Thomas W. Tuttle

Top rated Family Law attorney in Irvine, California

Seastrom Tuttle Murphy Dockstader
Thomas W. Tuttle
Seastrom Tuttle Murphy Dockstader

Practice areas: Family Law; view more

Licensed in California since: 1997

Education: University of Notre Dame Law School

Selected to Super Lawyers: 2012 - 2026 Selected to Rising Stars: 2005 - 2008

Seastrom Tuttle Murphy Dockstader

1 Park Plaza
Suite 1100
Irvine, CA 92614 Visit website
Details

Thomas W. Tuttle is a shareholder and family law attorney with Seastrom Tuttle Murphy Dockstader in Irvine and Newport Beach, California. Certified as a specialist in family law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization and a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Mr. Tuttle brings nearly three decades of experience to the representation of high-net-worth individuals, executives, physicians, attorneys, and business owners navigating complex family law matters throughout Orange County and Southern California.

Mr. Tuttle's practice focuses on the intricate intersection of family law and substantial wealth: business interest valuation and division, executive compensation structures, private equity holdings, real estate portfolios, investment accounts, and matters with interstate and international dimensions. He brings analytical excellence to community/separate property asset protection and privacy considerations that high-net-worth and high-asset dissolution cases demand.

Over his career, Tom has achieved remarkable success helping clients make well-informed decisions across all aspects of high-asset family law—from child custody and support to property valuation and division, alimony/spousal support, and negotiated settlements. Whether litigating or mediating, he maintains unwavering focus on protecting his clients' rights and privacy.

Widely regarded as a leader in his legal community, Mr. Tuttle has served on the Family Law Advisory Commission to The State Bar of California, and has served as chair, vice chair, secretary, treasurer and executive committee member-at-large to the Orange County Bar Association's Family Law Section. He is a fellow with the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers ("AAML"), a founding fellow of the Society of Fellows of the Orange County Bar Foundation, and serves on the board of the Constitutional Rights Foundation of Orange County and as Master of the Bench of the Banyard Inn of Court. He is a frequent speaker and lecturer at continuing legal education seminars across Southern California on a variety of family law topics and was the Dean of the 2026 So Cal AAML Trial Institute.

Recognized for his outstanding professionalism and service, Mr. Tuttle holds an AV-Preeminent peer review rating* from Martindale-Hubbell (highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards), and he has earned perennial designation as one of his region's top lawyers for more than a decade. He has also received designation as among the 500 Leading Family Lawyers in America from Lawdragon and was recognized by Super Lawyers as Top 50 in Orange County and Top 100, by The Best Lawyers in America, Family Law, 2021 - 2026, Doyle’s Guide list of Leading Family & Divorce Lawyers in Orange County, Los Angeles Magazine Top Attorneys in Southern California, and OC Magazine 

A 1992 graduate of the University of California, Irvine, with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Mr. Tuttle earned his Juris Doctor in 1997 from the University of Notre Dame Law School, where he served as an editor of the Journal of Legislation. He has been a member of the California State Bar since 1997.

*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.

 

 

 

 

Practice areas

Family Law

Focus areas

Alimony & Spousal Support, Child Support, Custody & Visitation, Dissolution, Divorce, Domestic Violence, Marital Property, Paternity

  • 100% Family Law

First Admitted: 1997, California

Professional Webpage: https://www.seastromlaw.com/attorneys/thomas-w-tuttle/

Bar / Professional Activity

  • Orange County Bar Association - Family Law Section Executive Committee Board Member and past Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President/Chair Elect, and President/Chair; Banyard Inn of Court - Master Bencher; Orange County Bar Foundation; California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization: Family Law Advisory Commission; U.S. District Court

Verdicts / Settlements (Case Results)

  • 2003: Successfully argued the case of Columbus Antiques & Decorative Center, et al. v. Waste Management, Inc. et al., before the California Court of Appeal, Second District, Division Three 2019: In re Marriage of Wong, California Court of Appeal, Division Three, No. G057202 (OC Super. Ct. No. 95D011667) Certified for Publication, 2003
  • 2019: In re Marriage of Wong, California Court of Appeal, Division Three, No. G057202 (OC Super. Ct. No. 95D011667) Certified for Publication. Trial court's decision affirmed by the Court of Appeal in favor of my client., 2019
  • In re Marriage of Nelson (2025) 115 Cal.App.5th 904. Trial court's decision in favor of =my client re spousal support and establishing a trust as security for spousal support affirmed by the Court of Appeal., 2025

