Partner Profiles
Each of Phillips, Lerner, Lauzon & Jamra’s five principals has extensive experience in the field of family law and has handled the most complex of disputes either through some type of mediation or settlement process, court proceedings, or, in most cases, a combination of both. In addition to having an excellent reputation for resolving matters through settlement negotiation and mediation and as successful mediators, they are just as well reputed for being tough litigators. Contact the firm’s Century City office for assistance with any divorce or family law issue anywhere in Southern California.
Stacy D. Phillips—Certified Family Law Specialist and managing partner at PLLJ Law, is also the author of Divorce: It's All About Control—How to Win the Emotional, Psychological and Legal Wars. Listed among Lawdragon's "500 Leading Lawyers in America," she also has been listed as one of the "Top 75 Female Litigators" in California" by the Daily Journal since '05 and given that same honor in 03 and 04 when that publication honored the top 50 female attorneys. Since 2004, she also has ranked as a "Superlawyer" by Los Angeles Magazine and is on its list of top 100 vote-getters. With the highest "AV" rating by the prestigious Martindale Hubbell Registry, her name also appears among Los Angeles Business Journal's top 81 "Best of the Bar," and she is listed in The Best Lawyers in America. She also was named in Los Angeles Times' West Magazine as one of the city's "Best Lawyers." Her clients include high-net worth business professionals and homemakers, as well as celebrities in sports, politics, music, film, and television (e.g., Darryl Strawberry, the estranged wife of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and the ex's of Whitney Houston and Tori Spelling. She also represented the conservators regarding all family law matters related to the Britney Spears case). Having co-authored California Senate Bill 924, she is a regular columnist for various publications and web sites including the Daily Journal and Yahoo! Personals. She also serves as a source expert commenting on headline news items for such major network divisions as Fox New Network and ABC's legal and justice unit.
Ms. Phillips, the recipient of many “women of accomplishment” awards and a philanthropist and community activist, is a graduate of Dartmouth, cum laude and Columbia University School of Law. » Read her full biography
Peter A. Lauzon, has represented numerous clients from all areas of the business and entertainment communities. Lauzon is often times called upon for his extensive work in complex jurisdictional matters and interstate and international custody disputes. Lauzon is known as a vigorous litigator which typically leads to advantageous settlements for his clients.
Marc Lerner, who has handled a variety of areas of law before choosing family law exclusively, is best known for his representation of a husband whose wife had won a lottery, divorced him, and then hid the winnings from him. Lerner was instrumental in winning the case for the husband and, as a result, the court awarded the entire lottery jackpot of $1.6 million to Lerner’s client.
Grace A. Jamra, a first-class litigator, is a member of the American, California, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and Armenian Bar Associations. She is well respected for her work in complex, high-asset cases in the areas of dissolution, paternity, palimony, guardianship, and adoption.
Azita Avedissian, with more than a decade of diverse experience in civil litigation, specializes in complex family law matters having represented a multitude of high net worth individuals, including prominent clients in the business sector and entertainment industry. Not only does Ms. Avedissian bring to the firm her international experience, but she is also fluent in French, Farsi (Persian) and Armenian and was a board member of the Armenian National Committee of America.
Ram Cogan has enjoyed over twenty years of practice as a litigator. Before joining PLLJ, he was the managing partner of a mid-size litigation firm. Mr. Cogan integrates his extensive business litigation experience into the often complex intricacies of the various issues that present themselves in the process of resolving family law disputes.
Associates:
Kay G. West
Robyn C. Santucci
Michael B. Hanasab
Karnig Greg Dukmajian
Dustin J. Sloan
Of Counsel:
Gerald F. Phillips
