Practice Areas: Family Law; view more
Licensed in California since: 1998
Education: University of California Davis School of Law
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2019 Call today:
951-715-4632
Virtual Appointments Cullen & Murphy
4094 Chestnut StRiverside, CA 92501 Visit website
Details
Attorney Heather M. Cullen is a certified family law specialist and founding partner of the Cullen & Murphy law firm located in Riverside, California. A top-rated and award-winning lawyer with more than 20 years of legal experience, Ms. Cullen focuses her practice exclusively on family law and helping her clients resolve their conflicts and reach agreements with all of their issues related to their divorce, including child custody and support, alimony, property division and other similar matters.
Handling all areas of family law, Ms. Cullen has extensive experience representing military families with their unique challenges, and she provides exceptional counsel and support for those looking to adopt as well as those seeking protections from their abusers in domestic violence situations. A native of Southern California, Ms. Cullen holds a genuine concern for the legal matters that affect the residents of her community, and she has earned a reputation as a compassionate attorney who will aggressively pursue the most favorable outcome possible for her clients.
A 1993 cum laude graduate of the University of California, Riverside, Ms. Cullen obtained her Juris Doctor from the University of California Davis School of Law in 1997. The following year, The State Bar of California admitted her to practice, and she is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Following her admission to practice, she helped establish Cullen & Murphy in 1998.
Her extensive knowledge of family law coupled with her exceptional familiarity of the area's court system and her use of the latest in legal technology allows her to help her clients navigate the complex and challenging divorce process with ease and efficiency.
From this success, Ms. Cullen has earned numerous awards and honors, including recognition from various peer review sources as one of the country's top family law attorneys. She also holds an AV Preeminent peer review rating* from Martindale-Hubbell, and she recently received the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award from Marquis Who's Who in American Law. She has also earned both the Inland Empire Top Lawyers and Outstanding Women Leaders awards from Inland Empire Magazine for several years.
*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 LawFocus areas
Adoption, Alimony & Spousal Support, Child Support, Custody & Visitation, Dissolution, Divorce, Domestic Violence, Father's Rights, Marital Property, Name Change, Paternity, Prenuptial Agreements, Same Sex Family Law
- 100% Family Law
First Admitted: 1998, California
Professional Webpage: https://www.lawcullen.com/attorney/cullen-heather-m-esq/
- State Bar of California, Active Member
- California State Bar Association
- San Bernardino County Bar Association, 1998
- U.S. District Court Central District of California
- Riverside County Bar Association, 1998
- California
- Outstanding Women Leaders, Inland Empire Magazine, 2014 - 2016
- Endorsed for Exceptional Skills in the Practice of Family Law, Linked In, 2013
- Circle of Excellence, Merchant Circle, 2013
- Inland Empire Top Lawyer, Inland Empire Magazine, 2014 - 2016
- Top 10 Best Attorney re: Client Satisfaction, American Institute of Family Law Attorneys, 2016
- Top 100 Lawyers, American Society of Legal Advocates, 2016 - 2017
- Who's Who of the Inland Empire, Inland Empire Magazine, 2017 - 2018
- Top 100 Matrimonial and Family Law Lawyers [Firm Attorney], The National Advocates, 2017
- Top Contributor, Avvo, 2013
- Top Lawyer, Inland Empire Magazine, 2013
- Preeminent Rating, Martindale-Hubbell, 2013
- Top 10 Law Firm re: Client Satisfaction, American Institute of Legal Counsel, 2015
- Top 10 Best Family Law Attorney in California, American Institute of Legal Counsel, 2016
- Top Lawyer Law Firm (Senior Attorney), Inland Empire Magazine, 2016 - 2017
- Lawyers of Distinction, 2016
- Client Distinction Award, Martindale-Hubbell, 2013, 2015
- Woman of Distinction / Outstanding Women of the Inland Empire, Inland Empire Magazine, 2014
- Linked In All Star, Linked In, 2013
- Best of 2013: Riverside Attorney, Kudzu.com, 2013
- Outstanding Women in Law, Inland Empire Magazine, 2014
- Top 10 Attorney re: Client Satisfaction, American Institute of Legal Counsel, 2015
- Top 10% Law Firm in Country, Lawyers of Distinction, 2016 - 2017
- Top 10% Law Firm in Country [Managing Attorney], Lawyers of Distinction, 2018
