My principal goal is to offer very personalized legal services to clients, tailored to the individual presentation of each case. Family law is about relationships and preserving a sense of protection, proportion, fairness, and careful attention to the needs of children. I focus on divorce, child custody, parenting plans, child and spousal support, mediation of family law disputes, conflict resolution, contracts, property division, fair allocation of community property assets and debts, protection of separate property assets, marital agreements, prenuptial contracts, marital settlement agreements, establishment of paternity, and family law litigation.
By keeping up with new developments in psychology and law relating to custody, domestic violence, and the effects of divorce on children and adults, I have developed a unique litigation approach that focuses on the client’s individual strengths in the context of the changing family situation. This contextual, positive approach helps me to develop the best strategy to promote and secure my client’s goals by utilizing either the court system or alternative dispute resolution, such as mediation, or both.
The solution to each family law conflict is found in ideas. No two cases are alike, and each case requires particular attention to the personal and economic dynamics involved. I believe that the ability to think creatively and to develop a thoughtful and flexible legal strategy that fits the needs of a particular client, while keeping options open in many directions, is the key to a successful outcome in any family law matter.
In my mediation practice, I believe in a hands-on approach where the parties and mediator brainstorm. A successful mediation occurs when parties get excited about their own ideas generated during mediation sessions and realize that they can individualize their approach to their own issues. When parties start talking about solving the remainder of their issues and problems between themselves, they have begun the process of setting up a positive mode of interaction which will carry them through to the next phase of their lives. My volunteer work as a mediator and settlement conference facilitator for the court system since 1999 has provided an opportunity for me to try out different techniques and to develop my own style and approach over time.
Valerie L. Patten is located in Redwood City, CA and serves clients in and around Stanford, Palo Alto, Woodside, Atherton, Menlo Park, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, San Carlos, Santa Clara, San Jose, Portola Valley, Belmont, Burlingame, Pacifica, San Bruno, South San Francisco, and San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties.