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 Elect of the Los Angeles County Bar Association Family Law Section, former Section Vice Chair, Treasurer and Secretary, and has been a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association Executive Committee Family Law Section for 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 though 2010 and was named one of Southern California's Top 100 lawyers in 2009 and 2010. Mr. Brandt was also named to the 2010 and 2011 edition of Best Lawyers®. 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 and two grandsons.

View Mr. Brandt's recent television appearances on:

Entertainment Tonight: Tiger Woods’ situation
KTLA Channel 5 News: Sandra Bullock's situation and Social Media as Divorce Evidence

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 Immediate 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"), where he currently serves as an Advisor. Mr. Mindel was named as a Super Lawyer by Los Angeles Magazine, 2004 through 2010, and was named one of Southern California's Top 100 lawyers, 2007 through 2010. 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 also named to the 2010 and 2011 edition of Best Lawyers®. He has an AV rating with Martindale Hubbell. Mr. Mindel routinely lectures at Loyola Law School in Family Law. 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:

Good Morning America - Michael Douglas' legal situation
Entertainment Tonight - Sandra Bullock's legal situation
AP Television - Tiger Woods’ situation
CBS 2 News - McCourt-LA Dodgers and Larry King's legal situation
KCAL 9 News - McCourt-LA Dodgers, Larry King's legal situation, Mel Gibson's legal situation and Tiger Woods’ situation
NBC 4 News - Dennis Hopper's legal situation
KTLA 5 News - General divorce advice Part 1 and General divorce advice Part 2
E! News - Sandra Bullock's legal situation (3/22) and Sandra Bullock's legal situation (4/1)
CNN Prime News - Sandra Bullock's situation
ABC 7 News - Charlie Sheen's situation, Tiger Woods situation, and the McCourt-LA Dodgers Divorce October 2009, March 2010, May 2010

Listen to Mr. Mindel on NPR and The Michael Eric Dyson Show.

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 2010. He was also named to the 2010 and 2011 edition of Best Lawyers®. 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.

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 and 2010. He is also a lifetime member of the UCLA Alumni Association. Jerry has a wife, Betsy, and two children.

Wallace 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 and 2010. 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.

David P. Shebby is Of Counsel to Feinberg, Mindel, Brandt & Klein. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1990 and received his Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School in 1993. His practice is devoted to the areas of Family Law and complex Civil Litigation, including contract and intellectual property disputes. Mr. Shebby was named as a Super Lawyer by Los Angeles Magazine in 2010. He has an AV rating with Martindale Hubbell. Mr. Shebby authored an article entitled, "We Are All Abusers Now," which was published at page 15 of the Winter 2010 issue of the Los Angeles County Bar Association Family Law News & Review. He recently lectured to attorneys and judges at the Southern California Family Law American Inn of Court regarding techniques to successfully challenge perjurious family law financial documents.

Prior to joining FMBK, Mr. Shebby was the principal of The Law Office of David P. Shebby. Mr. Shebby previously practiced law at Quinn Emanuel and Kinsella, Boesch, et al. Mr. Shebby is an experienced trial attorney with extensive experience in both state and federal courts. He has litigated scores of matters to conclusion in jury trials, bench trials, and arbitrations.

Mr. Shebby is admitted to practice in all California state courts, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the United States District Courts for the Central District and Southern Districts of California.

Mr. Shebby currently serves his Catholic community as the chair of the Parish Council at St. Mark Catholic Church in Venice, California. In addition, he founded and runs a Pro Bono legal clinic at Miriam's House, a sober-living facility for women and their children. Mr. Shebby enjoys hunting and fishing, and remains in search of the (thus far) elusive 8 point buck and 100 pound tuna.

Brett A. Berman graduated from Lehigh University with a degree in history and received his JD from Southwestern University School of Law. Before becoming a lawyer, Mr. Berman served as a financial advisor with Merrill Lynch where he worked with individuals and small businesses in achieving their financial goals and objectives. Mr. Berman, who practices solely in the area of family law, has published articles on complex family law issues in the Los Angeles Daily Journal newspaper and lectured on divorce taxation. He has volunteered as a Judge for the Constitutional Law Foundation annual mock trial competition held at the Los Angeles Superior Court. He is also an active member of the Los Angeles Domestic Violence Project, a pro bono organization that assists indigent victims of domestic violence. Mr. Berman has a wife, Michelle, and two children.

Nancy L. Burt
Associate
Family Law
nburt@fmbklaw.com  Ext. 204

Nancy Burt 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 Evan Okamura.

Megan E. Green 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.

Ms. Green is a member of the Beverly Hills Bar Association.  She was formerly a board member of the Beverly Hills Bar Association and Barristers board. In particular, she served as the Homeless Project Chairperson and Treasurer for the Beverly Hills Bar Association Barristers. Ms. Green is a founding friend of the Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Charities ("LATLC"), an organization dedicated to community service. She is a member of Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles ("CAALA"). Ms. Green has volunteered for the Harriet Buhai Center for Family Law and served as a lecturer for a Continuing Legal Education seminar on the subject of spouses' fiduciary duties as interpreted in the case Marriage of Feldman.

Alex Grager
Associate
Family Law
agrager@fmbklaw.com Ext.222

Alex Grager received his Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from the University of Southern California in 2001 and his 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. 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 and 2010. He is fluent in Russian.

John 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 a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and Beverly Hills Bar Association. Mr. Lazor has been a member of the Family Law Indigent Paternity Panel since 1993, 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 as well as being a contributing author to Los Angeles Lawyer magazine. Mr. Lazor is currently a member of the California Bar's Family Law Committee on Financial Affairs. He is a lifetime member of the University of Michigan Alumni Association and the Stanford University Alumni Association. Mr. Lazor is a member of Broadcast Music, Incorporated. He resides in Culver City with his wife, Pam, and their two daughters.

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.