- Top 10 Family Law Firm (Client Satisfaction) [Firm Attorney], American Institute of Legal Counsel, 2017
- Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award, Marquis Who's Who in American Law, 2018
- University of California, Riverside, Bachelor of Arts, Major: Philosophy / Law & Society, 1993
- KTLA 5 News Interview, 2013
- CBS News: Press Conference, 2014
- NBC News: Press Conference, 2014
- ABC News: Press Conference, 2014
- KTLA News: Press Conference, 2014
- Judgment in contested dissolution with wife in military including one or all of the following: real property, child custody, child support, spousal support and attorney fees, 2016
- Judgment in contested dissolution with husband in military including one or all of the following: real property, child custody, child support, spousal support and attorney fees, 2016
- Judgment in contested dissolution including real property, child custody, child support, spousal support and attorney fees, 2015
- Judgment in contested dissolution including real property, child custody, child support, spousal support and attorney fees, 2017
- Judgment in contested same-sex dissolution including real property, spousal support and attorney fees, 2016
- Judgment regarding establishment of paternity and child custody orders, 2016
- Judgment in contested dissolution including real property, child custody, child support, spousal support and attorney fees, 2016
- Judgment in contested dissolution including real property, child custody, child support, spousal support and attorney fees, 2013
- Judgment regarding establishment of paternity and child support orders, 2016
- Judgment in contested dissolution with one or both parties in military including one or all of the following: real property, child custody, child support, spousal support and attorney fees, 2015
- A 6-million-dollar settlement against convicted child molester, Laura Whitehurst and her employers, Citrus Valley High School and Redlands Unified School District. The Law Office of Heather Cullen united with California's leading law firm representing child victims of sexual abuse, Manly, Stewart and Finaldi, to obtain the largest single-victim settlement of a sex abuse case against a public agency in the United States, 2017
- Judgment in contested dissolution including real property, child custody, child support, spousal support and attorney fees, 2014
- Judgment in contested matter to establish paternity and determine child custody, 2016
- Legal services provided to individuals who are unable to complete family law issues due to monetary restrictions. Goodwill services are provided to family law clients in issues regarding dissolution, child custody and visitation, support and domestic violence, 2016
- Legal services provided to individuals who are unable to complete family law issues due to monetary restrictions. Goodwill services are provided to family law clients in issues regarding dissolution, child custody and visitation, support and domestic violence, 2014
- Legal services provided to individuals who are unable to complete family law issues due to monetary restrictions. Goodwill services are provided to family law clients in issues regarding dissolution, child custody and visitation, support and domestic violence, 2017
- Legal services provided to individuals who are unable to complete family law issues due to monetary restrictions. Goodwill services are provided to family law clients in issues regarding dissolution, child custody and visitation, support and domestic violence, 2015
- Legal services provided to individuals who are unable to complete family law issues due to monetary restrictions. Goodwill services are provided to family law clients in issues regarding dissolution, child custody and visitation, support and domestic violence, 2013
- Respondent (responding party) in Matters requesting modification on one or all of the following: child custody, child support, spousal support, property division, attorney fees in Family Court, 2016
- Respondent in Establish Parental Rights Matter (Father), 2016
- Petitioner in Dissolution (Husband in Military), 2016
- Party in Military: Respondent (responding party) in Matters requesting modification on one or all of the following: child custody, child support, spousal support, property division, attorney fees in Family Court, 2016
- Respondent in Dissolution (Wife in Military), 2016
- Respondent in Dissolution (Wife), 2016
- Respondent in Same-Sex Dissolution (Wife), 2016
- Petitioner in Same-Sex Dissolution (Husband), 2016
- Petitioner (moving party) in Matters requesting modification on one or all of the following: child custody, child support, spousal support, property division, attorney fees in Family Court, 2016
