Christopher J. Donnelly is the partner in charge of the firm's family law department. He is certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization as a Family Law Specialist. Chris devotes his practice exclusively to family law at all levels, from premarital and postmarital agreements to complex settlement negotiations, financial analysis, and pretrial, trial, post-judgment, and appellate representation.
Chris graduated from San Francisco State University (B.A., magna cum laude, 1981) and the University of California, Boalt Hall (J.D., 1990), where he served as co-editor-in-chief of the Industrial Relations Law Journal, 1989-1990. He is the author of "Broadening the Definition of Income in the Context of Spousal Support Litigation," 15 Family Law News, No. 4., and "In re Marriage of Ilas (Appropriate Economic Analysis)," California Family Law Monthly (April 1993).
Chris served as the legislative liaison for the State Bar of California Family Law Section Standing Committee on Property, North, which he chaired from 1994 to 1996. In 1997 he was appointed to the California State Bar's Family Law Section Executive Committee by the State Bar's Board of Governors. In 1999 he served as the editor of The Family Law News.
Chris provides pro bono services as a family law attorney mentor for the Volunteer Legal Services Program in San Francisco. He has been trained as and serves as an arbitrator for the Bar Association of San Francisco. He has provided private mediation services dealing with complex matters, and serves regularly as a settlement judge pro tempore for the Superior Courts of San Francisco and Marin Counties.
