Michael Sarris

PRO

Michael Sarris

5.0
Rating: 8.1

Licensed for 30 years

Child custody Lawyer at Long Beach, CA
Practice Areas: Child Custody, Divorce & Separation, Family ... +4 more

444 W. Ocean Blvd., Suite 1410, Long Beach, CA

About Michael

Biography

Practicing Family Law & Divorce Attorney Since 1995

Practice Areas

7

Practice Areas

Child Custody 20%

31 years

20%
Divorce and Separation 20%

31 years

20%
Family 20%

31 years

20%
Child Support 10%

31 years

10%
Domestic Violence 10%

31 years

10%
Marriage and Prenuptials 10%

31 years

10%
Mediation 10%

31 years

10%

Fees and Rates

We have not found any cost information for this lawyer

Licenses

Licensed in California for 30 years

State: California

Acquired: 1995

Active

No misconduct found

Location

Gilligan Frisco & Trutanich LLP

444 W. Ocean Blvd., Suite 1410, Long Beach, CA, 90802

gftlawyers.com/

Gilligan Frisco & Trutanich LLP - Palos Verdes Office

2516 Vía Tejon, Suite 309, Palos Verdes Estates, CA, 90274

gftlawyers.com/

Michael Sarris's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

5.0 /5.0

13 Client Reviews

Filter Avvo Reviews (13) Refine reviews to match your needs. Use the filters to quickly surface reviews that align with your case or priorities.

Showing 1 - 5 of 7 reviews | General Knowledge

Posted by Galyna | March 14, 2026 | Hired Attorney | Family

Sharp, Reliable, Honest, Modest

Michael Sarris became my third attorney in Long Beach Family Court and had to step into a case after a full year of litigation. This meant reviewing an extensive amount of documents and untangling the complications left by my previous attorneys — often the most difficult part of taking over a case. ... Michael is extremely reliable and has a calm, composed demeanor. He approaches judges with intelligence and professionalism, always presenting arguments in a thoughtful and strategic way. He is incredibly sharp and organized — he seems to keep every detail of the case in his head. He is also outstanding when it comes to working with numbers and complex financial aspects of the case. Michael is like a rock. While other attorneys may try to play games, manipulate situations, or resort to personal attacks, he never lowers himself to that level. He stays composed, focused, and always maintains the highest level of professionalism. My case had been seriously damaged by irresponsible attorneys before him, but Michael took it on and worked diligently to move it forward and rebuild what had been lost. I am very grateful for his work and dedication.

Posted by Chris | September 07, 2017 | Hired Attorney | Divorce & Separation

Top notch

I've used Michael Sarris several times over the past few years for both my divorce and child custody issues. He's attentative, quick to return calls and very knowledgeable in court. More importantly he worked very hard preparing for each court appearance and it showed. I genuinely feel I got the resu...lts I paid for because of his hard work and attention to every detail. I highly recommend Michael Sarris.

Posted by anonymous | July 01, 2017 | Hired Attorney | Divorce & Separation

Divorce

There are no words to express how thankful I am to Michael Sarris for being my divorce lawyer back in 2005. Divorce is an emotionally and logistically stressful time, and to have a trustworthy, realistic, human, sensitive to our needs’ attorney, and specially someone who cares with an impeccable wor...k ethic it is what we crave. And exactly those skills and much more were what I got from Mr. Michael Sarris. He kept constant communication with me and patiently explained the process and the steps to be taken. It meant the world to me that he took the time to listen to my questions and to put in “normal language” the technical law vocabulary, so that I could understand what the process was about. Mr. Michael Sarris, I literally couldn’t have done it without you! He is the best, and I always recommend him to anyone who is looking for a lawyer.

Posted by anonymous | June 29, 2017 | Hired Attorney | Business

Excellent Attorney - Recommended by Top CA Lawyer

Michael Sarris is a top-notch business, family law, estates lawyer who has obtained excellent results for me and my family for over ten years. As the former Chief Counsel to the Governor, I have overseen dozens of lawyers and many legal matters, and I have chosen Michael Sarris to be my and my family...'s lawyer in several very difficult matters. He is an excellent lawyer, litigator and counselor, and is respected by the Courts and opposing counsel as well as by his satisfied clients. Excellent!!

Posted by anonymous | June 29, 2017 | Hired Attorney | Family

Terrific Lawyer for Business Woman for Family Law, Litigation, Negotiations

I'm a business woman who has needed strong counsel and Mr. Sarris is a great lawyer who has helped me with family law, estates and small business litigation maters both in and out of court, and also in mediation and arbitration. He is a great listener and communicates what is possible and how to "get... there" in a good way, and even when a case did not look great for me because of very difficult facts, he negotiated on my behalf to get me the best outcome. I have trusted his counsel and legal skill and recommend him highly. Mr. Sarris is a terrific lawyer and always available to explain and fight for my rights!

See All Client Reviews

Michael Sarris's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Michael
David Michael Kramer headshot
David Kramer

Family lawyer | Feb 20

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"My office would like to endorse Michael Sarris as an attorney practicing in the area of family law. We have been confidently referring clients to Mr. Sarris for the past several years and have only heard wonderful reports about his services. Sincerely, David M. Kramer"

Janine Marie Frisco headshot
Janine Frisco

Family lawyer | Dec 08

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I endorse this lawyer. Michael is extremely knowledgeable in Family Law and is very professional. Michael is compassionate with all of his client's concerns and truly cares about the outcome. Michaels tenacity and dedication is what makes him so successful and I am honored to give him an endorsement."

Michael S. Waddington headshot
Michael Waddington

Family lawyer | May 27

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse Michael. He is a highly skilled attorney that is well respected in the legal community."

Robert Alan Rees headshot
Robert Rees

Litigation lawyer | Feb 14

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I endorse this lawyer. Michael is quick to grasp a client’s situation. He then recommends a realistic goal, develops a practical plan to achieve that goal, and moves forward to execute the plan. He is responsive to his clients and colleagues and diplomatic with others."

View All Endorsements
Janine Marie Frisco headshot
Janine Frisco

Family lawyer

Janet Elizabeth Dockstader headshot
Janet Dockstader

Family lawyer

John Joseph Gilligan headshot
John Gilligan

Family lawyer

Wendy K. Tse headshot
Wendy Tse

Family lawyer

David Michael Kramer headshot
David Kramer

Immigration lawyer

Experience

Rating:  8.1 (Excellent)

Honors

2025

Client Champion Award, Martindale-Hubbell

2024

America's Most Honored Lawyer, American Registry

2017

Client's Choice, Avvo

N/A

Certified Specialist - Family Law, State Bar of California

Work Experience

2011 - Present

Associate Attorney, Brandmeyer Gilligan & Dockstader, LLP

2002 - 2011

Attorney, Law Offices of Michael Sarris

2000 - 2001

Investment Banker, JP Morgan

1997 - 1998

Attorney, Higgs, Fletcher & Mack, LLP

1995 - 1996

Attorney, Jones Day Reavis & Pogue

Associations

European Union Bar

Member

American Hellenic Council of California

Vice President of Finance

Los Angeles Opera House

Founder

Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law

Volunteer Attorney

Levitt and Quinn Family Law Center

Volunteer Attorney

Education

N/A

Columbia University

MBA - Master of Business Administration

N/A

Athens University Law School

JD - Juris Doctor

N/A

University of London

Masters of Law with merit in European Community Law

Languages

Spanish

English

Greek

Avvo Rating

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Avvo Rating Levels
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