I was born on the East Coast and grew up in a small town in Northern California. I was very fortunate to have a loving family, and I had a wonderful upbringing with my brother and sister with whom I remain very close to this day. I was very active in high school activities, including several honor societies, and was a member of the Youth Council in the City where I lived.

I attended the University of California at Berkeley where I resided in a sorority. I met many wonderful people from very different backgrounds with whom I continue to maintain friendships to this day. I was an English Literature major which allowed me to indulge my passion in reading the classics. I managed to fit in a little fun time by joining the Cal rally committee. We assisted with raising team spirit, for what was at that time, a losing football team. Nevertheless, we had a lot of fun, and I remain a Cal football supporter to this day. Go Bears!

I graduated from the University of California, Phi Beta Kappa, and was accepted to the University of California, San Francisco, Hastings College of the Law.

During my years at Hastings, I met my husband, who was a physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore. After graduation, I moved to Livermore and began working at the firm of Staley, Young & Schwartz. The Senior Partner at Staley, Young & Schwartz was an experienced Family Law practitioner, and I spent three years learning about the practice of Family Law from him.

When I was at Staley, Young & Schwartz, I was lucky enough to meet Rosemeri Cheng, an experienced local Family Law attorney. She and I began a partnership in 1985, where we continue to practice to this day. I have been very fortunate to work with Rosemeri as I have benefited from her experience and knowledge of the local Court system. I believe that the knowledge and experience I have gained in practicing Family Law for almost 30 years in our local area is a great benefit to our clients. Rosemeri and I both work very hard to achieve the results our clients desire.

Practicing law and raising two sons have kept me very busy, but I have gained much experience and insight from both areas of my life. The experiences that I have had, and the people that I have met, have enriched my life immeasurably, and I am very grateful to my family, my partner, my staff and my clients for all they have done for me.