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About ANDREA Merrell CASTER
Compassion. Understanding. Advocacy.
For over 20 years, Andrea has focused her practice on a wide range of family law matters, probate guardianships and conservatorships, and general civil litigation. She has represented parents in dissolutions of marriage and domestic partnerships, parentage actions, actions for child custody and visitation, child and spousal support matters, adult, foster parent and same sex parent adoptions, and domestic violence matters, and is often appointed by judges in Los Angeles County to represent children as Minor’s Counsel. As the parent of three children who are so much more than their different abilities (dyslexia, autism, and ADHD), Andrea understands and has extensive experience addressing the needs of families with children with special needs, including understanding the nuances that crossover family law with special education issues. She has also represented clients in restraining orders in civil harassment, elder abuse and workplace violence matters, actions to quiet title to real property, and breach of contract actions. Andrea has been successful in a variety of litigation matters at the trial court and appellate court levels, including those
involving domestic violence restraining orders, complex real estate transactions and business partnerships.
EDUCATION
- UCLA - Bachelor of Arts, Sociology
- Southwestern University School of Law - Juris Doctorate
BAR MEMBERSHIP & PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
- Admitted to the California State Bar and United States District Court, Central District of California, June 2003
- Los Angeles County Bar Association
- Beverly Hills Bar Association
- Santa Monica Bar Association
- Women Lawyers of Los Angeles County
PRO BONO WORK & LEGAL ADVOCACY
- Pro Bono Attorney Panel for Harriet Buhai Center for Family Law
- Legal Aid of Los Angeles County volunteer attorney at Restraining Order Clinic
- Alliance for Children’s Rights volunteer attorney for Foster Care Adoption and Guardianship programs
- Public Counsel’s Center for Veteran’s Advancement pro bono counsel for Homeless Veterans Advocacy program
- Volunteer Attorney for Breaking Code Silence, an organization dedicated to raising awareness of and combating problems in the “Troubled Teen” industry
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
- Breathe So. Cal. - Chairman of Board of Directors (2022 to present); member of Executive, Governance, and Programs and Research committees
- Adult advisor for Job’s Daughters International & DeMolay International
Heather Wollin - Lead Paralegal
Heather is the primary “point person” for clients and her skills in listening, issue spotting, and scrutinizing financial documents make her an invaluable member of the team. Her empathy, critical thinking skills and organization have also been integral in obtaining restraining orders for domestic violence victims and survivors, including as part of the firm’s appellate work. She is skilled in punching holes through factual and legal arguments and is so valuable to the team that Andrea has received many requests from opposing counsel to “clone” Heather so they could have her. Heather is married and supervises her four four-legged home office assistants, including her bossy feline office-mate, Mr. Fiddlesticks. In her free time, Heather volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children in her local foster care system.
Glenda Kastning - Paralegal
Glenda has a certificate in paralegal studies from Arizona Western College. She previously volunteered with the Community Justice Board of the County Attorney’s office for Yuma, Arizona, helping to change the trajectory of the lives of children who get entangled in the delinquency system so they can grow up to be productive, law-abiding members of the community.
Glenda is bilingual in Spanish, compassionate and detail-oriented.
Matt Foster - Administrative Assistant
Matt is the backbone of the firm, making sure that documents are filed, bills are generated, and payments are processed. Matt had an unusual path to working in the law. Before joining the Law Office of Andrea Merrell Caster, he was a professional photographer, a commercial cable technician, and a stay-at-home parent to his two children. He met Andrea through their children’s preschool. Andrea credits Matt’s love of old horror films for giving him the bravery to deal with the challenges of working in the family law field.