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 Immediate Past Chair of the Los Angeles County Bar Association Family Law Section, and former Chair, Chair Elect, 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 eight 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 2012, one of Southern California's Top 100 lawyers in 2009 through 2012 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: Tom Cruise’s Intent to Sue the National Enquirer, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes child custody situation, Tiger Woods' situation, Schwarzenegger-Shriver split May 11, 2011, May 17, 2011
KTLA Channel 5 News: "Inside the Law" with Manny Medrano , Sandra Bullock's situation and Social Media as Divorce Evidence
Legal Broadcast Network: Schwarzenegger-Shriver split

Listen to Mr. Brandt on KNX 1070 and The Ed Tyll Show about Tom Cruise – Katie Holmes split

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 ofthe 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 2012, and was named one of Southern California's Top 100 lawyers, 2007 through 2012. 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 2012. 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:

Howard 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 2012, and was named on of Southern California's Top 100 Lawyers in 2011 and 2012. 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

Jeremy B. Kline, CFLS*
Partner
Litigation & Family Law
jkline@fmbklaw.com  Ext. 219

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, 2009 through 2012. 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.

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.

Megan 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, 2011 and 2012.

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.

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.

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.

Gregory 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.

Dually- trained in Law and Clinical Psychology, David Glass received his law degree from Villanova University in 1996 and his PhD in Clinical Psychology from Drexel University (formerly The Medical College of Pennsylvania) in 1997.

Prior to joining FMBK, Mr. Glass founded his own firm, Glass Family Law. He previously practiced with the Beverly Hills matrimonial boutique firm of Kolodny & Anteau, and practiced matrimonial and mental health law for six years at Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis, a 300+ lawyer firm with the largest family law practice group in Pennsylvania.

Mr. Glass is a member of the Family Law Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the Los Angeles County and American Psychological Association and the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Jewish Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Los Angeles, and as an Associate Editor for the Los Angeles Psychologist. Mr. Glass is an adjunct instructor at the American College of Professional Psychology, where he teaches the Law & Ethics class.

Mr. Glass has authored numerous articles and frequently gives presentations for continuing legal and psychological education credits. He recently published two articles in the Los Angeles Psychologist; What the Social Sciences and the Court System Have to Offer Divorcing and Separating Families and The Only Way to Win is Not To Play: A Post Divorce Case Study. Other published works include the 2000 Supplement to Ziskin's Coping with Psychiatric and Psychological Testimony and Practicing Therapeutic Jurisprudence: The Law as a Helping Profession.

Mr. Glass was named a "Rising Star" in the Family Law Bar in Los Angeles magazine in 2005 and 2006, and was the featured cover story for the 2007 edition. He was also named a "Super Lawyer" from 2009-2012. Glass is admitted to practice law in California, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Mr. Glass currently resides in the Beverly-Grove section of Los Angeles with his wife and two daughters.