Steven Paul Fernandez

Steven Paul Fernandez

5.0
Rating: 9.9

Licensed for 37 years

Family Lawyer at Santa Monica, CA
Practice Areas: Family, Divorce & Separation, Child Support, Child Custody

429 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 120, Santa Monica, CA

About Steven

Biography

Practice Areas

4

Practice Areas

Divorce and Separation 30%

Dissolution of Marriage and Complex Property and Asset Division issues.

30%
Family 30%

Certified California Family Law Specialist by the State Board of Legal Specialization.

30%
Child Support 20%

Spousal and Child Support Issues

20%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Free Consultation

$0 first 40 minutes

Retainer

Always


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card

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Licenses

Licensed in California for 37 years

State: California

Acquired: 1989

Active

No misconduct found

Location

Fernandez Law Group

429 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 120, Santa Monica, CA, 90401

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Steven Paul Fernandez's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

5.0 /5.0

6 Client Reviews

5 star (6)
4 star (0)
3 star (0)
2 star (0)
1 star (0)

Posted by Michael | April 16, 2024 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Excellent Family Law Attorney

I was involved in a very contentious divorce with quite a few moving parts. I worked a lot with Jean Kim and Steven Fernandez. Both Jean and Steven were always professional, extremely helpful and empathetic throughout the case. Crystal Boultinghouse and Melanie Minas were extremely capable and ...instrumental in helping me reach a fair outcome regarding the custody component of our case. In short, I would recommend Fernandez & Karney if you're looking for an excellent family law attorney.

Posted by Zach | October 18, 2018 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Thank you Steve Fernandez

I don’t know where I would be without Steve Fernandez. This is not merely a review- some suggestion that endorses the services of Fernandez and Karney. This is more of a testament of gratitude for what he did for me. First things first: the work of Steve Fernandez is excellent. He is a profession...al in the highest sense of the word. He obviously has a deep nuanced understanding of family law. He is beyond competent. All of his work was precise, swift, timely, and thorough. But the true zeal beneath this review comes from the humanity in the way Steve treated me. When I met Steve Fernandez my life was not in a good place. It is now. I have my life back, and, for the first time in a bit, the future looks bright and exciting. Steve Fernandez gave me a fresh start, brought order back to my life, and stood up for me when no one else would. And that is the real reason I write this. My life was flipped upside down in the span of a day. My absorbantly wealthy wife used all of the powers at her disposal to bully me and make my life as difficult as possible. It was a daunting situation. But Steve kept me poised, sane, and confident that the way I was being treated was not only immoral, but not legal either. He was right. So he stood up for me when no one else would. When all other avenues of help disappeared Steve was there- calm, intelligent, a guiding light through the tumultuous and complex process of divorce. So, Steve, thank you. You kept me calm. You got me what I deserved. And, most importantly, you truly helped me in a time of need. These are not little things and I can’t thank you enough.

Posted by Robert | December 22, 2017 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Godsend

Opposing council will misquote this review in court, so I will misquote Hunter S Thomson. "Family Law is a cruel and shallow money trench where thieves run free and most of the time good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side.... " Free advice : Before filing for custody, select your a...ttorney wisely, choose a firm with a strong foundation. Hopefully this helps. Had I initially hired Steven Fernandez, none of this would have happened, had I not hired him I would have never seen our child again as I had come to his firm unable to speak and broken. I'll explain. I am a thirty eight year old man who loves his daughter dearly. I've had a smorgasbord of Family Law Specialist, JNE Commission, overpriced Avvo 10's. Not all of them were to blame for the original event that turned the child custody case that I filed in Los Angeles into a fabricated Hemet case, built by design for over-litigated fee churning fraud... However, said attorneys sure were lazy for the money and were happy to turn a blind eye to the blatant fraud and corruption, while simultaneously extrapolating from me every single penny. Steven Fernandez, who's name is on the letterhead of this firm, was the first person to put the wellbeing of myself and our child ahead of easy money and Steven has done a better job than every single other firm combined. He has earned every single dollar and then some. Fraud, perjury, corruption, stalking, extortion, legal kidnapping, private investigators, investigative journalists, you name it, from Malibu to Hemet, we have been through it. Again, had I initially hired Steven Fernandez, absolutely none of this would have happened. Steve has the guts and good nature to run a deep roster of gifted professionals. Steven is smart, ethical and everything that one would hope their own children would grow up to be. Every attorney at this firm is a consummate professional and gifted in their own right. I believe the latter is a prerequisite for being employed by Steven, as Mr. Fernandez is highly intelligent, yet still he is a respectable humble man. Steven and his firm are hands down some of the most compassionate skilled litigators alive and excellent human beings.

Posted by Ann | August 10, 2015

Brilliant and professional

Steven Fernandez is one of the best and brightest people I know. He has represented me in my divorce for 17 months. Steven is always professional, is a fast study, and pays attention to details. The other attorneys, paralegals, and staff at Fernandez & Karney are also first rate. They are easy to get... along with, responsible, and not afraid to ask questions. They quickly produce quality work. They've worked tirelessly, efficiently, and conscientiously to protect me. This office is well-prepared to take on any family law case.

