Shelley O’Brien, Associate Attorney

Shelley R. O’Brien has more than 30 years of litigation experience. After graduating from Stanford Law School, early in her career, she worked with renowned trial attorney Melvin Belli on major class action personal injury matters. She also participated in significant appellate cases, including Warfield v. Peninsula Golf & Country Club (1995) 10 Cal. 4th 594, which established important rights for women seeking membership in a formerly all-male private club, and Candiotti v. Candiotti (1995) 34 Cal. App. 4th 718, in which the California Court of Appeal struck down an unconstitutional gag order in defense of free speech rights in a family law case.

Throughout her career, Shelley has handled complex and high-stakes matters with strategic focus and determined advocacy. More recently, she successfully represented a client in enforcing a verbal surrogacy agreement and preserving his parental relationship with the daughter he had raised. The Court of Appeal affirmed the trial court’s ruling, helping establish new law in this area.

In addition to her family law practice, Shelley brings broad experience in civil litigation. She has represented clients in a wide range of disputes, developed effective litigation strategies in complex cases, and advocated at both the trial and appellate levels. That breadth of experience enables her to address challenging legal issues with versatility, sound judgment, and disciplined advocacy.

For the past 15 years, Shelley has focused her practice on family law litigation, representing clients in contested custody disputes, domestic violence and complex high-asset divorce matters. She is known for bringing experience, passion, strategic judgment, and tenacious advocacy to every case.