Vanessa Novak

We are a client-centered practice where we take the time to listen to our clients, view the case from their perspective, and address the issues that matter most to them.

We enjoy educating our clients about legal and procedural matters thereby empowering them with such knowledge.

We encourage our clients to take an active role in their matter and participate in building a strong case.

We are committed to providing our clients with ethical, high-quality and cost-effective legal representation and assistance in family law, probate court and estate planning.

California

Vanessa Novak is a licensed attorney in California and is admitted to practice before the Central District Court of California and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Vanessa received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana before receiving her Juris Doctor Degree from Whittier Law School, Costa Mesa, California.

Vanessa's practice is devoted to estate planning, including wills, trusts and advanced health care directives, and family law, including dissolutions, legal separations, spousal support (alimony), child custody, visitation and support, asset and debt division, domestic violence, and paternity. She also performs adoptions, guardianships, and conservatorships.

Vanessa's professional family law experience predates her career as an attorney and she has extensive experience assisting children and families through the legal process.

Before beginning her career as an attorney in 2008, Vanessa served as an extern to the Honorable Judge Wendy L. Lindley of California Superior Court. Vanessa also clerked at the Children's Rights Center in Costa Mesa, worked at the Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law in Los Angeles, and was a Court Appointed Special Advocate / Guardian Ad Litem in Gallatin County, Montana.

As part of an ongoing commitment to her community, Vanessa serves as a volunteer attorney at the Public Law Center, Legal Aid, and at the Lamoreaux Justice Center in the Self-Represented Parties Court and the Guardianship Clinic.

Vanessa is a member of the Family Law Sections and Estate Planning Sections of both the California Bar Association and the Orange County Bar Association. She is also an active member in the Orange County Women Lawyers Association and the Young Lawyers Division.