Shana J. Black

Career Highlights

• Firm Founder: Founded and leads her Mission Valley practice, representing clients in divorce, high-conflict custody disputes, move-away matters, domestic-violence restraining orders, support disputes and contested property division.
• Certified Family Law Specialist: Certified in family law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization—a distinction requiring substantial family-law experience, specialized education, peer evaluation and successful completion of a written examination.
• More Than 25 Years in Family Law: Has practiced in California since 2000, representing spouses, parents, children and relatives in contested and negotiated family-law proceedings.
• Economics and Financial-Analysis Background: Taught macroeconomics, microeconomics and econometrics as a graduate assistant and adjunct faculty member before attending law school. That foundation adds meaningful financial perspective to property-division and support disputes.
• Distinguished Law-School Record: Graduated cum laude, served on the San Diego Law Review, received a merit scholarship from 1997 through 2000 and earned CALI recognition for high achievement in Trusts and Estates and International Civil Litigation.
• Recognized Pro Bono Service: Received the Wiley W. Manuel Award for Pro Bono Legal Services and additional recognition from the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program, including a Distinguished Service Award.
• Mother-Attorney Mentoring Leadership: Co-founded the Mother Attorneys Mentoring Association of San Diego and served as its president, helping create professional support and mentorship for mothers practicing law.
• Professional and Community Leadership: Has served on the board of the Federalist Society’s San Diego Chapter, on the board of the San Diego Republican Business Women’s Association and as a delegate to the State Bar Conference of Delegates.
• Best of the Bar Recognition: Included in the San Diego Business Journal’s 2016 Best of the Bar feature for her family-law practice.

Proven Experience

• Emergency Interstate Relocation Stopped: Helped a parent obtain immediate protection preventing the other parent from moving the children from San Diego to Pennsylvania before a custody hearing. The parent later prevailed and preserved frequent, nearly daily contact with the children.
• Primary Custody After a Child Was Hidden: Represented a father after his former spouse drained the family’s accounts, canceled the lease and concealed their child’s location. He obtained parenting time within days and ultimately secured primary custody.
• Guardianship Sustained Through Eight Months of Appeals: Represented relatives seeking guardianship of a child and continued through approximately eight months of appeals until the child was able to return home with them.
• Custody Orders That Helped a Family Heal: Obtained a favorable custody result that established clearer boundaries between the parents. The client reported that the resulting structure strengthened the child’s relationship with the other parent and improved communication across the family.
• Child Support Increased and Visitation Improved: Represented a parent after repeated efforts through the Department of Child Support Services failed to produce a modification. Black secured increased support and helped establish a visitation arrangement that later developed into a healthier parent-child relationship.
• Spousal Support Preserved After a Contested Hearing: Protected a substantial portion of a client’s continuing support after challenging the former spouse’s testimony and presenting the client’s position in court.
• Custody and Property Protected in Divorce: Helped a father obtain custody of his daughter while preserving his possessions during the related divorce proceedings.
• Protection for a Domestic-Violence Survivor and Her Child: Represented a mother who had fled an abusive relationship and was facing a custody threat while living in domestic-violence shelters. Black continued the representation despite harassment directed at her, and the client credited the work with helping her and her child escape the situation safely.

A Note About Family-Law Case Privacy

Divorce, custody, support, parentage, and domestic-violence proceedings frequently involve children, financial records, medical information, and other sensitive personal matters. Depending on the court and jurisdiction, records may be confidential, sealed, redacted, or unavailable for remote public review. Consequently, an attorney’s publicly documented results may represent only a portion of their family-law experience.