CURRICULUM VITAE

EDUCATION 

•    UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA SCHOOL OF LAW, Charlottesville, Virginia. J.D. 1978 

•    VIRGINIA TECH, Blacksburg, Virginia. B.A. 1973, History; Minor in Education.

•    Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society,  Dean's List.

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND 

PARTNER, ODDENINO & GAULE Arcadia, California.   Special emphasis on litigation and alternative dispute resolution.  Litigation work on various plaintiff and defense cases. 

General Counsel for the Children's Rights Council, Washington, D.C. Activities include preparation of amicus curiae briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court, New Jersey Supreme Court, Wisconsin Supreme Court, Alaska Supreme Court, Virginia Court of Appeals, and the California Court of Appeals. Additionally, I teach legal workshops at the annual seminar in Washington, D.C. and deal with a host of other issues that relate to the Council's efforts to demilitarize divorce, and provide assistance to children affected by the divorce or separation of their parents. 

SEMINAR PRESENTATIONS 

• Patrick Henry and the History of the Germanna Immigrants, Germanna  Memorial Foundation, Germanna, Virginia, July 2004 

• Preparing Your Client For the Custody Evaluation, SEEK Conference, Burlington, Vermont, October 2003 

• Custody Evaluations and Gender Stereotypes,  Association of Family and Conciliation Courts Conference, Tucson, Arizona, November 2002 

• A Look at the Legal landscape of Troxel v. Granville,  Association of Family and Conciliation Courts Conference, Waikoloa, Hawaii, June 2002 

• The Workings of the Family Law Court as it Relates to Juvenile Court Proceedings, Los Angeles County Counsel, Juvenile Court in Los Angeles, California, March 2002. 

• Barbarians at the Gate or How to Fortify Your Custody Evaluation Against Attorney Attacks in Court, Association of Family and Conciliation Courts Conference, Kiawah Island, South Carolina, November 2000.Presentation on Fatherhood: Emerging Roles and Expectations, Second World Congress on Family Law and the Rights of Children & Youth, San Francisco, California, June 1997.

• Presentation on Children and the Changing Climate of Child Custody Determinations, CRC Annual Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, Spring 1996. 

• Presentation on Fathers, Kids & Custody, F.R.E.E. Annual Conference, San Francisco, California, Summer 1996. 

• Presentation on Historical and Systemic Factors in Child Custody Disputes, Georgia Children’s Rights Council, Atlanta, Georgia, Summer 1995. 

• Presentation on Gender and Politics in Custody Cases, Association of Family and Conciliation Courts Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada, Spring 1995. 

• Presentation on Interstate and International Custody Disputes, CRC Annual Conference, Washington, D.C.,  Spring 1995. 

• California Psychological Association Annual Convention, Presentation on Child Custody Evaluations, La Jolla, California, Winter 1995. 

• Family Law Seminar, Helping Your Client in a Child Custody Evaluation, Law Education Institute,  Vail, Colorado: Caribbean, Winter 1994. 

• Family Law Seminar, Representing Clients Accused of Abuse in a Child Custody Case, American Bar Association, San Diego, CA, Spring 1994. 

• Family Law Seminar, Child Custody Presentation, How to Win Custody Regardless of What The Court Rules, Law Education Institute, Caribbean, Winter 1993; Palm Springs, Spring 1993.

• Presentation to mediators, litigants and attorneys on Positive Approaches for Resolving Custody Disputes, CRC Annual Conference, Washington, D.C. Spring 1992. 

• Family Law Seminar, Presentation to Attorneys on How to Help Clients Find Positive Aspects in Divorce and Custody Situations. Law Education Institute, Caribbean 1992. 

• Presentation to American Bar Association, Third-Party Custody Rights, ABA Family Law Section Spring Meeting, 1991, Vail, Colorado. 

• Presentation on Underlying Problems in Custody Cases Involving Allegations of Sexual Abuse, VOCAL Conference, 1990, Sunnyvale, California. 

• Presentation on Constitutional Issues in Custody Litigation, Divorce Law Update, 1989, Vail, Colorado. Focus on Family Law, 1989, Scottsdale, Arizona. 

WRITINGS

• Putting Kids First: Walking Away From A Marriage Without Walking Over The Kids, Family Connections Publishing 1995. 

• Winning Strategies in Child Custody Litigation, Helping Your Client Negotiate Past the Shoals of  a Child Custody Evaluation, American Journal of Family Law,  Summer 1994. 

• The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: A Critical Analysis of the U.S. Supreme Court Decision in Michael H. v. Gerald D., Family Law Quarterly, Spring 1991. 

• Constitutional Issues in Custody Litigation, American Journal of Family Law, Winter 1988. 

• MEDIA APPEARANCES 

• Commentary provided on various legal topics and cases with appearances on the following programs and stations: 

MEDIA APPEARANCES

• Network News Commentary,  Trial Watch; Hour Magazine, Divorce Court. 

• Radio: Numerous radio show appearances, including Moby in the Morning, Atlanta, Georgia, (syndicated),  KABC, Los Angeles, Michael Jackson Show; KFI, Los Angeles; Tom Leykis Show; WMAL, Washington, D.C.,

• and many others. 

• Newspaper and Magazines: Articles and Commentaries in Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Star-News, Redbook, and numerous others.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES 

• Judge Pro Tem, Los Angeles County Superior Court 

• American Bar Association, Member Custody Committee, Family Law Section; Los Angeles County Bar Association. 

• National Association of Counsel for Children 

• Family Law Section, California State Bar 

MISCELLANEOUS 

• Girls Softball Coach; Pony Baseball Coach; AYSO Soccer Coach; Little League Manager; Arcadia City Softball League, Player - Manager;

• Marathon runner (New York City Marathon, Los Angeles Marathon, St. George Marathon)

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