chair
of the Roxbury Park Legal Clinic and of the Domestic Violence Project of the Beverly Hills
Bar Association. Mr. Grager was recognized with the Beverly Hills Bar Association
Barristers Lawrence J. Blake award for his community service. He has lectured to new
family law attorneys at the annual Los Angeles County Family Court programs and has
presented on cross-over domestic violence issues in family law and criminal law at
continuing legal education programs. Mr. Grager was named a Rising Star by Los Angeles
Magazine in 2009, 2010 and 2011. He is fluent in Russian. |
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Megan
E. Green , CFLS*
Associate
Family Law
mgreen@fmbklaw.com Ext. 218Megan E. Green is a Certified Family Law Specialist. She graduated
Cum Laude from Auburn University with a B.A. in Political Science and Spanish. At Auburn,
Ms. Green served as the President of the College of Liberal Arts and interned for the
Supreme Court of Alabama. She earned her J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law,
where she was a member of the Trial Advocacy Honors Program, the symposium editor for the
Journal of Law and Trade in the Americas, President of the Family Law Society, and
Southwestern's liaison to the American Bar Association. During law school, Ms. Green
externed for the Honorable Roy Paul, a family law judge. She was named a Rising Star by
Los Angeles Magazine in 2010 and 2011.
Ms. Green is a member of the
Beverly Hills Bar Association; she is also a former board member of the Beverly Hills
Bar Association and the Barristers' board. In particular, she served as the Homeless
Project Chairperson and Treasurer for the Beverly Hills Bar Association Barristers. In
2007, Ms. Green was recognized with the Beverly Hills Bar Association Barristers' Lawrence
J. Blake award for her outstanding achievement in community service. Ms. Green is also a
member of the Los
Angeles County Bar Association and the Inns of Court. She is a founding friend of the Los
Angeles Trial Lawyers Charities ("LATLC"), an organization dedicated to
community service, and a member of Consumer
Attorneys Association of Los Angeles ("CAALA"). Ms. Green has volunteered
for the Harriett
Buhai Center for Family Law and served as a co-lecturer in a presentation entitled,
Oh What A Tangled Web We Weave When First We Practice To Deceive, for a
Continuing Legal Education seminar on the subject of spouses' fiduciary duties as
interpreted in the case Marriage of Feldman. She also wrote a summary for Divorce
Magazine on division of retirement plans upon dissolution. Ms. Green speaks Spanish. |
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John
Adam Lazor, CFLS*
Associate
Family Law
jlazor@fmbklaw.com Ext. 210John Adam Lazor is a Certified Family Law
Specialist. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa with Departmental Honors and Distinction in
psychology from Stanford University in 1987 and received his law degree from the
University of Michigan in 1992.
Mr. Lazor has practiced family law for over
17 years. He was appointed and will serve on the California
State Bar Family Law Section Executive Committee ("FLEXCOM") for 2010-2013.
He is the Chair of both the FLEXCOM Membership Committee and Vice-Chair of the FLEXCOM
Affirmative Legislation Committee. Mr. Lazor serves on the Executive Committee of the Los
Angeles Chapter of the Family Law Inns
of Court. Mr. Lazor was named as a Super Lawyer by Los Angeles Magazine in 2011. Mr. Lazor is a member of the Family Law
Sections of both the California Bar Association and the Los
Angeles County Bar Association. Mr. Lazor is a Past President of the Family Law
Indigent Paternity Panel, has worked with the Levitt
& Quinn Family Law Center, and has volunteered for the Harriett
Buhai Center for Family Law and Aids
Project Los Angeles.
Mr. Lazor has been the featured guest on
two one-hour television shows designed to educate parents regarding their legal rights and
responsibilities. He has been a guest lecturer speaking with high school students about
the realities of teenage parenthood in a Family Law context. Mr. Lazor's published
articles include Negotiating
with the Child Support Services Department at Central Civil West in Los Angeles Lawyer
Magazine.
Mr. Lazor is a lifetime member of both the
University of Michigan Alumni Association and the Stanford University Alumni
Association. In addition, Mr. Lazor is a composer, conductor, lyricist and
performer. He wrote the book, music, and lyrics for a musical comedy entitled
The Elixir, which had its premiere in 1983. Mr. Lazor is a member of
Broadcast Music, Incorporated, for film scoring. Mr. Lazor resides in Culver City with his
wife, Pam, and their two daughters. |
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Donna
L. Shapiro
Associate
Probate & Trust Department
dshapiro@fmbklaw.com Ext. 221Donna L. Shapiro graduated with Honors and Distinction from Stanford
University in 1986, attended Harvard Law School and completed her J.D. at Stanford
University in 1989. Her practice is devoted to the area of estate planning. Prior to
joining FMBK, Ms. Shapiro practiced with the law firm of Rosenfeld, Meyer & Susman in
Beverly Hills. She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of
University Synagogue. She is also a lifetime member of the Stanford Alumni Association.
Ms. Shapiro resides in Pacific Palisades with her two sons. |
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Taylor
E. Bouchard
Associate
Family Law
tbouchard@fmbklaw.com Ext. 212
Taylor Bouchard earned her J.D. from Western New England College, School of Law in
Massachusetts, and her B.A. in Political Philosophy from Scripps College in Claremont.
Prior to law school, Ms. Bouchard worked as a paralegal.
During law school, she was a Judicial Extern, reviewing wills and estate taxes for the
Connecticut Probate Courts. Also during law school, Ms. Bouchard participated in Moot
Court, placing fifth in the nation out of 216 competing teams. In addition, she was an
advocate for low-income tenants in the Massachusetts Housing Court. In her free time, Ms.
Bouchard enjoys going to the beach, cooking and walking her dog.Ms. Bouchard serves on FMBK's Summer Law Clerk Program Committee
along with Nancy Burt. |
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Matthew
K. Skarin
Associate
Family Law
mskarin@fmbklaw.com Ext. 213
Matthew Skarin is both an attorney and a CPA. He earned his J.D. from Loyola Law School
Los Angeles, and his B.A. in Business Economics with an emphasis in Accounting from the
University of California at Santa Barbara.
Prior to law school, Matthew worked for the accounting firms of Deloitte & Touche and
Miller and Co., doing both tax and compliance work. During law school, Mr. Skarin clerked
for Judge Bluebond in the Federal Bankruptcy Court in Los Angeles and was an extern in the
Clinical Honors Program with the California Attorney General's Office in the Business and
Tax division. Additionally, Matthew was a staff member of the Loyola Law School
Entertainment Law Review. In his free time, Mr. Skarin enjoys surfing, playing golf, and
scuba diving. |
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Gregory
A. Girvan
Associate
Family Law
ggirvan@fmbklaw.com Ext.
217Gregory A. Girvan holds a B.A. in
Political Science from the University of California at Davis and a law degree from Loyola
Law School, Los Angeles. He graduated law school in the top quarter of his class.While
attending Loyola Law School, Mr. Girvan served as a Family Law judicial extern for the
Honorable Harvey Silberman of the Los Angeles Superior Court.
Mr. Girvan formerly served as a legislative deputy for the
California State Assembly. While working for the Legislature, he drafted legislation to
prepare California's communications infrastructure for natural disasters and to curb
harassment in the workplace. He remains active in local politics in the San Fernando
Valley and has organized numerous political events, including hosting Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at FMBK. |
** Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law
* Certified Family Law Specialist
State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization |
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