Kenneth P. Sherman has been a practicing child custody litigator in juvenile dependency cases for over thirty years.  He was a UCLA undergraduate and received his Juris Doctor from Southwestern University School of Law.  He is considered to be an expert in juvenile dependency law and has earned a reputation as one of the most effective and zealous advocates in the juvenile dependency system in Los Angeles County.

He began his legal career in private practice, emphasizing family law and juvenile dependency litigation. In 1990 he joined the Children’s Law Center of Los Angeles (CLC)(formerly, Dependency Court Legal Services) as a senior trial attorney, specializing in juvenile dependency cases. From 1997 to 2005 Ken was the Law Firm Director of one of the three independent law firms of the Children’s Law Center, supervising over fifty lawyers and staff and representing thousands of children in the juvenile dependency system.  From 1999 to 2003 he was also the Co-Executive  Director of the Children’s Law Center of Los Angeles.  While at the Children’s Law Center Ken was instrumental in substantially increasing the funding, personnel and support services for abused and neglected children in the dependency system in Los Angeles County. 

Ken has represented thousands of parents and children in the dependency system and authored numerous statutes: protecting the rights of pre‑adoptive parents, the rights of siblings to grow up together, parents’ due process rights, and protecting a child’s right to maintain the confidentiality of privileged communications.

While he was a Law Firm Director at CLC Ken’s office was instrumental in shaping the law in the juvenile dependency arena, including the representation of the child in In Re Jesusa V., a landmark paternity action before the California Supreme Court.  Ken was a founding member of the Los Angeles Affiliate of the National Association for Counsel for Children, participated on numerous policy committees of the Los Angeles Superior Court, Juvenile Division, was an Adjunct Professor and Director of the Legal Aid Clinic at the University of West Los Angeles School of Law for 20 years and has lectured and presented at numerous conferences on Juvenile Dependency Law.

Ken, with Angela Pierce di Donato, established the firm of Sherman & di Donato in July of 2008.

The firm Sherman & di Donato is dedicated to the vigorous and effective representation of parents, caregivers and relatives in the juvenile dependency system.  In addition, Ken, Angela and Helen utilize their many years of experience in the representation of children in high conflict family law cases, where they can utilize their skills to reduce tension and work toward resolution and the implementation of healthy parenting plans.

Mr. Sherman’s achievements include:

• Participation on numerous policy committees of the Los Angeles Superior Court, Juvenile Division
• Founder of the Los Angeles Affiliate of the National Association of Counsel for Children
• Adjunct Professor and Director of the Legal Aid Clinic at the University of West Los Angeles School of Law
• Lecturer and presenter at conferences on Juvenile Dependency Law
• Author of legislation regarding children’s rights

 

Angela Pierce di Donato is a partner at Sherman & di Donato, a law firm focusing in the areas of juvenile dependency and the representation of children in high conflict family law cases.

She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California at Riverside where she double majored in Philosophy and Spanish. She received her law degree from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. Angela focuses her practice on representing parents, caregivers and relatives in dependency court and representing children in high conflict custody cases throughout Los Angeles County.

Prior to beginning her firm, Angela was a partner at Carlson, de Klerk & Sherman, focusing on dependency and custody cases . She also worked at the Children’s Law Center of Los Angeles, in the Law Offices of Kenneth P. Sherman, representing children in child abuse and neglect cases from 1997 until 2005. From 2005 until 2006, Angela was a sole practitioner representing hundreds of parents in dependency and adoption cases in Los Angeles county.

Angela is a member of the National Association of Counsel for Children, the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and the California State Bar. In 2008, Angela became a founding member of the Academy of Minors Counsel, an organization dedicated to improving the representation of children in custody cases in Los Angeles.

Angela is well respected by her peers and by the bench. She is frequently appointed to represent children in high conflict custody cases involving allegations of child abuse. Angela represents children and parents on many high profile dependency and custody cases. She is considered to be a hard working, intelligent and compassionate advocate. Angela’s unique skills make her one of the most highly sought after attorneys in dependency and custody cases.

Angela is an annual guest lecturer at Loyola Law School of Los Angeles for the “Children and the Law” class. She has made numerous presentations at the Los Angeles Partnership Conference, a training for judges and attorneys practicing in the areas of dependency and delinquency law. She helped create a law that prevents siblings from being separated by adoption in appropriate cases. Angela has mentored many lawyers now representing parents and children throughout Southern California.

Angela has dedicated her career to helping families. Whether it is a child abuse or custody case, Angela is committed to improving the lives of children in Los Angeles County by strengthening the family with respect and dignity.

 

Helen Lee received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a minor in Law & Society from the University of California, San Diego and her Juris Doctorate from Pepperdine University, School of Law. Helen developed an interest in children’s issues as an extern at Public Counsel focusing on educational issues and while serving as a judicial extern to the Honorable Michael Nash, Presiding Judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court, Juvenile Division.

She developed an expertise in child advocacy as the attorney and guardian ad litem for hundreds of abused and neglected children in the Juvenile Dependency System. While a staff attorney at the Children’s Law Center of Los Angeles Helen was regarded by her peers and the bench as an effective, committed advocate for children.

Since joining Sherman & di Donato Helen has focused her practice on the representation of children in family law cases. Helen is fluent in Korean.