Vedder, David F.

Catherine Vance entered McGeorge School of Law at age 35 with the specific goal of representing children. She graduated with honors and received the American Jurisprudence Award (first in her class) in both Family Law and Legal Process (research, analysis and writing). Since then, she has represented several hundred children in Solano County's most difficult child custody cases.

Since her focus has always been on helping children, Catherine also agrees to represent parents in child custody cases - but only if the parent agrees to do whatever it takes to promote the child's interests over and above the interests of the adults. "I won't take a case for a parent unless I am persuaded that parent will work with me as a team toward the best interests of the child. Sometimes that means the parent admitting he or she needs help - substance abuse help, anger management, parent skills help or personal counseling." In trials, Catherine and her partner, Truman Vance, will often both appear in Court with their client - Catherine handling the custody issues and Truman addressing financial matters.

Catherine has been a child advocate in one capacity or another for more than 30 years. She worked in group homes and schools for troubled youth; worked with law enforcement as a street counselor for teen drug addicts, runaways and prostitutes; and was a licensed foster parent (with partner Truman Vance) specially trained to care for severely abused children and teens. She and Truman donated thousands of hours to low-income families in need of legal assistance and have been invited speakers to various child and family advocacy groups.

Before law school, Catherine was a sought-after independent speechwriter and ghostwriter in Sacramento and, later, for administrators at UC Davis. Her written work has appeared in dozens of professional journals and magazines - but almost always with someone else's name as the author. She holds a Master of Fine Arts Degree and has won numerous awards for her writing. If your case presents a complex or unique legal issue, Catherine is the attorney to research and analyze it and ensure the Court gets an accurate reading of the issue.

Catherine and Truman Vance are big believers in the "keep it out of court" family law issue. She and Truman mediate family law cases as a team - bringing both parties to a case into joint negotiations to resolve it without Court appearances. "We can handle a family law case in half the time for half the cost and half the stress if the parties will work jointly with us."

If Catherine is not busy helping families with problems, she can be found high-mountain hiking with a pack of labrador retrievers - Grizzly, Samson and Zeus - or otherwise outdoor adventuring with her husband and son. She also enjoys theatre of every level and can be found in the front row at an obscure high school drama production or the best of San Francisco or Broadway theatre. "When it comes to advocacy in the courtroom, my years in the theatre as a writer and performer are sometimes more valuable than the years spent in law school. Knowing the law is one thing; effectively presenting it to the court is quite another."