Family law in the United States occupies a unique position within the global legal landscape.
Unlike in England and Wales, where solicitors and barristers perform distinct roles, American family lawyers are typically able to both advise clients behind the scenes and represent them directly before the courts.
The legal framework itself is also distinctive as no-fault divorce is now recognised in all 50 US states, although the precise rules and procedures vary considerably from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
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The result is a patchwork of family law regimes that demands specialist local knowledge alongside a sophisticated understanding of wealth structures, business interests and reputational concerns. For HNW and UHNW individuals navigating divorce, child custody disputes, pre- and postnuptial agreements, or complex cross-border family matters, selecting the right attorney can therefore be one of the most consequential decisions they make.
Trends in 2026
Coastal dominance
Few places illustrate the intersection of family law, wealth and public scrutiny more vividly than California. Home to Hollywood and the global entertainment industry, Los Angeles has long been a centre for some of the world’s most high-profile divorces.
The city has produced a number of celebrity attorneys whose names have become almost as recognisable as those of their clients. Among the most prominent is Laura Wasser, often referred to as the ‘Disso Queen’ (referring to the dissolution of marriage process), who has represented a roster of celebrities, including Kim Kardashian, Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp. Wasser’s ascendancy into the spotlight has made her one of the defining figures of modern American divorce law.
[See also: Hollywood’s go-to divorce lawyer fronts ‘dump him’ fashion campaign]
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On the opposite coast, New York remains a powerhouse for family law involving substantial fortunes, complex business interests and international families.
The city’s leading practitioners regularly handle matters that attract global attention. Among them is Thomas J. Sasser, who represented American musician Joe Jonas in his divorce from English actress Sophie Turner and has also acted for supermodel Gisele Bündchen in her divorce from former NFL player Tom Brady, who is thought to have a $350 million net worth.
Such cases demonstrate the increasingly international nature of family law at the highest levels, where clients’ personal lives often span multiple jurisdictions and involve significant corporate and investment holdings.
[See also: Will ‘Child Focused Courts’ help or hinder the UK’s backlogged legal system?]
Explore the other rankings within the 2026 Spear’s Family Law Indices
- Best family lawyers
- Best family law barristers
- Best family lawyers in the Middle East
- Best divorce consultancy and support services
A growing Midwest market
Yet wealth in America is by no means confined to its coastal financial and entertainment capitals. The Midwest and central United States are home to vast fortunes built through industries ranging from retail and agriculture to logistics and manufacturing. Arkansas, for example, remains synonymous with the billionaire Walton family and the Walmart empire, while other regional business centres continue to generate substantial private wealth.
Lawyers such as Aaron Bundy have built distinguished practices serving these markets, advising business owners, entrepreneurs and multi-generational families whose assets rival those found in New York or California.
[See also: Divorce Italian style: As HNWs flock to Italy, so are family law firms]
High-value divorces
The stakes in American family law can be enormous. The US has been home to some of the most expensive divorces in history, involving founders, executives and entrepreneurs whose fortunes have reshaped entire industries.
The divorces of Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates and Elon Musk, alongside countless celebrity separations, have highlighted the financial, legal and reputational complexities that can arise when significant wealth is at issue.
The Spear’s Family Lawyers Index identifies the leading family law attorneys across the United States advising high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients. Featured lawyers are selected for their expertise, track record, client service and standing within the profession, providing a trusted guide to the practitioners handling some of the country’s most sophisticated and high-value family matters.
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- Methodology
- Best UHNW wealth managers: some names to know
- Best UHNW wealth managers: the complete list
- Contact us
Methodology
Each year, the Spear’s Research Unit reassesses and refreshes its rankings of the leading providers in each sector by gathering data from and about the advisers and firms themselves, assessing submission forms, collating nominations, carrying out peer reviews, reviewing data from third-party sources, gathering references and recommendations, canvassing experts and conducting hundreds of interviews.
Advisers are evaluated using a proprietary scoring system that assigns different weightings to certain attributes. These scores feed directly into each new set of rankings in the Spear’s Indices. Each of these indices are published first online (according to the research calendar) and then in print. Print publication takes the form of the annual Spear’s 500 directory, which includes the top advisers in every index.
[See also: A guide to The Spear’s 500: Everything you need to know]
Each featured adviser is profiled on spears500.com. The site allows users to search the Spear’s database of more than 4,000 entities to find one (or more) to meet their specific requirements by filtering for specific attributes such as an adviser’s location, their specialist expertise and information about their client base.
