Sondra Sue Sutherland

PRO

Sondra Sue Sutherland

5.0
Rating: 8.4

Licensed for 29 years

Family Lawyer at San Diego, CA
Practice Areas: Family, Appeals, Litigation

11440 West Bernardo Court, Suite 300, San Diego, CA

Free Consultation

About Sondra

Biography

Trusted San Diego litigator with over 25 years of experience delivering strategic legal solutions in family law, civil litigation, and appellate advocacy—committed to protecting your rights and achieving results in and out of court.

Riverside County and San Diego appellate attorney with proven success in civil, family, and criminal appeals—protecting your rights and challenging trial court errors across California.

Experienced Riverside County and San Diego County family law attorney—handling divorce, custody, support, and domestic disputes with compassion and strategic advocacy.

Trusted Riverside County and San Diego litigation lawyer—resolving complex civil, family, and business disputes through aggressive courtroom representation and tailored legal strategies.

Practice Areas

3

Practice Areas

Family 80%

Experienced Riverside County and San Diego family law attorney—handling divorce, custody, support, and domestic disputes with compassion and strategic advocacy.

80%
Appeals 15%

Riverside County and San Diego appellate attorney with proven success in civil, family, and criminal appeals—protecting your rights and challenging trial court errors across California.

15%
Litigation 5%

Trusted Riverside County and San Diego litigation lawyer—resolving complex civil, family, and business disputes through aggressive courtroom representation and tailored legal strategies.

5%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Free Consultation

$0 first 30 minutes

Hourly Rates

$ 295-295 per hour

Contingency

20%-50%

Retainer

Always


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card

Licenses

Licensed in California for 29 years

State: California

Acquired: 1996

Active

No misconduct found

Location

Law Offices of Sondra S. Sutherland

11440 West Bernardo Court, Suite 300, San Diego, CA, 92127

ssslegal.com/

Online Presence

Other places you can find Sondra online.

Sondra Sue Sutherland's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

5.0 /5.0

11 Client Reviews

Filter Avvo Reviews (11) Refine reviews to match your needs. Use the filters to quickly surface reviews that align with your case or priorities.

Showing 1 - 5 of 11 reviews

Posted by anonymous | February 19, 2026 | Hired Attorney | Lawsuits & Disputes

Excellent and experienced lawyer

Excellent lawyer. Very happy with the work she did for me. She was very knowledgeable about items pertaining to my case. She did a great job preparing materials for the trial and made sure I understood everything every step of the way. I came back a second time and hired her for another case.

Posted by Ossie | October 11, 2025 | Hired Attorney | Contracts & Agreements

FANTASTIC ATTORNEY

Sondra Sutherland came highly recommended to me. The case was very complex and challenging involving the breach of an investment contract. Sondra always kept me informed throughout the process. She was honest, an excellent communicator, worked tirelessly and was ultimately successful in winning my... case. I definitely recommend Sondra and know you will be extremely pleased!

Posted by TRYAL | October 11, 2025 | Hired Attorney | Contracts & Agreements

A Rock Star indefatigable trial attorney, adept at strategy and tactics, and an exceptionally skilled communicator

Sondra Sutherland was recommended by a lawyer with whom I had great trust and the relationship could not have worked out any better. Ms. Sutherland has, over a lengthy career, delt with many different areas of the law and, until recently been concentrating on family law. My case, though, involved ...a contract complaint I had against a former business partner. After five years ending in 2025, we won our case decisively and prevailed at appeal as well. I was particularly pleased with the process of working with Ms. Southerland because she kept me informed every step of the way. I was not as familiar with the law as I am now thanks to her mentoring; she took care to explain the ramifications of all our legal moves and provide options for how we could proceed at various junctures. She copied me on communications she had related to the case so I always knew I was up to speed with the case as it progressed. At her court appearances and depositions, she was always extraordinarily well prepared. Should I need any legal help in the future, I would turn first to Sondra Sutherland to prosecute my case.

