Law Offices Of O’Brien, Sullivan & Van Ness

Edward Sullivan was wonderful to work with. He was able to explain everything we needed to know in order to write our own separation agreement. He was very open about ways to save money. At the end he was especially helpful when it came to knowing when the agreement would finally be back and signed by the Judge. It would be silly to say I would use him again since I certainly do not plan to ever get a separation/​divorce again but if you find yourself in that situation I would highly recommend him. When I get remarried I will use him to write up my prenuptial agreement. Thank you Mr. Sullivan.

Ed was an excellent mediator… He went above and beyond in order to help us keep our costs down and he showed a lot of compassion and skill. He was extremely fair, reasonable, knowledgeable, caring, and he worked hard to help us reach an agreement even though it was a difficult task to achieve in our situation. Before we met with Ed, I honestly didn’t think we would be able to reach an agreement outside of court due to our dynamic, but Ed is such a talented lawyer and mediator that he was able to make it work with as little pain as possible. His skill and patience saved us thousands of dollars and made the process so much easier than I ever could have imagined. I would definitely recommend Ed… I can’t say enough good things about him and I would give him more stars if I could.

Christina Van Ness will not disappoint. She is quick, smart, professional, honest, and cares what happens to you. I cannot say enough great things about her.
Men don’t fair well in family law, and I believe because of Christina, I won everything she went after. I loved that Christina wouldn’t allow me to have unreasonable expectations. And I really appreciated how she tried to control how many hours she spent on things… example, my ex’s attorney would try and argue over email and was completely unreasonable, so after that first interaction, Christina knew it was just a waste of time and decided to set up in person meetings to try and accomplish things in the most effective way. She was also very knowledgeable about the judges in the Contra Costa system. This was very helpful in what we decided to go after in court versus what we tried to negotiate out of court, knowing certain things we would probably loose in court. An example would be she negotiated a lump sum spousal support payout knowing my ex would jump at a large sum of money and also knowing the judge we had would have award her supposal support indefinitely due to a long term marriage.
There were times I was freaking out during this process. Christina went out of her way, during off hours, to help me calm down and get me back on track and helped me focus on what was important. That to me, in a very scary situation, was above and beyond her scope but made all the difference in how stressful or less stressful my life looked in the year she worked with me.
Christina was able to tell me the exact outcome I could expect when we first sat down. There were some variations that she detailed depending on what judge and how my ex chose to respond but in the end, a year later, what she said would happen is exactly what happened.
I chose Christina based on a high recommendation and I’m so grateful I did. She was worth ever penny I spent and I will be eternally grateful she came into my life.

Ed and Christina bring a great mix of experience, knowledge and understanding to divorce and family law situations.
I think it makes a big difference to have attorneys that have a lot of «time in» in the Family Law community in the Bay Area. Not just because their experience will translate to them being knowledgeable about the nuances of a particular situation, which it does, but also because I feel like their experience can help prevent the other side from over reaching on their position.
Both Ed and Christina are very comfortable to be around and when working closely with someone on these types of matters, that’s a big deal.
It’s not hard to be confident with their knowledge of the law and these situations that they can accomplish fair resolutions. I don’t hesitate to refer anyone with Divorce/​Family matters to them.

No matter how you slice it, Divorce is emotional & Ugly! IF you are considering a divorce, then run (don’t walk) to Edward and Christina as they are the very best! When you hire an Attorney, you pay them to interpret the law, provide counsel, and influence Judges. In all three areas, both Edward and Christina are exceptional. Ed was on top of every issue in my case, knew the Law inside, out and backwards, explained his rationale and strategy before we went into Court and then flawlessly executed in Court! At the same time, both Ed and Christina genuinely cared about me as a person and therefore made a difficult time time far less stressful!

I’d love to say they were wonderful to work with but they haven’t bothered to answer my inquiry on their website, which was two weeks ago. No phone call, no email even to say «sorry we can’t accept your case» for whatever reason.
Unilocal really needs to add an option for zero stars.

Its rare to hear someone say «Oh, they had good divorce.» Unfortunately, divorce and family law can get ugly. That’s when you need to have a good lawyer. Not a lawyer that will take them for every penny, but a lawyer that actually cares about you, your family, and your future.
O’Brien & Sullivan, and Christina are good people. People who understand how awful this moment in your life is, and do what they can to make it a little less crappy.
They also offer a free consultation, so you can check them out for yourself. Let them help.

If you need a family law attorney… look no further!
I retained Ed nearly 10 years ago and went through what he has called one of his «worst» cases… yet throughout it all, Ed was brilliant, calm, and on top of every aspect of our case. I feel I will always owe him for all that he did for me and my girls. He is just «top-​notch»
I still have to call and consult with Ed due to the ongoing drama surrounding my divorce and child custody (yes, I wish it was over!) He is always so prompt to return my calls, and I am always so thankful I have him on my side.
Over the years I have referred several friends to Ed, and to this day all of whom have reminded me how grateful they are that they hired Ed.
He truly is the type of man and attorney you just don’t find anymore. He has ethics, is hard working, knows his stuff and just a pleasure to work with!