Todd Phillip Coulston

Todd Phillip Coulston

3.3
Rating: 1.0

Licensed for 26 years

Family Lawyer at Newport Beach, CA
Practice Areas: Family, Divorce & Separation, Child Custody ... +3 more

20281 SW Birch Street, First Floor, Newport Beach, CA

This lawyer was disciplined by a state licensing authority in 2023
See Details

About Todd

Fees and Rates

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Licenses

Licensed in California for 26 years

State: California

Acquired: 1999

Disbarred

Lawyer disciplined by state licensing authority in 2023

Location

The Law Offices of Burch, Coulston & Shepard, LLP

20281 SW Birch Street, First Floor, Newport Beach, CA, 92660

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Todd Phillip Coulston's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

3.3 /5.0

12 Client Reviews

Filter Avvo Reviews (12) 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 | Advocacy

Posted by anonymous | March 18, 2021 | Hired Attorney | Divorce & Separation

RUN!

I hired Todd and his assistant Chris back in 2016/2017 for representation for a dissolution of marriage and child custody order. It become more and more apparent every day how bad of a deal I got. Yes, I was able to get my divorce finalized but there was no parenting plan developed and the mom made... out quite well in the deal. It seems like Todd and Chris just kinda sat back and let my ex-wife and her lawyer get everything they wanted and I got shafted in the end. I would never hire him ever again and I caution anyone who ever does to maybe even have his work reviewed by a more skilled attorney.

Posted by anonymous | November 10, 2014 | Divorce & Separation

Awesome lawyer

Todd and his assistant Chris are amazing. Todd represented me in a very contentious multi-state divorce case. My calls and emails were always returned promptly. Thank you for caring about me and my kids and fighting for us in court.

Posted by Alan | October 22, 2014 | Divorce & Separation

Highly Reccomend Todd Coulston

Todd and his staff were extremely helpful during my divorce. Todd consistantly looked out for my best interests while dealing with an extremely difficult opposing counsel. Todd and Chris were very attentive to my concerns, and were always courtious and proffesional. It has been six years since my d...ivorce, and they are still there to help me when situations require changes to the original agreement.

Posted by Nick | September 05, 2014 | Lawsuits & Disputes

Do Not Invest in Todd or Staff - Seek Attorney Elsewhere

Todd Coulston has poor communication skills and was more interested in settling than protecting our rights. We never got the impression that Todd had control of his staff. The only thing Todd, Chris Bruce and the rest of the staff were able to do timely was send a bill. Chris Bruce repeatedly misrep...resented information we had given to her numerous times. She filed documents "quickly", which turned out to be months later and never informed us whether they were filed or not when questioned. My wife tried calling their office to confirm a court date for three consecutive weeks, which we never received a return call or email addressing her question. Subsequently, we were forced to find a new attorney to represent us in court on short notice and we could not have made a better decision. We are not sure how Todd and his staff are still in business.

Posted by Connie | November 14, 2011 | Child Custody

Very experienced, highly recommended family attorney...

I have had the pleasure of knowing Todd Coulston from The Law Offices of Burch and Coulston, LLP for almost six years. During the years of our acquaintance, I have seen Todd in various capacities, first representing our family in court for our daughter’s custody and visitation rights regarding the ...biological father and second, the adoption of our granddaughter. The first experience of dealing with the biological father in 2006 was extremely emotional and stressful. In that moment of representing us for the future of my daughter’s maternal rights as a parent in court, Todd did something extraordinary, he asked the judge to review the case in a few months to see how the father was keeping up with his responsibilities. Four months later, we all stood before the same judge including the biological father’s attorney minus his client who did not show up in court. The biological father fell through with his commitments and my daughter gained ALL parental legal rights. Todd’s legal motion to look ahead was brilliant, it literally changed our lives forever! Second was years later in 2011… Todd represented my daughter and her husband in the adoption of their daughter (our granddaughter). WHAT a full circle, incredibly happy fulfilling day that was! Todd is dedicated to family law, professional, very capable, and sensitive as an attorney to work with. Todd’s maturity and thoughtfulness won my confidence that he could handle any situation. We will always be grateful to Todd for his invaluable results representing us in court. We as a family highly recommend Todd Coulston and The Law Offices of Burch and Coulston, LLP.

See All Client Reviews

Todd Phillip Coulston's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Todd
Walter Douglas McKeague Jr headshot
Walter McKeague

Family lawyer | Jun 26

Relationship: Opposing Counsel on matter

"I endorse this lawyer."

Douglas Robert McClintock headshot
Douglas McClintock

Family lawyer | May 24

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. Todd is a very knowledgeable and ethical attorney."

View All Endorsements

Experience

Rating:  1.0 (Extreme Caution)

Professional misconduct

This lawyer was disciplined by a state licensing authority in 2023.

Disbarment issued in CA, 2023

updated on 02/12/2026

Disbarment is the most serious penalty for a lawyer. If this attorney is currently practicing law, you should contact the California State Bar to understand the reasons for disbarment.

Work Experience

2002 - Present

Attorney, Burch, Coulston & Shepard, LLP

Associations

State Bar of California

Member

American Bar Association

Member

Orange County Bar Association

Member

William P. Gray Legion Lex Inn of Cour

Member

Orange County Community Council

Member

Irvine Chamber of Commerce

Member

South Orange County Regional Chambers of Commerce

Member

Education

1999

Santa Clara Univ SOL

JD - Juris Doctor

1994

University of California - Irvine

Undergraduate

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
    This lawyer was disciplined by a state licensing authority in 2023
    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