Mara Berke has practiced family law for over fifteen years and has handled complex family law litigation. She has a unique background in the area of special needs and advocacy, including her social work training in developmental disabilities and school assessments. With these experiences, she addresses clients’ needs from an interdisciplinary perspective which assists clients in managing the complexities of child custody litigation.
      Ms. Berke majored in Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, graduating with a Bachelors of Arts degree with honors in 1987 (top 20% of the College of Letters and Science). She received her law degree from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, in 1991 and was admitted to practice in California that same year. She was Note and Comment Editor and Staff Writer of the Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review. She received the American Jurisprudence Award in Trial Advocacy. She received her Masters in Social Work from the University of Southern California School of Social Work in 1998 and earned Social Work Merit Scholarships.
      Ms. Berke has authored Planned Parenthood: Alternatives to Child Custody Litigation, Los Angeles Lawyer (March 2009). Ms. Berke has also co-authored Practical Tips for Divorced Parents in the IEP Process, Children’s Rights Newsletter, American Bar Association (2008). Ms. Berke has also authored Note, In re Marriage of Birnbaum: Modifying Child Custody Arrangements by Ignoring the Rules of the Game (1991) 24 Loyola L.A. L.Rev. 467. She has co-authored and co-investigated research regarding caregivers of children with selected behavior problems.
      Ms. Berke has specialized training by the Los Angeles Superior Court, Family Court Services, in child custody mediation and domestic violence. Ms. Berke has completed the certified training for appointment as Minor’s Counsel. Ms. Berke is trained in advance mediation and collaborative law. Her depth of experience in family and children issues includes leadership training at Childrens Hospital, Center for Child Development and Developmental Disabilities, nonpublic school assessments, advocacy in Individualized Education Plans, special needs adoptions, appointment as minor’s counsel, and appointment as a Court Assisted Special Advocate (CASA)/Guardian Ad Litem in Dependency Court.
      Ms. Berke is a member of the Family Law Sections of both the State Bar of California and the Los Angeles County Bar Association. Ms. Berke is a member of the Council of Parent and Attorney Advocates and presented at the March 2008 conference on Practical Tips for Divorced/Separated Parents and Attorneys in the Individualized Education Process. She has performed pro bono work for Public Counsel, The Alliance for Children=s Rights and The Child Advocates Office. She had been appointed as a California State Commissioner on the San Fernando Valley Community Advisory Commission for former Assembly Speaker Robert M. Hertzberg as well as Chair of the Children and Family Subcommittee.

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