A Special Update from Walzer Melcher LLP

Left to right: Ashley W. Edwards, Cynthia J. Ponce, Leena S. Hingnikar, Peter M. Walzer, Christopher C. Melcher, Kristina L. Hohne, Steven K. Yoda, and John B. Chason

We are excited and honored that our founding partner, Peter M. Walzer , will be installed as president of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers at this year's annual meeting on November 9th, 2018.

The event will take place in Chicago, IL at the Loews Hotel.

You can register here .

Chambers and Partners , a prestigious legal ranking service, has bestowed high rankings on Walzer Melcher LLP in its 2018 High Net Worth Guide for Family Law in California. Peter M. Walzer received a Band 1 ranking; Christopher C. Melcher received a Band 3 ranking; and Steven K. Yoda received a Band 4 ranking. Overall, the firm received a Band 2 ranking.

“ This is a great honor for the firm. We have worked hard to build a solid team that is second-to-none. We are proud of this recognition .” - Peter M. Walzer

Chambers and Partners annually ranks law firms based upon an extensive research process, which takes over six months. Unlike other legal ranking agencies, Chambers and Partners focuses largely on attorney feedback, results, and overall impressions in ranking law firms. Below is a link to the 2018 rankings.

Chambers and Partners 2018 High Net Worth Guide

P R E S S

Peter M. Walzer was quoted in the Page Six article " Angelina Jolie is No Longer the Saint She Set Out to Be ." He was featured on the KTLA 5 video segment " Peter Walzer on the Jolie-Pitt Divorce and Custody Battle" . He was quoted in the Bravo Personal Space stories " Why Are Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner Refusing To Get Divorced?"; Donald Trump Jr. and Vanessa Trump Divorce Update: Things Are Not So Friendly Anymore"; and " Can You Have a 'Zero Contact' Solution With Your Ex If You Share Kids? " He authored an article for the 2018 June issue of Los Angeles Lawyer magazine titled " New Federal Law Eliminates the Alimony Deduction. " You can read it here .

Christopher C. Melcher was quoted in the USA Today article " Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie: Could They Go to Trial Over the Kids? " He was featured on the Entertainment Tonight video segment " Angelina Jolie 'Wants Marriage to be Over' Amid Back-and-Forth With Brad Pitt . " He was interviewed for the Los Angeles Times article " Angelina Jolie Accuses Brad Pitt of Not Paying Up; His Side Calls It a Publicity Stunt. " He was quoted in the Bravo Personal Space story " Angelina Jolie Faces Losing Custody Of Kids to Brad Pitt If She Doesn't Follow Court Orders." He was quoted in the Bloomberg story " Trump’s Tax Plan Could Mess Up Your Prenup . " He was also interviewed for the Mercury News article " Angelina Jolie’s Parental Choices Must Have Really Worried Judge Overseeing Brad Pitt Custody Fight, Experts Say. "

Leena S. Hingnikar was quoted in the Bravo Personal Space story " Angelina Jolie's Latest Move In Her Divorce From Brad Pitt Was Meant To Take Him Down."

Kristina L. Hohne authored an article for the Family Law Advocate, Volume 41, No. 1, titled " Communicating with Your Lawyer: What to Expect and How to Avoid the Pitfalls. " You can read it here .

S E M I N A R S

* January 21, 2019

Cross-Examining Statistical Analysis

Christopher C. Melcher, Judge

Christine Goldsmith, &

Garrett Dailey

AAML Trial Advocacy Institute

Balboa Bay Club, Newport Beach

* March 13, 2019

Legal Marketing: Three Views From

Around the Country

Peter M. Walzer, Ben Stevens, &

Jim Mueller

AAML Mid-Year Meeting

Fairmont Mayakoba, Mexico

* March 15, 2019

Prenuptial Agreements: The "Do's"

and "Do Not's" to Remember Before

Your Client Says "I Do"

Christopher C. Melcher

AAML Mid-Year Meeting

Fairmont Mayakoba, Mexico

We are proud to announce that Peter M. Walzer has been selected to the Top 100 Southern California Super Lawyers list for 2019; Partners Steven K. Yoda, Christopher C. Melcher, and associate John B. Chason were also selected as Super Lawyers for 2019.