Posted by Danny | October 09, 2025 | Hired Attorney | Family

One of the Best Attorneys in Southern California

Communicates excellent with clients at every juncture/ phase of the case. Although Mrs. Sutherland is categorized as a Family Law Attorney her knowledge of the law extends way beyond those boundaries. Our case was difficult in many facets dealing with contractual law a jury trail and with two opp...osing law firms that practiced dishonesty, lacked morals and integrity of their profession. These practices were exposed during a long 5 year battle which if it wasn’t for Mrs Sutherland expertise, knowledge of law and unwavering tenacity I’m not certain we would have had the complete and total success that we did. As mentioned above, her knowledge of the law was beyond impressive coupled with what I would describe as a bull dog approach in a very professional manner that led to successful compelling arguments in our favor . Mrs Sutherland also agreed to take on our appeal process which normally would be handled by attorneys that specializes only in that one field. Mrs. Sutherland took this added responsibility head on knowing that about ninety percent (90) of appeal cases are unsuccessful. Mrs. Sutherland was not only successful but from what I understand may have even been established case law. I would highly recommend Mrs. Sutherland to anyone looking for a knowledgeable, competent, hardworking and honest Attorney.

Posted by Edward | October 08, 2025 | Hired Attorney | Lawsuits & Disputes

Hire Sondra. She is the best!

Very meticulous and knowledgeable. Knows the court system well. Articulates strongly on behalf of her clients.

See All Client Reviews

Sondra Sue Sutherland's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Sondra
James Nelson Dicks headshot
James Dicks

Family lawyer | Nov 29

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"This attorney works very hard for the clients and keeps up with the law by attending legal seminars to assist them in this regard. I endorse this attorney."

Michael Shemtoub headshot
Michael Shemtoub

Appeals lawyer | Sep 18

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Your resume speaks for itself and I consider you a valuable member of the attorney community. I would recommend you to anyone and everyone who needs your services. I whole heartedly endorse this lawyer!"

Andrew Jack Botros headshot
Andrew Botros

Appeals lawyer | Aug 08

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer."

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Experience

Rating:  8.4 (Excellent)

Honors

2013

2013 Top Lawyers in California, American Lawyer Media

2013

Lead Counsel Rating, Lead Counsel

2012

CLAY Award (Attorney of the Year, Family Law), California Lawyer Magazine

2009

The Wiley W. Manuel Award for Pro Bono Legal Services, The State Bar of California

1996

Excellence for the Future Award - Arbitration, The Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI)

1995

Excellence for the Future Award - Securities Regulation, The Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI)

1994

American Jurisprudence Award - Professional Responsibility, Bancroft-Witney AmJur

1994

American Jurisprudence Award - Advanced Legal Writing, Bancroft-Witney AmJur

Work Experience

1999 - Present

Attorney/Owner, Law Offices of Sondra S. Sutherland

1998 - 1999

Attorney, Sacks & Zweig

1997 - 1998

Attorney, Trope and Trope

1997 - 1997

Research Attorney, L.A. County Superior Court

1996 - 1996

Judicial Extern to Hon. Alex Kozinski, U.S. Court Of Appeals, 9th Circuit

1995 - 1995

Judicial Extern to Hon. Norman L. Epstein, California Court Of Appeal

Associations

2006 - Present

United States Supreme Court Bar

Admitted to Practice

1999 - Present

San Diego County Bar Association

Member

1999 - Present

San Diego North County Bar Association

Member

1999 - Present

United States District Court for the Southern District of California

Admitted to Practice

1997 - Present

American Bar Association

Member

1997 - Present

United States District Court for the Central District of California

Admitted to Practice

1997 - Present

United States Court of Appeals For the Ninth Circuit

Admitted to Practice

1996 - Present

Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity

Member

Sample of Legal Cases

Marriage of Gruen (2011) 191 Cal.App.4th 627

Reversed - prior orders revived (meaning app. $800K in additional support for the mother and 4 children)

In re Bankr. of Bush (Kipperman v. Sutherland), 356 B.R. 28 (Bankr. S.D. Cal. 2006)

Court validated my liens

Marriage of Lammers (2000) 83 Cal.App.4th 1309

Changed the culture to make reading & ruling on the evidence & law the standard; statewide rules now replace local practices of this type

Sutherland v. Barclays (1997) 53 Cal.App.4th 299

Summary judgment reversed-Judge Weil settled case

See More Legal Cases

Education

1996

Whittier Coll SOL

JD - Juris Doctor

Languages

English

Avvo Rating

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