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 8 reviews | Recommendation

Posted by Fred | December 01, 2021 | Hired Attorney | Family

Integrity, profound experience and focussed on what's best for the Children

Mr. Sarris recently handled a delicate and contentious family matter for me that drew on his vast experience and awareness with Child Custody matters, Dissolution, and an unfortunate and unfounded Restraining Order request that I was involved in that was associated to a bogus DCFS accusation. Wi...thin the first hour of my consultation with Mr Sarris, it was clear that he had a solid grasp of my situation, new exactly how to navigate all matters constructively and to the benefit of my children. He provided a clear strategy and plan rooted in what was just and fair that accomplished everything that I was fairly asking of the court. In short, everything alleged by the other party during my recent court hearing was Dismissed. Mr Sarris prevailed on all matters. He was laser focused in his preparation and presentation to the court. He was able to present all matters in my defense clearly to the court, and his motions achieved a profoundly meaningful (and just) outcome that granted me equal custody of my children, and most meaningful to me, Mr Sarris was able to re-unite me with my children for the entirety of the Thanksgiving holiday. I cannot emphasize enough the profound value of having Mr Sarris on your side. He is a man of integrity, of calm focus and my direct experience with him is that he always had awareness on what was best for my children and made sure to advocate the best outcome for them. As a specialized attorney in family law, I can attest that this made all the difference in my situation. I felt like he had my back, and my children's backs. I encourage you to meet him and retain him because he and his vast experience is worth every penny. He will not waste time getting to the heart of a matter and he will propose the most efficient and effective way to navigate challenging situations that ultimately will save you from burning through expenses. Be mindful of who you select to represent you, I was and it mattered profoundly. I recommend Mr Sarris without reservation.

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 30, 2017 | Hired Attorney | Family

Excellent, Diligent & Effective Counsel

Michael has a diligent and thorough legal mind and is an outstanding family law attorney. He fights like hell for his clients and, in my experience, gets optimal results and delivers top quality legal services at reasonable rates compared to the competition. I have consulted him for several personal ...issues and referred family law clients to him. For me, his practical and knowledgeable advice has been spot on. For the referrals, to date, he has obtained optimal outcomes at reasonable rates.

Posted by Alex | June 29, 2017 | Hired Attorney | Divorce & Separation

Michael Sarris,... a Dependable Lawyer!

I got introduced to Mr Sarris right at the beginning of my divorce but I had already hired probably the worst lawyer in W LA ( Shelly Mandell) so after a bitter couple of years I finally got the right decision and hired Mr Sarris for my case! Michael made it clear to me that the only thing th...at mattered was my three children! Right from the start he managed to direct the Court's attention to the evasive strategies of the other side and after a number of successful court battles the final judgement was a victory for me and my kids! I would recommend Mr Sarris to anyone who needs a FAMILY MAN to help them in Court!

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!!

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

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.

What determines Avvo Rating?
  • Experience & background Years licensed, work experience, education
  • Legal community recognition Peer endorsements, associations, awards
  • Legal thought leadership Publications, speaking engagements
  • Discipline Disciplinary information may not be comprehensive, or updated. We recommend that you always check a lawyer's disciplinary status with their respective state bar association before hiring them.
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