Steven K. Yoda

to Serve on the Board of the Family Advocate

Steven K. Yoda was appointed to the editorial board of the Family Advocate , a quarterly magazine publication of the American Bar Association's Family Law section.

In June, he gave a one-hour presentation on " Obtaining Attorney Fees Sanctions Under Family Code Section 271" for CEB (Continuing Education of the Bar).

You can purchase the presentation here .

Steven K. Yoda

Acknowledged in

Nisei Naysayer

Steven K. Yoda was recently acknowledged in Nisei Naysayer , a new book published by Stanford University Press . The book, which was edited by Arthur A. Hansen , Professor Emeritus of History at California State University, Fullerton , is a memoir authored by James Omura , a militant Japanese American journalist who opposed the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II and the subsequent military draft of Japanese Americans.

As an undergraduate at Stanford , Steve wrote his honors thesis on James Omura and edited an early draft of the memoir. Professor Hansen acknowledged Steve’s work on the project. To learn more about Nisei Naysayer and James Omura , click here .

S P O N S O R S H I P

Levitt & Quinn Stand for Justice Gala

Friend Patron

The 37th annual Levitt & Quinn Stand for Justice Gala will be held on September 22, 2018, at Skirball Cultural Center . It will honor Hon. Mitchell L. Beckloff and Dinah Conyers Ruch . Levitt & Quinn provides free and sliding scale family law legal services for poor and modest means families who are unable to get legal help from other legal services providers or to afford to pay for private attorneys. Walzer Melcher partner Leena S. Hingnikar serves on the Board of Directors.

Harriet Buhai Center For Family Law

Donation

The Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law (The Center) was founded in the early 1980s by the Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles , the Los Angeles County Bar and the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles . Since its inception, the Center has served as a cornerstone of family law and domestic violence assistance for low-income persons in California.

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Donation

Walzer Melcher partner Steven K. Yoda led a donation campaign to help raise money for his friend and mentor, Mike Madokoro, a partner at Bowman and Brooke LLP . When he was 37, Mike was diagnosed with lymphoma and is now cancer free! The cause hit especially close to home because one of our own staff members was diagnosed with leukemia several years ago, and, thanks to various medical treatments, is now doing very well. We are proud to support an organization that many in our firm hold closely to their hearts.

Our former conference room table has found a new home at the Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission in Van Nuys! (See above.)

Since 2010, Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission has been committed to meeting the needs of every hungry and homeless man, woman and child in the greater Los Angeles area. Through strategic partnerships and services, they empower clients with the faith, knowledge, resources and skills to lead a life of wholeness and self-sufficiency.

Walzer Melcher Welcomes

Christina E. Djordjevich

We are pleased to welcome our new associate attorney, Christina E. Djordjevich . Christina recently moved to Los Angeles from New York, where she was an associate at a leading family law firm in Manhattan. Before turning her focus to family law, Christina was a litigation associate at Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp and Latham & Watkins . She received her law degree from Columbia Law School , where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and an editor of the Columbia Journal of Law and the Arts . She received her B.A. in Political Science, magna cum laude and with Departmental Honors, from Barnard College, Columbia University .

Christina was selected as a Super Lawyers “ Rising Star ” in New York from 2013 through 2017. She is currently a Vice Chair of the International Family Law Committee of the American Bar Association Section of International Law . She is licensed to practice law in both California and New York. In her spare time, Christina loves to read, travel and enjoy the California weather (which she appreciates after spending almost 18 years in New York!).

Congratulations to

Kristina L. Hohne!

On May 26th, 2018, associate Kristina L. Hohne and her husband Casey welcomed their baby-girl, Katherine Laurel Hohne, into the world.

We are very excited for another addition to the Walzer Melcher family!