Karen Fenchel

Karen Fenchel joins Fenchel Family Law PC in San Francisco to act Of Counsel. As a Certified Family Law Specialist, she is able to lend her unique and extensive talents to our team, providing unmatched insight and guidance for particularly complex family law and divorce cases. She believes mediation and collaborative settlements help both parties address their needs and goals while working toward a solution that supports the family. She currently has a 100% success rate as a mediator helping couples divorce through an agreement. For these reasons and more, she recommends using mediation and collaboration before relying on litigation.

Education & Professional Background

Karen’s educational career is as impressive as her professional one. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley before earning her master’s degree from San Francisco State University. Soon after, she would complete her Juris Doctorate from Hastings College of Law.

In 1983, she was first admitted to the bar, meaning she has more than 35 years of practice experience in California. She has acted as a member of the Collaborative Practice East Bay, International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, Collaborative Practice California, and the Contra Costa County Bar Association (CCCBA). While part of the CCCBA, she served on the Family Law and Women’s Sections, as well as the Family Board.

Community Involvement & Pro Bono Work

To give back to her community, Karen often provides pro bono work, assisting self-represented litigants manage their cases and work with judges on the proper calendar. She has also volunteered with the Contra Costa Bar Association FLARE program to provide mediation services to locals in need.

Karen has also helped spark an interest in the law within local schoolchildren. While acting as a local court docent, she has often helped educate children about the workings of the legal system through superior court tours, lessons about detention centers, and chances to observe a courtroom in progress. She has even helped students conduct their own mock trial with a script prepared by a local judge.