Direct Examination Legends of Family Law — Larry Ginsberg, Neal Hersh, & Alexandra Leichter

Mr. Ginsberg is a co-founder of Harris • Ginsberg LLP. He specializes in the representation of high net worth individuals in high conflict situations, while also being “mediation friendly.”

Mr. Ginsberg has been selected as a Southern California Super Lawyer every year since 2004, and a Top 100 Super Lawyer for 2010 and 2011, through peer nomination and an independent research and review process. Further, Mr. Ginsberg was selected by Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Mr. Ginsberg is active in local, state, national, and international bar family law activities, including as a former member of the Executive Committee of the State Bar Family Law Section where he chaired the Continuing Legal Education Committee. He is a past President of the Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law, a non-profit provider of family law legal services to low income individuals. He was Co-Chair of the Los Angeles County Bar Association/USC Family Law-Legal Ethics Institute Steering Committee and is a frequent panelist and lecturer for many state, national and international legal organizations. Mr. Ginsberg is also the author of several articles and a contributing editor to several Family Law publications.

Neal Raymond Hersh is a founding partner of the firm, Hersh Mannis LLP. With over 40 years of professional practice in the area of family law, Mr. Hersh is nationally known for effectively representing public figures, celebrities and high-asset individuals. He understands the nuance involved in litigating private matters for public figures, and works closely with publicists, business managers, and personal managers in order to assure that clients get through the process as quickly as possible, with the least amount of media attention possible, and that their public image remains intact throughout the process.

Mr. Hersh is the recipient of numerous industry accolades. In 2019, he earned LegalWeek’s highly-coveted Transatlantic Private Client Team of the Year award on behalf of Hersh Mannis in the U.S., and Farrer & Co in England. Additionally, The Los Angeles Business Journal has named Mr. Hersh among Los Angeles’ Most Influential Litigators; The Hollywood Reporter names Mr. Hersh among their list of Los Angeles Power Lawyers; Variety’s Legal Impact Report identified Mr. Hersh and founding partner, Joseph Mannis as the top family law attorneys making a significant legal impact in the entertainment community; and Chambers and Partners consistently recommends Mr. Hersh as an individual attorney and Hersh Mannis LLP as a firm in its annual High Net Worth Advisors Guide for Family and Matrimonial Law. In 2022, the Beverly Hills Bar Association honored him as a Legend in the Field of family law.

Mr. Hersh previously served as President of the Southern California Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, a group that was established expressly to represent and promote the highest degree of excellence in the area of Family Law. He is well known for moderating important panel discussions on significant areas of the law, including the Obergefell Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality and industry panel presentations on cross-border wealth protection of the international elite. He is a regular commentator in social media, providing thoughtful legal insight on pending celebrity cases for Vanity Fair, E! Television, The Hollywood Reporter, Buzzfeed, Marie Claire, The Today Show, CNN, CNBC, Celebrity Justice and Court TV, KABC news, and Entertainment Tonight. Mr. Hersh has also authored for Inside The Minds™ – Strategies for Family Law in California, 2011 Edition, published by Aspatore.

Mr. Hersh is married and enjoys spending time with his wife, children, and eight grandchildren, playing golf, and traveling. In his spare time, he also enjoys writing and has written a story which is a comedy relating to family law that has been sold to a major studio, hopefully to be made into a movie in the near future.

Lauren is a Certified Family Law Specialist, certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization.

Lauren has extensive experience litigating family law cases, including motion hearings (Requests for Orders), trials, and restraining orders on behalf of both applicants and respondents.

Although adept at litigation, Lauren’s practice is informed by her mediation training and is resolution oriented. Lauren routinely participates in settlement conferences and mediations, and successfully negotiates settlement agreements and stipulated judgments.

Lauren acts as a private mediator or third-party neutral, to facilitate global resolution between parties without litigation. In addition, Lauren serves as a pro bono mediator for the Family Law Division of the Los Angeles Superior Court, through the Daily Settlement Officer and Virtual Settlement Officer programs, and serves as a mediator with the V.A.S.T. (Volunteer Attorney Settlement Team) program.

Lauren is an active member of the Beverly Hills Bar Association’s Family Law Section, where she has served on the section’s Executive Committee as Co-Chair, Co-Vice Chair, and Secretary in past terms.

Before entering private practice, Lauren worked as a Legal Assistant for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in Washington, DC.

Since 1972, co-founding partner Alexandra Leichter has developed a reputation for providing excellent representation to her clients, leaving no stone unturned, assessing each case thoroughly to assure that the client is provided with all possible information to make a reasoned and educated decision regarding his/her case.  While Alexandra has developed a reputation for being a fierce litigator, less than 10% of her cases ever see the inside of a courtroom—that is because she develops strategies, and assessments of her clients’ cases to assure that the case is ready to be tried but is best resolved through mediation/settlement.  Alexandra has a great reputation for knowledge of the law, astute assessment of practical solutions to complex family law problems, and an excellent ability to convey difficult issues in a simple manner to the clients and to the judicial officers handling the case.   Alexandra has been successful in handling thousands of family law cases, many involving sophisticated assets, large income, and highly contested custody/visitation cases.

Through education and empowerment, Dan helps provide the infrastructure for his clients to take control of their financial lives, often for the first time. Financial planning and investment management are central to his long term, collaborative approach.

Dan strives to truly understand his clients – what motivates them, what they want for their family, and what they want for their community. And as a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst®, he helps clients and their attorneys navigate the financial impact of divorce before, during and after a case is resolved.

Dan is the former chair of the Family Law section of the Beverly Hills Bar Association, and remains an active member. He is also a member of the board of directors at the Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law, a cornerstone of family law and domestic violence assistance for low-income people in California.

Prior to joining UBS in 2009, Dan practiced law at Los Angeles-area firms in a wide variety of disciplines including trust and estates, corporate litigation, family law, and liability defense, though he does not perform this function at UBS.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Dan earned a B.A. in sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz and a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. He holds his Series 7 and 66 securities licenses and is a member in good standing of the California Bar Association.