Barbara A. DiFranza
Certified Family Law Specialist
Certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization
Member Nevada State Bar
Ms. DiFranza is a Certified Family Law Specialist by the Board of Legal Specialization State Bar of California and a member of the Nevada State Bar. Since 1991, the major portion of her practice has involved the disposition of retirement benefits in dissolution of marriage cases. Ms. DiFranza continues to handle family law dissolution cases, especially those involving the disposition of substantial and complex assets.
Education
Ms. DiFranza has an undergraduate degree in English from the University of Hawaii 1969 and a J.D. degree from the University of Santa Clara magna cum laude, 1975.
Experience:
Ms. DiFranza has been providing family law services since 1976. Since 1991 a major portion of her practice has been in the disposition of retirement benefits. Ms. DiFranza has provided court testimony as an expert witness and has been appointed as a judge pro tempore in Sacramento, Alameda, and Santa Clara counties.
Lecturing
DiFranza has conducted seminars on the disposition of retirement benefits upon dissolution of marriage and Qualified Domestic Relations Orders, both on her own and for the Association of Certified Family Law Specialists. She has been a featured speaker at the State Bar convention in Monterey, the Trial Institute of the Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists, the Association of Certified Family Law Specialists, and the Enrolled Actuaries meeting in Washington, D.C.
Family Lawyer’s Employee Benefits Seminar
Santa Clara County Bar Association Family Law Section, May 1997;
Family Law Developments and Strategies
Matthew Bender & Co. Inc. and Sacramento and San Francisco Bar Associations, January 1998;
Qualified Domestic Relations Orders
American Bar Association Telephone Seminar on QDROs, December 1994;
Qualified Domestic Relations Orders
Sonoma County Bar Association, 1994;
Civil Service Retirement System Benefits on Divorce
Santa Clara County Bar Association, November 1993;
Military Divorce
Attorney’s Briefcase dl al, March 1993;
Deferred Compensation upon Dissolution
Orange County Bar Association, September 1992;
QDROs
Annual Enrolled Actuaries Meeting, Washington, DC. March 1991;
Qualified Domestic Relations Orders: Why, When and How
Association of Certified Family Law Specialists et al, November 1990.
Actuarial training
Although not an actuary, Ms. DiFranza works closely with Donald W. Parkyn, actuary. They have been speakers together at several events such as the Enrolled Actuaries meeting in Washington, D.C., the Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists Trial Institute, the California State Bar Convention, meetings and seminars of the Association of Certified Family Law Specialists, and various county bar associations. In addition they have been co-authors of several papers.
Articles:
Family Law Primer: the Temporary QDRO and the Qualified Pre-retirement Survivor Annuity (QPSA) in ERISA Qualified Plans
FairShare, 1996
Retirement Plans
Family Law News, Fall 1994
Employee Benefits: Dealing with State & Local Government Retirement Plans
Family Law News, Fall 1994
Marriage of Gillmore Must Rereading for QDRO Drafters
Family Law News, Summer 1992
Establishment of Separate Accounts for PERS and STRS Members under Civil Code Section 4800.8
Family Law News, Summer 1990
Family Lawyer’s Employee Benefits Seminar
Santa Clara County Bar Association Family Law Section, October 11, 1986
Memberships and Certifications
Ms. DiFranza is a member of the Association of Certified Family Law Specialists and is a Fellow, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. In 1989, Ms. DiFranza was named by the California Lawyer as being one of the “Most Respected (Family law) Lawyers” in California —
“. . . fine lawyer, excellent legal scholar,”
“. . . renowned Qualified Domestic Relations Orders expert,”
“. . . good negotiator and advocate,”
“. . . dedicated to clients and fellow attorneys.”
In 1996 Ms. DiFranza was the recipient of the Sixth Annual Hall of Fame Award presented by the Association of Certified Family Law Specialists. Ms. DiFranza is a member of the Editorial Board, California Family Law Monthly, Matthew Bender, a contributor to the retirement portions of Attorney’s Briefcase, and is co-Author of Lawgic.
Contact:
Barbara A. DiFranza
Certified Family Law Specialist
5366 Ventana Parkway
Reno, NV 89511
Tel: 775-852-2414
Fax: 408-904-5215
bdf@difranza.com