Odessa L. Donnell

Odessa L. Donnell is a Partner at Christy, Keith & Donnell Family Law Group where she dedicates her practice entirely to family law. She is a Certified Family Law Specialist by the State Bar of California, Board of Legal Speciation. Prior to joining Christy, Keith & Donnell Family Law Group, she was a Partner at the San Francisco-based family law firm of Winter & Ross.

Ms. Donnell's family law experience spans over two decades. Throughout her lengthy career, she has skillfully and passionately guided innumerable individuals through the challenges and uncertainties of family law, whether it be related to the breakdown of the marriage, the fear of losing custody of one’s child, financial concerns related to paying or receiving child and spousal support, or the urgent need to obtain or oppose a restraining order. She has substantial experience in all aspects of family law, including property division, separate property claims, child and spousal support, custody disputes, date of separation challenges, breach of fiduciary duty, premarital and post-marital agreements, and post-judgment enforcement and modification proceedings.

As a certified mediator, Ms. Donnell is also available to serve as a neutral to facilitate the settlement of disputes between parties outside of litigation as well as to provide strategic premarital or pre-divorce legal counseling.

Ms. Donnell represents a broad range of clients and their spouses, including CEOs and CFOs, venture capitalists, principals of private equity firms, owners of professional sports teams, musicians, actors, physicians, lawyers, police officers, teachers, authors, real estate investors, small business owners, and more. Her cases routinely involve complicated financial issues relating to the valuation and characterization of business interests and investments, real property claims, apportionment of stock options and RSUs, characterization and apportionment of retirement accounts, and investigating and pursuing misappropriation claims. When needed for a particular case, she utilizes her wide-ranging contacts with leading professionals throughout California, such as forensic accountants, financial advisors, business valuation experts, co-parent counselors, and the like.

Ms. Donnell obtained her bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, from the University of California, Los Angeles and her law degree from the University of California, Berkeley (Berkeley Law). She has also completed Harvard Law School's Executive Program on Negotiation. While in law school, Ms. Donnell studied family law under esteemed professor and family law expert, Herma Hill Kay, who served on the California Governor's Commission on the Family and co-authored California's landmark no-fault divorce legislation. Ms. Donnell was also an Editor of the Berkeley Journal of Gender, Law & Justice and a member of the Boalt Hall Women's Association and Berkeley Youth & Education Law Society. She also served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Judge Carlos T. Bea on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and as a law clerk at the international law firm of Jones Day. In recognition of her dedication to public interest work, she received the Boalt Hall Fellowship.

Ms. Donnell is committed to resolving issues outside of court and successfully settles the majority of her cases. However, she will not hesitate to litigate her clients' matters in court when necessary and has broad trial experience. She regularly appears before public and private judges throughout the Bay Area and has established a stellar reputation in the family law community as a skilled litigator and unwavering advocate for her clients. Known not only for her skill in the courtroom but also for her compassion with clients, Ms. Donnell has built a stellar reputation for combining exceptional advocacy, professionalism and legal acumen with empathy and understanding.

Ms. Donnell’s legal skills and contributions to the law have earned her repeated recognition from legal organizations nationwide. She has been named among the “10 Best Attorneys in Client Satisfaction” by the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys, a “Top 10 Family Law Attorney” by both Best of the Best Attorneys and Attorney and Practice Magazine, and a “Northern California Super Lawyer” by Super Lawyers Magazine following earlier recognition as a “Rising Star.” Her accolades also include multiple designations as “Lawyer of the Year” from the American Institute of Legal Professionals, “Litigator of the Year” from the American Institute of Trial Lawyers, and inclusion in San Francisco Magazine’s lists of top rising attorneys in Northern California. She has additionally received the “America’s Most Honored Professionals Award” and was named a “Top 10 Attorney” by the American Association of Attorney Advocates.