Our Firm

What distinguishes us from other family law firms is the experience and knowledge of Jennifer Mello and Traci Pickering, two principal attorneys who are committed to working together as partners on your case. We combine the best of our talents, skills, and more than 40 years of combined experience in family law, settlement negotiations, and litigation to give you exactly what you need. Rather than pushing our own agenda, our goal, at Mello & Pickering, LLP is to work with you to see your case through to a full and successful resolution. Whether you need us to negotiate a settlement agreement for you or fight for your rights in a courtroom, we are here to help you.

Mello & Pickering, LLP is located in San Jose, California, and represents mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, grandparents, and stepparents, in divorce, annulment, legal separation, child support, spousal support/alimony, child custody, child visitation, paternity, domestic violence, prenuptial agreements, postnuptial agreements, property valuation and division, stepparent adoptions and mediation. Many of our clients reside in Campbell, San Jose, Saratoga, Santa Clara, Morgan Hill, Milpitas, Los Altos, Mountain View, Gilroy, Menlo Park, Atherton, Fremont, Pleasanton, and Hayward, as well as in other cities in Santa Clara County, San Mateo County, and Alameda County.

Passion and Advocacy for Our Clients

At Mello & Pickering, LLP, we are passionate advocates for our clients and we genuinely love to practice family law. Jennifer Mello and Traci Pickering have each been certified by the State Bar of CA as specialists in the area of Family Law . We are experts in our field. We know that your family law issues can be frightening and it is our job to get you through it. Thus, we pride ourselves in being very responsive to your needs. If you were not able to communicate with us by phone during the day, you can bet that we will be available to you by e-mail at night. We also have a confidential voicemail system available to you after hours.

We see each case as a personal investment, and we are committed to providing each of our clients with the utmost care and attention. We want to educate you, inform you of your options, and offer you the best advice so that you can make the right decision. This is, after all, your life.

We Get Results by Giving You What You Need

Rather than choosing to approach each case in the same way, we strive to give each client what is needed for his/her particular case. For example, if you decide that litigation is the right course of action, we are skilled litigators and we are not afraid to go to court and advocate for your best interests and well-being. Unlike some attorneys, we will never pressure you to settle just because it might seem like the easy solution. That said, we won’t litigate just for the sake of litigating, either. If you decide you would like to settle, then we’ll focus on educating you, listening to your concerns, and negotiating a settlement. Bottom line, we will do what is best for you because we genuinely want to help you. Our firm practices 100% integrity, and nothing makes us happier than to see a smile on your face when your case is closed.

Your Legal Costs

How much your case will cost depends on several different factors. It is impossible to guarantee your case can be done for a specific amount. Varying factors can drive up litigation costs, such as an unreasonable opposing party. We approach your case as efficiently as we can. For example, prior to taking an action in your matter, we consult with you regarding your options and your likelihood of success on any given issue. As part of this process, we can go through a “cost/benefit” analysis so that you can effectively pick your battles.

We also strive to keep your costs down by utilizing associates and paralegals. Our current billable rates are:

Partners: $525-$425 per hour
Sr. Associates: $375 per hour
Associates: $375-$350 per hour
Paralegals: $125 per hour

There are also fees imposed by the Court. These fees are set forth on the following link.

Free Consultation

We offer a free consultation to all of our prospective clients. During your first in-person consultation with us, we will diagnose your problem, explain your options to you, review any documents you may already have, let you know what to expect, how much your case will cost, and what we will need from you in order to ensure the best outcome.

To schedule your complimentary free consultation, contact us at at mpllp@sjfamilylaw.com. You can also call Mello & Pickering, LLP at (408) 288-7800.

Mello & Pickering, LLP explicitly disclaims all liability related to actions performed or not performed based on any or all of the content on this Web site. View our Disclaimer page for more information.

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