“They even thought about our family pet” said client, Betsey Brubaker when describing the empathetic and caring approach of Karney Family Law. “We really matter” as people and clients. A specialist whose last interest is how much money he can make off of his clients. Happy to simply earn a living, Mark H. Karney is content with associate level rates, as long as he gets to help as many people as possible.
Rarely will you find an attorney in Los Angeles who is concerned more about helping others, rather than making tons of money. However, this concept in Los Angeles, for one firm, has changed. A brand new family law firm has opened in Los Angeles that is devoted to assisting those who cannot necessarily afford top tier representation, but need it in order to see a child again, get child support, obtain safety with a restraining order, or other actions needed in their family law matter. “Children need and deserve both parents and I am going to fight to make sure that happens in every case I handle” says Mark H. Karney of Karney Family Law in Los Angeles. A devoted father to his daughter and a former partner of a boutique Family Law Firm in Santa Monica since 2014, he focuses on those unable to afford a Certified Family Law Specialist, in order to help them navigate through difficult family law matters because kids are only young once. Time is sacred and once it is lost, it is lost forever. Missing time with a child for important events, is devastating. Mark Karney also handles family law appeals and was successful in 2021, 2022 and 2023 in reversing Judge Michael R. Powell, Downtown Los Angeles Stanley Mosk Judge in Department 42, after he made three erroneous orders which defied all rationale and reason. Two of those appellate decisions in In Re Marriage of Brubaker & Strum, are published opinions. This is no small feat and was only accomplished due to the tireless work of his dedicated longtime paralegal, Tristina Cole, who works with him at Karney Family Law. Ms. Cole stated that her desire in Family Law, is to “right the many wrongs” that occur in Court, but that most litigants cannot afford to appeal.
Karney Family Law engages in appellate work for a fraction of the cost that a full blown appellate law firm would charge, again because they care about helping others in the community and ensuring that children get to spend time with both of their parents. Both Ms. Cole and Mr. Karney agree that one of the most troubling aspects of the law today is how easy it has become for a party to obtain a “false” restraining order against the other party, simply to obtain a “kick out” order from the family home, or to get child custody orders expeditiously. The Karney Family Law firm devotes 80% of their time fighting against falsely obtained TRO and DVROs in order to attempt to reverse the longterm negative effects and impact these orders can have on the other parent. Time with children, is precious. It can never be recovered when lost. This firm works hard to prevent such devastation from occuring. Their sliding scale intake process, ensures that all can be represented and if they cannot take on the matter, they can assist in providing document preparation for those who have no choice but to represent themselves in Court. Finally. legal professionals whose main concerns are not the bottom line, but helping family law litigants, get out from the bottom of their litigation matter, and rise to some equal footing, so that they may move forward with hope for the future. www.karneyfamilylaw.com
Karney Family Law was created out of a desire to help. Mr. Karney, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, became a lawyer in 1994, out of his strong desire to assist people entering a difficult arena, who need strong advocacy and assistance, and has surrounded himself with staff who feel the same exact way. He is incredibly knowledgeable about family law. The Karney Family Law firm is dedicated to providing diligent, effective fair and affordable legal representation in complex and contentious family law cases. That’s not to say they do not handle matters with less complexity, because they absolutely do. The firm’s goal is to make a positive impact on the lives of the clients and their children by advocating for fair and just outcomes. Ensuring children get to spend time with both of their parents is a top priority of the firm, and they collectively will fight vigorously to ensure parents share an equitable if not equal timeshare, if possible. They understand the importance of your relationship with your children. If a case cannot be resolved because one party is difficult or suffers from some sort of mental health issue, the staff will work hard to prepare your case thoroughly so that the whole story is properly presented in Court. Mr. Karney’s love of competitive sports and history of both playing and coaching them, shines through and takes center stage when it’s time to fight for his clients. At Karney Family Law, a strong team is there waiting to help you through these unpredictible and emotionally painful times, with patience and unequivocal empathy as well as endurance. At the firm, they don’t ever give up. You and your children deserve fierce, strong advocates who understand what it takes to prevail.