Emily Shappell Edelman, principal of Law Office of Emily Edelman in Century City, was installed as President of the Southern California Chapter of the American Association of Matrimonial Lawyers, the nation’s foremost organization promoting excellence in the practice of family law, at its annual installation meeting on June 6, 2015, at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach. She succeeds Hildy L. Fentin, of Hildy L. Fentin Attorney at Law in San Diego, who remains on the Board as Immediate Past President.
In addition to Edelman and Fentin, other officers installed on the AAML Board include President-Elect Robert Brandt, of Feinberg, Mindel, Brandt & Klein in Los Angeles; Vice President of Membership Michael A. Fisher, of Fisher & Rich, Attorneys at Law, P.C., in Orange; Vice President of Programs Jeff Sturman, of KolodnyLawGroup in Beverly Hills; Treasurer Sharon Bryan, of Moore, Bryan & Schroff LLP in Torrance; Secretary Marjorie Huntington, of Huntington & Haviland in San Diego; and Legal Advisor Suzanne Harris, of Harris Ginsberg LLP with offices in Los Angeles and Pasadena. Board members for the 2015-16 term are Eleanor A. Stegmeier, of Stegmeier, Gelbart, Schwartz & Benavente, LLP, with offices in Newport Beach and San Diego; Ira M. Friedman, of Friedman & Friedman in Beverly Hills; Gregory W. Herring, of Herring Law Group in Oxnard; Nicholas Leto, of Leto Family Law in La Mesa; and Stephen J. Wagner, of Dick & Wagner in Sacramento.
Edelman, an attorney with more than 35 years of experience, focuses on the practice of family law, handling issues such as high-asset and high-profile divorce, prenuptial agreements, postnuptial agreements, separation, spousal support, division of assets and debts, same sex marriage, mediation and modifications based on change of income. A graduate of Whittier Law School, Edelman was admitted to the California Bar in 1976. She is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court, Central District as well as before the United States Supreme Court. Edelman is certified by the state of California as a family law specialist, has been named a Super Lawyer for the past 10 years, and is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating an individual attorney can attain.
Before entering private practice in 1980, she served as Assistant City Attorney and Deputy City Attorney for the City of Culver City. Edelman has chaired numerous programs for AAML, including serving as Dean of AAML’s prestigious Trial Advocacy Institute. Also active with the Beverly Hills Bar Association since 1987, she served as President from 2000-2001, President of the Beverly Hills Bar Foundation from 2003-2005, and has spearheaded several legislative actions on behalf of the association, including writing and successfully lobbying for passage of legislation banning female genital mutilation. Previously involved with the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles, Edelman earned a B.A. from Barnard College and an M.A. from College of the City of New York. She resides in Encino.
The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), founded in 1962, promotes the highest degree of professionalism, integrity and excellence in the practice of family law. There are currently 1,600 AAML Fellows in 50 states recognized by their peers and the judiciary as preeminent matrimonial law practitioners. Exceptionally skilled negotiators and litigators with extensive experience in complex family law matters, they also encourage the study, improve the practice, elevate the standards and advance the cause of matrimonial law.
The Southern California Chapter of AAML is arguably one of the most active local chapters in terms of devoting itself to the national mission of building better standards in this highly charged area of law. A leader in training and mentoring, the Southern California AAML Chapter and its fellows, provide education and mentoring to established attorneys and those relatively new in the practice area through its annual three-day Family Law Trial Institute and its annual day-long Trial Advocacy Seminar, geared specifically toward those with less than three years of practice in Family Law. In addition, the Chapter makes generous annual Legacy Gifts to local non-profit organizations that provide a variety of counseling and support services to those dealing with the dissolution of family units.
Only 90 Southern California family lawyers have met the stringent admission requirements of the national organization required to become Fellows of the Southern California Chapter, an extremely prestigious honor. These top attorneys handle such matters as divorce, paternity, premarital agreements, legal separation, annulment, custody, property valuation, support, and the rights of domestic partners and unmarried cohabitors.
They are leaders in national, state and local bar organizations, and are sought-after speakers at continuing legal education programs. To be represented by a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers is to be represented by a leading practitioner in the field of family law. For more information on the AAML SoCal Chapter and its Fellows, visit www. socal.aaml.org.
