What was it that led you to specialise in family law and domestic relations? I grew up in a medical household and I watched my father, who is a cardiologist, intervene directly in people’s lives and be instrumental in changing them, and sometimes even quite literally saving them. The ability to engage in a profession that allows you to be directly involved in individual’s lives in a very important way, and make fundamental differences, is what drew me to focus my practice solely on family law. Within the legal profession itself, I am hard-pressed to think of any other area where you work directly with people and families, going through what is often one of the most difficult times in their lives and are able to truly make a difference and be impactful. While challenging for sure, I find the practice of family law to be both professionally and personally rewarding and fulfilling work. Is there a past case that you have handled where you feel particularly proud of the role you played? Over the course of my career I have been truly blessed with the many people I have been able to meet and the families that I have been able to assist. Thus it is difficult to pinpoint one particular case to highlight a result I am particularly proud of. However, one recent and particular example that comes to mind is a case wherein my client had temporarily lost custodial rights due to false domestic violence allegations and my team and I were able to step in, cross-file for a restraining order for our client and secure the immediate return of the child to their custody. Can you share anything about your plans for 2023 and beyond? 2022 has been a real opportunity for me to grow in several personal ways, and I would like to continue to take my personal and professional experience and continue to grow my practice to assist as many families as I can. I am fortunate that at this stage in my career I can be judicious about the cases I take on. I always enjoy getting to know my clients’ families and their own specific and unique dynamics. For 2023 and beyond, I would like to continue to be able to do that. of each party. While the courts are not strangers to this and can often make their own conclusions from the volume and tone of the pleadings, it is tremendously important to be organised with your facts and evidence. I often advise clients to keep a journal, keep notes, and record each instance of perceived alienation, be it a cancelled visit, an ‘illness’, a refusal to make a child available for phone time, etc. How can an experienced family lawyer help in this situation? Issues pertaining to child custody and visitation can be complex and nuanced. An experienced family law attorney will be able to assist a client, who is understandably emotionally involved in the case, in making clear-headed decisions with an eye on what the law provides for. Additionally, proving a case of parental alienation is often difficult. As they are usually so fact- and evidence-driven, an experienced family law attorney will be able to parse out what is relevant from what is not and assist their client in presenting their case in a clear, concise fashion that is supported by both the evidence code and the family code. FEATURE OF THE MONTH 19 About Kennedy Koblin Kennedy Koblin is highly experienced family lawyer and a member of the Alameda County Bar Association who enjoys helping his clients through the difficult process of divorce and marital dissolution. Kennedy’s clients also benefit from his combined experience as a JD/MBA, which provides him with a perspective rooted in both business and the law. He is also a two-time recipient of the State Bar of California’s Wiley Manuel award in recognition of his pro bono contributions to the family court. Issues pertaining to child custody and visitation can be complex and nuanced.
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