Raquel L. Sefton

Partner

Raquel Sefton focuses her practice on complex family law matters, and counsels clients through issues ranging from pre-marital agreements to dissolution proceedings. She negotiates and drafts co-habitation, pre-nuptial, post-nuptial, and legal separation agreements for marriages as well as for domestic and same-sex partners. Ms. Sefton guides clients through high asset dissolutions, involving questions of complex valuation, income determination and asset division. She negotiates and litigates spousal and child support, and child custody issues. She is experienced with complex valuation issues, private equity and hedge funds, stock options, limited partnerships, privately held businesses, and residential and commercial real estate. In addition, Ms. Sefton handles domestic violence proceedings, and paternity counseling, mediation and litigation. Ms. Sefton also acts in mediation and other neutral work as a consulting attorney, mediator, special master or private judge.

Ms. Sefton represents parents, partners, co-habitants, parties intending to marry, co-habitate, or register as domestic partners, and those separating or dissolving their marriage, domestic partnership, or other personal relationship.

Prior to joining Sideman & Bancroft LLP, Ms. Sefton was a partner at Folger, Levin & Kahn LLP in San Francisco, where she headed their Family Law practice. Before that, she practiced in Latham & Watkins' Los Angeles office as an attorney focusing on tax and litigation.

Professional & Community Involvement

Ms. Sefton is a certified Family Law Specialist, and was Chairperson of the Family Law Section of the Bar Association of San Francisco from 2008-2009, and was Vice Chair in 2007. Ms. Sefton volunteers her time as a Settlement Master in the San Francisco Superior Court to settle dissolution and other contested matters. She also acts as the Family Law Volunteer in the San Francisco Court assisting pro se litigants mediate and, if necessary, present their petitions to the Court.

She is a member of the American Bar Association's Family Law and Litigation Sections as well as the Los Angeles County Bar Association.

She is a member of the Association of Certified Family Law Specialists and Association of Family and Conciliation Courts.

Education

B.S. Applied Mathematics, University of California at Los Angeles, magna cum laude Phi Beta Kappa, with highest honors for graduation from Honors Collegium Program, 1989

J.D., Harvard Law School, 1992, magna cum laude