- Defending party (alleged aggressor) in domestic violence matter, 2016
- Petitioner in Establish Parental Rights Matter (Mother), 2016
- Respondent in Dissolution (Husband in Military), 2016
- Respondent in Dissolution (Husband), 2016
- Petitioner in Establish Parental Rights Matter (Father), 2016
- Respondent in Same-Sex Dissolution (Husband), 2016
- Protected party (victim) in domestic violence matter, 2016
- Respondent in Establish Parental Rights Matter (Mother), 2016
- Petitioner in Dissolution (Wife in Military), 2016
- Petitioner in Dissolution (Wife), 2016
- Party in Military: Petitioner (moving party) in Matters requesting modification on one or all of the following: child custody, child support, spousal support, property division, attorney fees in Family Court, 2016
- Petitioner in Dissolution (Husband), 2016
- Petitioner in Same-Sex Dissolution (Wife), 2016
- A common dispute between divorced parents occurs when one of them wants to move away and take the kids. Such a situation is not unusual. Many people want to "start over" after divorce and that may mean moving away for a job, a new relationship or to be close to extended family. But when the parent left behind wants to preserve his or her relationship with the children, the proposed move-away may be seen as a threat to that bond., Author, When a divorced California parent with children wants to move, Website Articles, Legal, Family, 2018
- Dividing marital property is one of the most important steps in any divorce. However, if one spouse is not fully informed about how much marital property is actually available then that division cannot be fairly executed. That's why hidden assets are such a problem in divorce cases, especially for high-asset estates. Accusing another spouse of hiding assets is a serious accusation and one that should only be made with plenty of evidence to back it up. Below is a look at some of the signs that an ex-spouse may have been concealing assets in order to get a better divorce settlement., Author, Where to begin the hunt for hidden assets during a divorce, Website Articles, Legal, Family, 2017
- The newest battleground for gay rights is being fought over the children of same-sex marriages., Same-sex divorces and custody rights, Legal, Family, 2018
- Are you ready to tie the knot but worried about how your student loans will affect your intended spouse? Does your intended have a lot of student loan debt that you're worried about taking on?, Marriage, divorce and student loans: What you need to know, Legal, Family, 2019
- CALIFORNIA COURT DECISION ON PENSIONS IMPORTANT FOR DIVORCING COUPLES
- There are a lot of reasons not to stay in an abusive relationship, but we're going to talk about one more: the effect that being around domestic violence has on your children. No matter how hard you try to shield your children from the violence, they likely are witness to somewhere between 68% and 80% of incidents. Worse, their odds of also falling victim to violence ranges between 45% and 60% -- which is up to 15 times higher than for children who don't grow up in a house with domestic violence., How domestic violence could effect your children, Legal, Family, 2020
- If you and your spouse own vacation property, don't be surprised if it becomes a hot-button issue in your divorce. Vacation properties are usually valuable, and some spouses tend to see them as a "prize" or a sort of trophy that they can claim when a marriage sours. So, who really has the right to the vacation house? Even though California law is a community property state that requires divorcing couples to split their marital assets more-or-less 50/50, there's no easy way to divide up a single asset. (And don't think that you can skirt that rule just because your vacation home is in another state. California is likely to still consider it "quasi-community" property and treat it just like any other marital asset during the divorce.), What happens to vacation property in a divorce?, Legal, Family, 2020
- CALIFORNIA SAME-SEX COUPLES GAIN RIGHTS, FACE CHALLENGES
- SHOULD YOU COLLABORATE RATHER THAN LITIGATE IN YOUR CALIF. DIVORCE?
- CHILD SUPPORT OBLIGATIONS IN CALIFORNIA, THE BASICS
- DIVORCE CAN DERAIL A CALIFORNIA FAMILY BUSINESS
- DIVORCE CAN HAVE IMPORTANT TAX IMPLICATIONS
- HOW TO TELL IF YOU’RE READY FOR A DIVORCE
- DIVORCE MEDIATION OFFERS COUPLES A CALMER WAY TO SETTLE DISPUTES
- UNDERSTANDING THE ROUTES TO DIFFERENT CHILD CUSTODY SITUATIONS IN CALIFORNIA
- Certified Family Law Specialist. Certified by the State Bar of California., 2018
- U.S. District Court, Central District of California, 1999
- Family Law & Matrimonial Attorneys
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2019
Certificates and credentials
Family Law
