Family Law Firm Overview

San Francisco-based law firm serving the Bay Area

The San Francisco Bay Area attorneys at Lerner · Poole, LLP are committed to assisting their clients through the difficult process of divorce, community property disputes, and child custody and support actions in a way that eases the conflict and confusion which is often encountered.  Our San Francisco family law firm offers a sophisticated range of services, with a particular focus on complex family law disputes in which significant assets are at stake.

We make every attempt to settle cases in the interest of preserving assets and preventing the emotional drain associated with contentious family law disputes.  If we cannot attain a settlement through negotiation or our clients wish to pursue a more aggressive approach, we are ready to fight for our clients to pursue their best interests in court.

Who We Are

Our San Francisco family attorneys are highly skilled and personable, and we always take the time to answer any questions and provide copies of all correspondence and pleadings.  In practice since 1980, Esther R. Lerner is an AV-Preeminent rated, Certified Family Law Specialist with a Master's degree in Psychology.  Every year since 2004, Ms. Lerner has been voted by her peers to be a Northern California Super Lawyer (top 5%) by a San Francisco Magazine poll.  Stacey Poole, a Certified Family Law Specialist with a Master's degree in Taxation, has been practicing family law exclusively since 1999.  Bonnie Jacobsen, our paralegal, has more than 20 years experience conducting research, preparing documents, and providing other litigation support.

Our family lawyers in San Francisco are dedicated to the community, and regularly provides pro bono legal services through the Volunteer Legal Services Program of the Bar Association of San Francisco.

What to Expect when You Have a Family Law Dispute

To learn more about what to expect when you are represented by Lerner · Poole, LLP in a divorce proceeding, community property dispute, custody dispute, or other family law matter, please read the topics below:

• Confidentiality
• Communication
• Experts
• Mediation & Settlement Negotiations
• Legal Advice
• Copies of Documents
• Fees & Billing
• Office Hours

Confidentiality

At Lerner · Poole, LLP, we maintain the strictest confidentiality with respect to our files and conferences, so clients can feel safe in disclosing anything to our staff.  We do not give out addresses, telephone numbers or any other information concerning our divorce and other family law clients.  We discuss a case with a relative or other third party only when instructed to do so by the client.

Please be aware, however, that pleadings (legal papers) filed with the court are not generally confidential, as they are public records and open to inspection by anyone. 

Communication

We understand that our clients are facing issues that affect their day-to-day lives, and it is important to us to answer your questions and keep you informed of the status of your case.  For this reason, we make every attempt to respond to your calls as quickly as possible. 

Our family and matrimonial law practice requires us to be in court frequently, which means that we are at times away from the office attending to the needs of our clients.  We ask that clients bear with us as we give each case the attention it deserves, and urge clients to communicate with us via email or make personal appointments to meet with us in person.

Experts

In pursuit of our clients' goals, we use a team approach to representation, frequently employing experts such as forensic accountants, estate planners, financial planners, business valuators, appraisers, child psychologists, actuaries (risk assessors), and other professionals.  In doing so, we are happy to work with experts preferred by our clients, as well as provide recommendations for skilled experts with whom we regularly work.  Lerner · Poole, LLP clients must make independent financial arrangements with all experts.

Mediation & Settlement Negotiations

Court procedures are expensive and time consuming, and can waste the assets of even large estates.  Therefore, our attorneys make every reasonable effort to settle our clients' cases without litigation.  We frequently pursue alternative methods of dispute resolution (ADR), such as mediation or collaborative law proceedings, which are typically less expensive and more efficient that litigating through the court system. 

We strongly urge clients not to conduct their own settlement negotiations without first consulting with our professionals, as the settlement of a case requires a detailed evaluation of the facts and the law - skills as important as the presentation of a case in court.

Legal Advice

Legal advice and opinions regarding your family law matter can only be provided by a Lerner · Poole, LLP attorney.  While our paralegals and secretaries can answer procedural questions and facilitate communication with our San Francisco family law attorneys, they have been specifically instructed not to answer legal questions.  Instead, our staff will defer questions to an attorney in the office.

Copies of Documents

In an effort to keep our clients informed as to the status of their cases, we strive to send copies of all correspondence and pleadings to our clients.  We suggest that clients place documents in a folder with the correspondence on one side and pleadings on the other.  That way, when we need to discuss a particular document with our clients, they will have it readily available.

Fees & Billing

A fee agreement must be signed upon becoming a client of Lerner · Poole, LLP.  Clients are informed in advance of the rates they will be charged, and receive itemized monthly bills which record the number of hours worked and hourly rate of every professional who has performed services on behalf of the client.

Office Hours

Our offices are open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays, excluding holidays.  We encourage our clients to call, email, or make appointments with us during our office hours if they have questions or wish to discuss their cases.  We normally close our offices between Christmas Day and New Year's Day in order to give the staff a well-deserved break at the end of the year.  Voicemail will be checked regularly even when our office is closed. 

Contact Experienced Family Law Attorneys

If you need legal assistance with a divorce/dissolution, community property dispute, or a child custody, child support, spousal support, or other family law matter, let our Certified Family Law Specialists represent you.  Contact Lerner · Poole, LLP today at 415-391-6000.