Senior Associate Of Counsel

Cynthia is originally from Ohio where she was a High School English teacher for 10 years following her graduation from Miami University of Ohio, in 1969. She landed in Los Angeles, decided to attend law school in 1987. Cynthia graduated from Southwestern School Of Law in LA in 1990 at the top of her class, was best national oralist in moot court competitions during her third year of law school, and tutored law students both while she was a law student and after graduation. She has been practicing primarily Family Law and appeals since 1992.

Cynthia has handled numerous appeals and has been published in the case of Pugliese v. Superior Court which established a lengthened statute of limitations for domestic violence victims. She is an advocate for mothers and fathers alike but mostly for children. In fact, she and her husband, who is also a lawyer, adopted three young children, siblings, from the state of Georgia, when they were the victims of domestic abuse. They have been with Cynthia and her husband now for 22 years and are thriving.

Cynthia takes a personal interest in her cases and fights to the very end. Cynthia de Petris has a close personal and continuous relationship with the firm.

Senior Associate Of Counsel

Lionel (Lonny) is a graduate of Drexel University with a bachelor of science degree in business administration, graduating cum laude. He is a 1974 graduate of the Villanova  school of Law, Villanova, Pennsylvania graduating first in his class, magna cum laude, and has been admitted to practice in California since 1974. 

He has been a member of the family law section of the State Bar of California and the Los Angeles County Bar Association and, has been a volunteer mediator in the Los Angeles County Superior Court for more than 35 years. From 1976 through 1999 he was an adjunct professor at the University of Los Angeles School of Law teaching constitutional law. Since 2006 he has annually presented lectures on new family law developments to study group sponsored by the accounting firm of White, Zuckerman, Warshawsky, Luna and Hunt; he has been a presenter and a fee arbitrator since 2018 for the San Fernando Bar.

His practice has been limited to family law matters, including complex business and real estate valuations, support, and custody proceedings, both by way of trial and negotiated settlements. Lionel has a close personal and continuous relationship with the firm.

Associate Counsel

Rob Sullivan was born and raised in Southern California. Rob obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from San Diego State University in 1998 and a Juris Doctorate from Washburn University in Kansas in 2001. Following law school, Rob began his legal career working in a family law office and has been devoted to family law ever since. Throughout the course of his more than twenty three-year career litigating family law matters, Rob gained extensive courtroom experience and honed his skills as a persuasive advocate for his clients. At the same time, Rob developed a reputation as a bit of a miracle worker for being able to settle highly contentious cases.

Rob has successfully represented family law clients throughout California, from San Diego to Napa, including numerous clients with a high-net worth, complicated estate, and large income. Rob has personally handled a wide range of family law matters, from sensitive child custody and visitation matters, including move-away cases, cases involving domestic abuse, and grandparent visitation, to cases involving a business valuation, cash-flow analysis for purposes of support, and concealed assets or income.

When Rob is not diligently advocating for his clients, he enjoys empty nesting with his wife, Amy, and spending time with his four-legged family members.

Associate Of Counsel

Denise Vatani Heinz, Esq. has exclusively practiced family law in Southern California since passing the CA-BAR exam in 2014. She was born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama before moving to California her senior year in high school. She graduated magna cum laude from UCLA with a double major in political science and international relations and received her Juris Doctorate from Chapman University School of Law. She has advocated for clients ranging from high-net-worth individuals, business owners, blue collar workers, stay-at-home parents, and pro per litigants (self-represented parties). In each scenario, no matter the client, she has always taken pride in providing the same level of expertise, respect, and attention to every case.

Mediation Consultant

In addition to being a California certified mediator, Krista has more than 30 years’ experience administratively supervising busy law practices. She built a reputation of establishing solid relationships with clients, and her professional contacts say she provides excellent services for their matters.

Krista is a strong, focused and sincere woman who is highly organized.

Krista’s ability to provide excellent client communications and administrative tasks truly raises the bar for the firm.

Mediation Consultant

John Mathis is a tenacious mediator who focuses on civil, contract and business disputes. Mr. Mathis has mediated nearly a thousand legal agreements. He works actively with both attorneys and parties to help them achieve a better resolution than either side would risk achieving in court.

Mr. Mathis honed his skills as a civil court mediator with California Superior Court while working with OC Human Relations.

Mr. Mathis is known for his patience and excellence in resolving high-emotion conflicts. Mr. Mathis uses his understanding of the complex dynamics on both sides of the table to resolve cases. He also performs risk analysis discussions and helps create early opportunities for settlement, when parties are not represented by counsel.