Best US family lawyers: some names to know
Aaron Bundy
- Focus: Divorce and child custody disputes
- Ranking: Top Recommended
- Firm: Bundy Law
For Aaron Bundy, founding partner of Bundy Law, privacy and confidentiality are two of the most important aspects of his work. ‘There is a reason you have not seen many of my cases in the press,’ he tells Spear’s.
Bundy specialises in a range of family law matters, including divorce, child custody disputes, prenups, complex property matters and gestational agreements, working across the US states of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and beyond. Bundy has numerous HNW and UHNW clients from the medical, aerospace, agriculture and business fields; Walmart’s headquarters are located in Arkansas, for example.
Read Aaron Bundy’s full profile on Spears500.com
Gretchen Beall Schumann
- Focus: High-profile cases
- Ranking: Top Recommended
- Firm: Schumann Law
Gretchen Beall Schumann’s practice covers both domestic and cross-border family law matters. As the founding partner of New York-based Schumann Law, she has extensive experience in divorce, child arrangements, separation, parenting and cohabitation agreements, parentage and paternity cases, pre- and postnuptial agreements and cross-border financial matters.
Schumann also acts as a neutral evaluator in the court system and presents on legal issues for financial and legal professionals in New York, as well as abroad. It is this knowledge and her positive approach that has brought an impressive client base to her office.
Read Gretchen Beall Schumann’s full profile on Spears500.com
Nicholas W. Lobenthal
- Focus: Unique valuation challenges
- Ranking: Top Recommended
- Firm: Teitler & Teitler
Nicholas W. Lobenthal has been at Teitler & Teitler since 1998, focusing on large and complex family law cases for HNWs.
The partner is a skilled matrimonial litigator, but at the same time believes in settling cases before reaching court where possible. He also emphasises the importance of involving and supporting clients at every stage throughout a case.
He tells Spear’s: ‘Clients really appreciate our judgement call and our input. It’s good to keep them informed throughout, as opposed to just having somebody come in and say: “This is what I think you should do.” You may get to the same place, but it’s a very, very different process to painstakingly educate them and then give your judgement.’
Read Nicholas W. Lobenthal’s full profile on Spears500.com
Samantha Spector
- Focus: Los Angeles ‘glitterati’
- Ranking: Recommended
- Firm: Spector Law
Samantha Spector worked in employment and aviation law before becoming a divorce attorney. ‘This career found me,’ she says.
Now having practised family law for more than 30 years, Spector takes on everything from marital agreements to divorces and paternity action. Her Los Angeles-based firm, Spector Law, attracts individuals from the upper end of US society, including executives at Fortune 500 companies, sports professionals and a number of actors and musicians, such as Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys and Amber Heard in her original divorce action against Johnny Depp.
Read Samantha Spector’s full profile on Spears500.com
Pamela M. Sloan
- Focus: Negotiation and litigation
- Ranking: Recommended
- Firm: Aronson Mayefsky & Sloan
New York-based Pamela M. Sloan of US firm Aronson Mayefsky & Sloan is renowned for being ‘a straight-talking, formidable negotiator’. The family law attorney is known to achieve favourable settlements for her clients, who often come to her with a range of complex issues.
However, she is also well known for recognising when to start the court battle when a settlement is out of the question. Sloan has achieved the ‘AV’ rating in the Martindale-Hubbell system, reflecting the highest of standards for competence and ethics.
Read Pamela M. Sloan’s full profile on Spears500.com
John M. Teitler
- Focus: Complex financial cases
- Ranking: Top Recommended
- Firm: Teitler & Teitler
When asked by Spear’s to name the US-based family lawyers they would recommend, several UK lawyers mentioned John M. Teitler of Teitler & Teitler, the go-to for some of New York’s most complex financial cases. His practice is focused on UHNW family law, trusts and estate law, and how these areas intersect.
Teitler is the firm’s third-generation torchbearer; his father and grandfather set up the boutique firm in the 1960s. Today, he and his father, Michael Teitler, lead a team with a fearsome reputation for success – in the US and in jurisdictions further afield.
Read John M. Teitler’s full profile on Spears500.com
Best US family lawyers: the complete list
Click on the individual names to be directed to more detailed profiles of each adviser on The Spear’s 500 website. The table is ordered by ranking and then alphabetically by surname.
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With additional reporting by Christian Maddock
