The California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization has
certified Mrs. Marla Keenan-Rivero as a Specialist in Family Law. With twenty years of experience as a
California family law attorney, Mrs. Keenan-Rivero possesses the experience and
knowledge to handle any kind of family law case, whether the case involves
complex property, support and/or child custody issues. The matters she has
handled have included issues of complex property division, reimbursement
claims, support, breach of fiduciary duties, child custody and visitation,
family law jurisdictional issues, retirement and pension rights/division,
nullity of marriage/putative spouse cases, and other aspects of family law,
such as paternity, dissolution of marriage, guardianship, step parent adoption,
prenuptial agreements, postnuptial agreements, and domestic violence
cases. Armed with detailed knowledge of financial and emotional
repercussions of legal actions and custody issues, Mrs. Keenan-Rivero is a
staunch advocate and mediator for a diverse range of clients and litigants. She
is aware that each of her clients may have different needs and desire different
outcomes, but each case is of equal importance. Mrs. Keenan-Rivero
aims to help the client determine the best possible outcome of his or her case,
strongly advocating for the desired outcome bringing to bear all her knowledge
and experience, while minimizing her client’s psychological discomfort during
difficult and stressful times. Mrs. Keenan-Rivero’s strong
negotiating skills are of particular importance when dealing with challenging
issues during marital dissolution, custody, property, guardianship, paternity
or support proceedings. She believes in advocating for her clients in a stern
but compassionate manner. She understands the importance of being an excellent
listener and giving clients the undivided patience and support they need during
an extremely challenging time in their lives. Martindale Hubbell has selected
Mrs. Keenan-Rivero with the Client Distinction Award. This prestigious
award is based on the quality of client reviews and is only given to attorneys
who demonstrate an ongoing commitment to delivering excellent client
service.
Family Law Mediation:
Clients experiencing a dissolution of marriage, custody or support
litigation and deciding what steps to take during this process are often the
most stressful and emotional events and decisions of one’s life.
The cost of going to court and pursuing an adversarial path is often
extremely expensive and emotionally taxing on parties. Often
parties have very little control over their own lives when their case is
decided in a courtroom. Understanding this adversarial process, Mrs.
Keenan-Rivero not only offers individual representation for family law
litigants but also offers comprehensive mediation services by acting as a
neutral third-party mediator. When
dealing with family law issues, mediation often benefits couples by offering a
resolution alternative that is often less costly and faster than litigation. It
also frequently leaves couples with a better understanding of the complexity of
their dissolution, parentage, support, and/or custody matters, and often
results in a more favorable outcome for everyone concerned. Mediation is
a voluntary process where the parties work together individually or with their
attorney’s with Mrs. Keenan-Rivero a neutral third party. Mrs.
Keenan-Rivero brings her twenty years of family law experience to assist
parties as a mediator in devising a settlement that is mutually acceptable to
both parties. The mediation process often gives the parties the
freedom and opportunity to formulate more creative solutions to complex issues,
is less stressful and a process where parties are able to focus more
effectively on their children’s and individual needs.
Lawyers as mediators are knowledgeable with the
legal boundaries, what the courts commonly find acceptable, and are familiar
with court procedure and settlements. If a legal issue needs to be addressed in
mediation, a family law attorney or mediator with a legal background like
Mrs. Keenan-Rivero is most suited for the task. Divorce and custody litigation carries an old stigma of two people battling it
out in the courthouse. Not all cases take this course. In fact, many family
law cases avoid the courtroom
by reaching settlements through the
mediation process.
Mrs. Keenan-Rivero
advocates for rational and pragmatic solutions to
family law issues and helps clients pursue the appropriate legal method to obtain
an amiable resolution or favorable outcome whether she is the attorney
of record going to court, the attorney handling and attending mediation with
her clients, or acting as the neutral third party mediator assisting parties in
reaching settlement agreements.
Experience and Community Involvement:
Mrs. Keenan-Rivero was raised in Sonoma County.
Since Mrs. Keenan-Rivero was admitted to the California State Bar in 1999, her
legal career has been focused entirely on family law in the area where she was
raised and knows. Mrs. Keenan-Rivero has practiced with the Law
Firm of Perry, Johnson, Anderson, Miller & Moskowitz LLP since 2002.
She became the firms first female partner in November of 2012.
Mrs. Keenan-Rivero attended the University of California, Berkeley
as an undergraduate obtaining her Bachelor of Science degree in 1994. She
subsequently attended Empire Law School and received her Juris Doctorate in
1999, graduating cum laude. During her time at Empire Law School she worked as
a certified law clerk from 1996 to 1999 for the Sonoma County District
Attorney's Office, Family Support Division (now known as the Department of
Child Support Services). Mrs. Keenan-Rivero is admitted to practice law in
California. Mrs. Keenan-Rivero received a Certificate of Appreciation
from the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization for serving as a
commissioner for the State of California Family Law Advisory Commission from
2015-2019. Mrs. Keenan-Rivero also received a Certificate of Appreciation
for her service on the board of the Sonoma County Bar Association from
2015-2018.
Mrs. Keenan-Rivero is a member of the California State Bar
(1999-present), Family Law Section; State Bar of California Board of Legal
Specialization in Family Law (2012-present); Sonoma County Bar Association
(1999-present); and served as the Secretary for Sonoma County Women in Law
(2001, 2002, 2014 and 2015). Mrs. Keenan-Rivero is a former member of Inns of
Court (2002 to 2003). In addition, Ms. Keenan-Rivero is a part of the Family
Law attorney volunteer program, and volunteers as a settlement conference
panelist for the Sonoma County Family Law Court.
(The California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization has certified Ms. Keenan as a Specialist in Family Law)