Posted by Catherine | October 4, 2012

Grounded, Sharp and Highly Effective

My divorce case was a real bugger as my soon to be ex is a clever one hiding assets. Steve was super savvy and highly tenacious whilst maintaining reasonable attorney fees he guided me emotionally (at one point I was so angry I cried restraining order and he stopped me and he was right...not only fo...r my well being but also financially), he kept a close watch on my costs and fees, (consistently weighed the costs vs. the gains and over all outcome- saved me a lot of anguish and costs), and provided awesome follow up with his team. I dug for every document I could get me hands on and there was not much. His team dug in and dug some more. It was not a real lucrative high end case for this firm, but they treated me and the case as if it was. At the end I made out well, then came the bill. It hurt to win and then to have to hand over cash from the win, but standing back and measuring the overall win not only financially but emotionally and what they saved me from I was happy to make the payment and move on. In retrospect, I realize the time and work put into my case and how this firm took it on with little down. When I measure the number of staff hours, the hours and the attention I got with immediate emails and call backs and time and answers...I got one heck of a deal. This was a terrible experience without a doubt, but could have been much worse if I had landed with the wrong firm, wrong people. I cannot speak enough about Kelly Fernandez Karney, a great team with balanced and very smart leadership. You can't go wrong here.

See All Client Reviews

Steven Paul Fernandez's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Steven
Kirk A. Kolodji headshot
Kirk Kolodji

Divorce and separation lawyer | Nov 21

Relationship: Worked for lawyer

"I endorse this lawyer."

Jean Young Kim headshot
Jean Kim

Family lawyer | Aug 30

Relationship: Co-worker

"I endorse this lawyer."

Robert Sainburg headshot
Robert Sainburg

Divorce and separation lawyer | May 08

Relationship: Other

"Mr. Fernandez is honest, ethical, compassionate, zealous, and trustworthy. Mr. Fernandez is an excellent lawyer. I endorse Mr. Fernandez."

B. Stuart Walker headshot
B. Stuart Walker

Divorce and separation lawyer | May 06

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. Mr. Fernandez excels in all areas of Family Law. However, he is particularly outstanding at litigating high asset and high conflict divorces."

Crystal Michele Boultinghouse headshot
Crystal Boultinghouse

Divorce and separation lawyer | Apr 24

Relationship: Worked for lawyer

"I endorse this lawyer. Steven is the perfect combination of a highly knowledgeable lawyer and compassionate advocate. I actually do not know any attorney as knowledgeable as he is with statutes, case law, and up to date rulings that effect family law and high asset divorce. Steven will handle any divorce with decorum while getting the client the highest asset deal or order that they are entitled to."

Matthew Ray Bogosian headshot
Matthew Bogosian

Family lawyer | Apr 18

Relationship: Opposing Counsel on matter

"Steven Fernandez is an excellent lawyer and a Certified Family Law Specialist. He is extremely honest to clients, to the court and to opposing counsel. That level of integrity is rare and sets him apart."

View All Endorsements
Crystal Michele Boultinghouse headshot
Crystal Boultinghouse

Child custody lawyer

Jean Young Kim headshot
Jean Kim

Family lawyer

Akimi Justin Nakagawa headshot
Akimi Nakagawa

Family lawyer

B. Stuart Walker headshot
B. Stuart Walker

Family lawyer

Jeffrey Lee Hoffer headshot
Jeffrey Hoffer

Family lawyer

Paul D Spear headshot
Paul Spear

Family lawyer

S Roger Rombro headshot
S Rombro

Family lawyer

Robert Sainburg headshot
Robert Sainburg

Family lawyer

Ruth Lynn Estep headshot
Ruth Estep

Family lawyer

Soheila Omrani headshot
Soheila Omrani

Family lawyer

Edward Jerome Blum headshot
Edward Blum

Family lawyer

Matthew Ray Bogosian headshot
Matthew Bogosian

Family lawyer

Experience

Rating:  9.9 (Superb)

Honors

2016

Top 100 Trial Lawyers, National Trial Lawyers

2012

California Certified Family Law Specialist, The State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization

Work Experience

1900 - 1900

Judge Pro Tem, Los Angeles County Superior Court

Associations

2012 - Present

California Board of Legal Specialization

2012 - Present

Los Angeles County Bar Association

1989 - Present

State Bar of California

Sample of Legal Cases

Divorce Case

Settled

See More Legal Cases

Education

1987

University of California at Los Angeles School of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

N/A

Univ of California Santa Barbara

undergraduate

Speaking Engagements

N/A

Lecture

“Discovery in Family Law”

Publications

N/A

N/A

Fernandez & Karney Spousal Support

N/A

Lawyers Building Legal Information Blog

N/A

Languages

English

Spanish

Activity

Avvo Rating

Our Rating is calculated using information the lawyer has included on their profile in addition to the information we collect from state bar associations and other organizations that license legal professionals. Attorneys who claim their profiles and provide Avvo with more information tend to have a higher rating than those who do not.

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  • Experience & background Years licensed, work experience, education
  • Legal community recognition Peer endorsements, associations, awards
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Avvo Rating Levels
10.0 - 9.0 Superb8.9 - 8.0 Excellent7.9 - 7.0 Very Good6.9 - 6.0 Good5.9 - 5.0 Average4.9 - 4.0 Concern3.9 - 3.0 Caution2.9 - 2.0 Strong Caution1.9 - 1.0 Extreme Caution