Howell, Thomas J.

Bruce S. Silverman is the head of the Family Law and Mediation Firm. An experienced mediator, collaborator, negotiator and trial attorney, Mr. Silverman has spent more than 40 years helping to resolve the issues that arise when a marriage ends. He represents his clients in all aspects of family law including divorce, child custody, and spousal and child support matters.

As a family law specialist, Mr. Silverman believes that whenever possible, the process of divorce should be amicable and cooperative. By helping couples mediate a mutually satisfactory settlement, he has seen firsthand that children and parents are spared the heartache and distress of protracted, expensive litigation. Nevertheless, when a difficult spouse makes mediation or collaboration impossible, Mr. Silverman is a skilled trial attorney, who aggressively protects his client's interest in court.

To better support his clients' needs, Mr. Silverman has developed an extensive network of therapists, accountants, financial planners and other experts who help clients and their families cope and prepare for their futures. He has completed additional legal training required to become a Certified Family Law Specialist (State Bar Board of Legal Specialization) and is recognized by the Academy of Family Mediators.

He has completed more than 200 hours of training in alternative dispute resolution (ADR) techniques, including negotiation, arbitration and mediation provided by Stanford Law School, the American Arbitration Association, the Northern California Mediation Center and other educational organizations. A member of the San Francisco, Contra Costa and Marin County Attorney Mediation and Arbitration Panels, he has also served as a settlement commissioner and as Judge Pro Tem in local Superior Courts.

In addition to maintaining his legal practice, he has been an instructor in Family Law for the Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF), American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Continuing Education of the Bar, National Business Institute and San Francisco State University. He has served as Chair of BASF's Family Law Section and received its Award of Merit.

Mr. Silverman earned his law degree from the University of California's Hastings College of the Law in 1967 and his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1964. He is a member of the State Bar of California, American Bar Association, all local Bay Area bar associations (Family Law Sections), Collaborative Practice of East Bay and Association of Family Conciliation Courts. He is listed in Who’s Who in American Lawyers and Executives (1994) and America's Leading Lawyers (1993).