“There are no promises in life, law, or your case, but I promise to be your caring and steadfast advocate.”
Kimberly Lewellen
Partner | Attorney | California Board Certified Family Law Specialist | Mediator
Building relationships and trust with clients is the foundation of a winning team. For her clients, this means maintaining open communication, keeping them immediately apprised of all matters in their case, and following-through on promises.
Kimberly takes pride in her firm’s client centered approach which focuses on each person’s goals and personal needs while controlling costs and emotional stress. She believes that with the proper information and counsel, each client can obtain resolution and move on to a more satisfying chapter of his or her life.
Originally born in Walnut Creek, California, Kimberly was raised in the rural Northern California town of Palo Cedro. The granddaughter of former California State Senator Ralph C. Dills and Elizabeth Dills, an immigrant from China, she was raised by her mother who trained and showed Tennessee Walking horses and her father who was a former US Marine turned IRS agent who was ultimately appointed a US Trustee Panel.
Growing up in the small rural town she was entrenched in nature, spending much of her time ranching, fishing, hiking, riding horses, drag racing, and mud bogging with her father in his jeep. It was during this time Kimberly’s parents imparted characteristics in her that she would eventually use in the courtroom, a love of knowledge, ability to be self-sufficient, strong and independent, resilience, and the strength to endure in the face of adversity.
When not representing clients, you can still find Kimberly enjoying time in nature. She is a fly-fishing ambassador for the Western United States (Scale Magazine), snowboards, and spends countless hours with her rottweiler Maya, dock diving, barn hunts, and working on obedience.
Depth of Experience
Kimberly handles all aspects of family law. She offers counsel at all stages of a family’s transition, from formation through dissolution. Besides the garden variety divorces, and high wealth cases, she has been in the unique position of working for a top tier, national family law practice. As a result, she offers clients an exceptional depth of experience handling cases involving high wealth premarital agreements, as well as intrastate and international issues.
Kimberly frequently leads teams of experts to effectively handle complex family law matters. She has worked with top experts in all areas of family law: child custody; domestic abuse and the impact on children; business valuation; tax; bankruptcy; income available for support; residential and commercial real estate valuations; computer forensics; and causation and medical assessment in child abuse and domestic violence cases. She has developed solid relationships with some of California’s best experts in nearly all areas of family law. Her clients deserve to have access to all of the tools available to them in order to obtain a favorable outcome in their case.
Certified Expertise
Kimberly is a certified legal specialist in family law. Attorneys may identify themselves as an “expert” in family law only if they are “certified” either by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. California attorneys who are certified as divorce and family law specialists must take a rigorous written examination in family law, demonstrated a very high level of experience in family law, fulfilled ongoing education requirements, and been favorably recommended by peers and judges familiar with their work. While many family law attorneys are good lawyers and skilled litigators, clients that hire a Certified Family Law Specialist can be confident that they are in fact hiring an expert in divorce and other family law matters.
The State Bar identifies family law as the practice of law dealing with all aspects of the California Family Code and including, but not limited to, the following: taxation issues incident to family law practice; contempt; enforcement proceedings; mediation and/or negotiation of family law disputes; psychological and counseling aspects of family law; family law writ and appellate practice; post-marital agreements; non-marital domestic relationships; child custody in any forum; and public enforcement of child support.
- Restraining orders/domestic violence proceedings;
- Spousal support;
- Modification of support;
- Division of community property;
- Confirmation of separate property;
- Dissolution of marriage/divorce, legal separation, or nullity of marriage litigation;
- Custody of children;
- Child support;
- Taxation issues incident to dissolution of marriage;
- Contempt and/or enforcement proceedings;
- Mediation and/or negotiation of family law disputes; and
- Psychological aspects of dissolution of marriage.
In addition to the requisite experience requirements, a certified family law specialist must participate in a significant amount of education and training, and must pass a difficult written examination. For a direct link to the State Bar website containing the formal requirements to become a certified family law specialist, click here.
Professional Awards & Recognitions
- 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 Super Lawyer
- 2023 Forbes/Fortune Magazine Recognition
- 2020 AVVO Client’s Choice Award
- 10.0 AVVO Rating
- 2015, 2017 Super Lawyer Rising Star
- 2016 Outstanding Young Women in Law recognition, San Francisco Magazine
Presentations
- Preparing and Litigating Pre-Nuptial Agreements, 2018 Seminar, Cordell College 200, In-House Education, Cordell & Cordell L.P., St. Louis, MO.
- Divorce School 101, 2017 Public Presentation, Cordell & Cordell L.P., Burlingame, CA.
- Divorce School 101, 2014 Public Presentation, Cordell & Cordell L.P., San Francisco, CA.
- Family Law for Creative Artists, 2013 Presentation, California Lawyers for the Arts, San Francisco, CA.
Education
2002 | BS Economics | San Francisco State University
2005 | Juris Doctorate | University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, Sacramento, CA, 2005
2013 | Certificate in Family Law | Mediation Forrest Mosten Mediation
Bar Admissions
- State Bar of California
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of California
- United States District Court for the Northern District of California
- United States District Court for the Central District of California
- United States District Court for the Southern District of California
Associations & Memberships
- Association of Certified Family Law Specialists
- San Francisco County Bar
- San Mateo County Bar
- Sacramento County Bar
Professional Experience
Partner | Lewellen Strebe P.C. | 2019 – Present
Lead Attorney and Mediator | Cordell & Cordell – SFO/San Mateo Offices | 2014 – 2019
Attorney | Sideman & Bancroft, Family Law Group | 2012 – 2013
Attorney | Downey Brand, LLP, Family Law and Wealth Planning Group | 2010 – 2012
Attorney | Ellis Law Group | 2006 – 2010
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