Marian L. Stanton: What You Should Know About Me

As listed in the Martindale and Hubbell Ratings: Marian L. Stanton,  Esq., Stanton Law Corporation, Office: Encino, California (Los Angeles Co.)  Practice Areas: Family Law; Divorce; Child Custody; and, Mediation Peer  Review,Rating: AV® Preeminent”™ 5.0 out of 5.0

My practice  focuses exclusively on Family Law.  I have served as a Judge Pro  Tem in the San Fernando and Van Nuys branches of the Los Angeles Superior  Court, Family Law departments. I regularly serve as a Family Law Mediator in  the Los Angeles Superior Court, Central District.

I graduated  from U.C.L.A. with a Bachelor of Arts and a Master’s Degree in the fields of  sociology and educational psychology.  I taught elementary school in the  Los Angeles Unified School District for 13 years before attending law school,  where I earned the highest grade awarded in both Family Law and Constitutional  Law, and graduated Magna Cum Laude.

Being an experienced teacher and researcher in the areas of child  development, sociology and education, is a significant advantage to my work in  the area of child custody, visitation and family dynamics, which I believe is  the most important area of Family Law.

A divorce or legal separation, whether it involves a child or not, is a  very serious and emotional matter.  I find that parties are often  frightened and confused, and, most importantly, they do not know or understand  their rights or obligations.  Because of this, I frequently meet with  clients in a pre-divorce consultation to provide the information they need to  make informed decisions, and determine at the outset their options and best  course of action.

Of critical importance in the initial meeting  with a client is to address his or her particular issues and goals.  What  does the client want their personal situation to look like at the end of the  process?  The reality is that each case is different and requires the  joint participation of the attorney and client.  Success in meeting the  client’s goals may be through litigation or alternative dispute resolution  such as mediation.

I use my skills and experience as an educator  to assist clients in gaining the knowledge and tools they need to deal with  their particular issues.  These issues may relate not only to child  custody, but child and spousal support, division of property and valuation of  assets.  I believe that a client should be fully aware of how the current  law applies to their particular case before they make critical decisions about  how to proceed.

I am the mother of two adult married daughters  and I have three grandchildren with whom I am very involved.  Although my  husband and law partner, Hal Stanton, and I have been married a long time, we  both have experienced the divorces and separations of members of our extended  families which has given us a very real exposure to the emotions and problems  that arise in all areas of family law.