Thomas William Tuttle

Thomas W. Tuttle is a shareholder and family law attorney with Seastrom Tuttle Murphy Dockstader in Irvine/Newport Beach, California. Certified as a specialist in family law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization and a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Tom brings nearly three decades of experience to the representation of high-net-worth individuals, executives, physicians, attorneys, and business owners navigating complex family law matters throughout Orange County and Southern California.

Tom's practice focuses on the intricate intersection of family law and substantial wealth: business interest valuation and division, executive compensation structures, private equity holdings, real estate portfolios, investment accounts, and matters with interstate and international dimensions. He brings analytical excellence to community/separate property asset protection and privacy considerations that high-net-worth and high-asset dissolution cases demand.

Over his career, Tom has achieved remarkable success helping clients make well-informed decisions across all aspects of high-asset family law—from child custody and support to property valuation and division, alimony/spousal support, and negotiated settlements. Whether litigating or mediating, he maintains unwavering focus on protecting his clients' rights and privacy.

Widely regarded as a leader in his legal community, Tom has served on the Family Law Advisory Commission to The State Bar of California, and has served as chair, vice chair, secretary, treasurer and executive committee member-at-large to the Orange County Bar Association's Family Law Section. He is a fellow with the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers ("AAML"), a founding fellow of the Society of Fellows of the Orange County Bar Foundation, and serves on the board of the Constitutional Rights Foundation of Orange County and as Master of the Bench of the Banyard Inn of Court. He is a frequent speaker and lecturer at continuing legal education seminars across Southern California on a variety of family law topics and was the Dean of the 2026 So Cal AAML Trial Institute.

Recognized for his outstanding professionalism and service, Tom holds an AV-Preeminent peer review rating* from Martindale-Hubbell (highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards), and he has earned perennial designation as one of his region's top lawyers for more than a decade. He has also received designation as among the 500 Leading Family Lawyers in America from Lawdragon and was recognized by Super Lawyers as Top 50 in Orange County and Top 100, by The Best Lawyers in America, Family Law, 2021 - 2026, Doyle’s Guide list of Leading Family & Divorce Lawyers in Orange County, Los Angeles Magazine Top Attorneys in Southern California, and OC Magazine

A 1992 graduate of the University of California, Irvine, with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Tom earned his Juris Doctor in 1997 from the University of Notre Dame Law School, where he served as an editor of the Journal of Legislation. He has been a member of the California State Bar since 1997.

*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.