Valerie Fenchel Photo

Valerie Fenchel

Founding Attorney
  • Profile
Bio

Valerie Fenchel is the CEO and founder of Fenchel Family Law PC. Her legal services empower men and women to navigate marriage and divorce toward more vibrant futures. She advises clients, devises strategies, and works with therapists, actuaries, and forensic accountants to settle or litigate cases. As a witness to the damage caused by divorce over the course of her career as a family law attorney and educator, Valerie has gained extensive experience in helping families in crisis.

Experience & Background

Valerie is actively involved in the legal community. She is the lead attorney of Shalom Bayit’s Pro Bono Legal Panel, Secretary of the Jewish Bar Association of San Francisco, and is completing a fellowship on the board of the Jewish Community High School of the Bay.

Valerie previously managed the care and education for children and is passionate about protecting the best interests of children. She excels at crafting parenting plans, negotiating settlements, and litigating custody battles on behalf of parents that are able to put their child’s needs first. She has experience helping parents of newborns, toddlers, special needs children, and defiant teenagers. She understands that every child is different and that each child’s parenting plan and care must be narrowly tailored to meet his/her needs, either by agreement or court order.

Professional Philosophy

Valerie is an experienced negotiator, and she aims to support the goals and values of families and serve the best interests of parents and their children through settlements. She belongs to the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, which aims to resolve family problems.

She explains to her clients that once court intervention is sought, a perfect stranger on the bench is permitted to make orders over their intimate personal matters. For this reason, resolving cases through negotiation and cooperative counsel is usually recommended.

Valerie understands that litigation may be a client’s only choice especially when there is an imbalance of power dynamics or when the other parent is unwilling to put the children’s best interests first. In these situations, Valerie does not hesitate to escalate the matter to court, and she is at home in the courtroom with her litigation training and aptitude. She honed her litigation skills through honors programs with both the Office of the Attorney General in San Francisco, California, and the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington D.C., and she has presented winning oral arguments before California’s First and Sixth Courts of Appeal. She continues to present winning arguments to the family courts, which have resulted in her clients being awarded the custodial rights and financial relief that they deserve.

Valerie only accepts clients that are able to treat their partner with respect and protect the best interests of their children. She treats her clients like family and provides the level of attention and care required to ensure that they are always informed and empowered throughout the legal process. Valerie advises clients solely based on what she believes is in their best interests, even if that means advising her clients to not file for divorce, or requiring that her clients complete several sessions with a therapist before moving forward with a parenting plan.

Education

Valerie graduated Phi Beta Kappa with high honors from UC Santa Barbara and earned her J.D. from UC Davis School of Law, where she served as President of the Negotiations Team. She previously practiced exclusively in family law at premier law firms in the San Francisco Bay area, which focused on the representation of high net worth individuals and families. She lectures college students and addresses professional groups on pertinent family law issues. Valerie was selected to Rising Stars℠.

Honors & Recognition

Client Testimonials

  • “I worked with Robert Travis who is incredible! He is a joy to work with, super knowledgeable, highly skilled, and efficient. Family law issues can be emotionally difficult, and he helped to make it as ...”

    - Julian C.
  • “I contacted Fenchel Family Law PC after my ex-wife, in an attempt to make her own life more convenient, suddenly served me with a TRO and move-away request to take our daughter out of state. ...”

    - John
  • “Those who've experienced a contentious divorce are familiar with the range and intensity of emotions and the challenges of litigation. Repeatedly targeted by an angry ex whose legal bills are paid by ...”

    - Matan
  • “Valerie did all the right things during my divorce process. She understands all aspects of a divorce and treats them in a holistic fashion. Smart and passionate but not pushy.”

    - Paul
  • “This review is long over due but better late than never. During my consultation, I immediately knew that I wanted to hire Valerie Fenchel to handle my divorce case. Not only is she extremely ...”

    - Liane

Reasons to Choose

Fenchel Family Law
  • We Help You Take Your Life Back

    We empower our clients to take their lives back as they navigate parenthood marriage, & divorce toward more vibrant futures.

  • Personalized Attention

    No case is the same. We take the time to listen to our clients and really understand their goals and the future they are trying build.

  • Holistic Approach

    Divorce can impact many areas of your life; therefore, we help our clients identify potential snares and give them the tools they need.

  • Honest & Straightforward

    We pride ourselves on being a trusted advisor. If we feel pursuing something could negatively impact your case, it's our job to let you know.

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