Representative Clients

  • 2019: In re Marriage of Wong, California Court of Appeal, Division Three, No. G057202 (OC Super. Ct. No. 95D011667) Certified for Publication, 2019

Special Licenses / Certifications

  • Certified Specialist in Family Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization, 2007
  • Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers

Pro bono / Community Service

  • Member of the Board of Directors for the Constitutional Rights Foundation of Orange County; Law Day Committee Member; Member of the Board of Directors for the Notre Dame Alumni Club of Orange County; Supporter of the Public Law Center; Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, California Psi Chapter Advisory Board
  • Society of Fellows of the Orange County Bar Foundation, Founding Fellow

Educational Background

  • University of California, Irvine (B.A. in Political Science, Minor in Psychology), 1992

Scholarly Lectures / Writings

  • Presenter at the White Zuckerman Orange County Study Group "2024 Family Law Review" in 2025. Presenter at the White Zuckerman Orange County Study Group "2022 Family Law Review" in 2023. Presenter at the White Zuckerman Orange County Study Group "2021 Family Law Review" in 2022. Presenter at the White Zuckerman Orange County Study Group "2020 Family Law Review" in 2021. Presenter at the OCBA Family Law Section, Attorney Fee Seminar in 2020.  Presenter at the White Zuckerman Orange County Study Group "2019 Family Law Review" in 2020. Presenter at the White Zuckerman Orange County Study Group "2018 Family Law Review" in 2019. Presenter at the White Zuckerman Orange County Study Group "2017 Family Law Review" in 2018. Presenter at the Orange County Bar Association Family Law Section Seminar, "Is Equal Time Best? The Law and Psychology Bearing on 50/50 Custody Orders", 2017. Moderator at Orange County Bar Association Family Law Section, 2016 – “Finances and the Family Law Attorney”. Presenter at the White Zuckerman Orange County Study Group "2015 Family Law Review" in 2016. Speaker at the OCBA MCLE Seminar on "Family Law Basics" in 2016. Moderator at the OCBA Seminar, "Homegrown Success Stories: Thriving Firms in OC and How They Got There" in 2015. Lecturer at the OCBA Family Law Section Discovery Symposium in November 2012. Lecturer at the "Basic Dissolution Training: From Petition to Judgment" seminar (2011 and 2012) for the Orange County Bar Association and Public Law Center; Constitutional Rights Foundation of Orange County, Peer Court Attorney Advisor for Law Day, Speaker/Presenter, Presenter at the White Zuckerman Orange County Study Group "2024 Family Law Review" in 2025., White Zuckerman Orange County Study Group, Family Law, 2025
  • Family Law in 2026: Statutory Amendments and Case Law Developments., Speaker/Presenter, “Family Law in 2026: Statutory Amendments and Case Law Developments” for the OCBA Family Law Section, OCBA Family Law Section, 2026
  • Dean of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers 2026 Trial Institute in San Diego, CA., Dean, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers 2026 Trial Institute, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers 2026 Trial Institute, Family Law, 2026
  • Speaker at the 2024 AAML Trial Advocacy Institute , Speaker at the 2024 AAML Trial Advocacy Institute, "Harnessing the Power of Evidence Code § 412 to Produce Better Rulings", 2024
  • Orange County Bar Association Family Law Section, “Discovery and Depositions in Family Law Matters”, 2013
  • University of Notre Dame Law School, Editor Journal of Legislation, 1997 

Honors

  • Super Lawyers Magazine, “Rising Stars”, 2005 - 2008
  • Leading Family & Divorce Lawyers in Orange County, Doyle's Guide, 2026
  • Top rating for legal ability and ethical standards., AV Preeminent, AV Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, 2026
  • Top Attorneys in Southern California, Los Angeles Magazine, 2026
  • Top 50 Orange County, Orange Coast Magazine, 2026
  • Top 50 in Orange County, SuperLawyers, 2026
  • Top 100 Attorneys in Southern California, Super Lawyer Magazine, Top 100 Attorneys in Southern California, Super Lawyer Magazine, 2023
  • 500 Leading Family Lawyers in America, Lawdragon
  • Orange County Top Attorneys, Orange Coast Magazine, 2013 - 2015
  • Top 50 Attorneys in Orange County, Super Lawyer Magazine, 2013 and 2022 - 2024, Super Lawyer, 2024
  • Super Lawyers Magazine, “Super Lawyer”, 2012 - Present
  • AV Peer Review Rated
  • American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Fellow

Office location for Thomas W. Tuttle

1 Park Plaza
Suite 1100
Irvine, CA 92614

Phone: 949-474-0800

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