RESUME

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 Mediator • Arbitrator • Private Judge • Certified Family Law Specialist  

Stephen B. Ruben, Esq. is a State Bar Certified Specialist in Family Law and has been continuously recognized since 2007 as a “Northern California Super Lawyer” for his work in the field of Family Law. Mr. Ruben has also been recognized nationally and internationally as a Family Law Lawyer of Distinction for his impressive record of achieving results for his clients in court (both trial and appeals) and in mediation or judicial settlement conferences. In 2019, he was awarded the Family Law Litigator of the Year in California from the Family Law Institute. For more than seven years, he has been recognized as one of the top ten family law attorneys in San Francisco and the State of California.

For more than 20 years, Mr. Ruben has continued to serve as Judge Pro Tem and Senior Settlement Master for the San Francisco Unified Family Court. As a Senior Settlement Master, he has an outstanding track record of settling highly contested family law matters. He was also appointed in 2019 to serve as a Settlement Officer in mandatory settlement conferences for the San Francisco Superior Court, Civil Division. As part of his commitment to resolving disputes without trial, Mr. Ruben’s practice included alternative dispute resolution services, including mediation, arbitration, early neutral case assessment, and private judging.

Mr. Ruben specializes in complex, high asset cases which include addressing the complex issue of characterization of either community or separate property, reimbursement claims and transmutation agreements. He has extensive experience in all phases of divorce and parental rights, including asset discovery, property division, spousal support, child custody and child support, as well as premarital agreements, post nuptial agreements, post judgment modifications and enforcement. Mr. Ruben also has significant litigation experience in international child custody cases involving relocation and child abduction. He has prevailed in landmark victories successfully returning children who were abducted to countries governed by the Hague Convention, including Denmark, England, Germany, Japan, Israel, and others.

In 2010, Mr. Ruben was appointed by Chief Justice Ronald George to serve as a member of the Elkins Family Law Task Force of the Judicial Council of California. As part of this task force comprised of distinguished lawyers, judges, and mental health professionals, Mr. Ruben contributed significantly to the report and recommendations adopted by the Supreme Court, resulting in significant reforms in Family Law Courts statewide to provide access and justice for all family law litigants. These reforms authored by Mr. Ruben include his drafting of early neutral assessment and evaluation, voice of the child in contested custody disputes and insuring parity for the early award of attorney’s fees in dissolution proceedings.

Mr. Ruben is a member of the Executive Committee of the Family Law Section of the State Bar of California and also served as contributing editor to Family Law Monthly published by Lexis-Nexis, writing bi-monthly case commentaries for the family law bench and bar. He is a frequent lecturer on continuing education programs for the State Bar and American Association of Family Conciliation Courts. 

AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION

• Complex Family Law Litigation
• High Net Worth Divorce Cases
• Financial Issues
• Spousal and Child Support
• Early Neutral Assessment and Evaluation
• High Conflict Custody Disputes
• Dissolution
• Non-Marital and Domestic Partnerships
• Contested Estates and Trusts

LEGAL EXPERIENCE

• The Ruben Law Firm, Principal, Shareholder, and Managing Director, 1996-2021
• Bryan, Hinshaw, Ruben, Cohen & Barnet, Partner, 1995-1996
• Leslie, Powell & Morey, Principal, 1993-1995
• American Design Group, Vice President and General Counsel, 1991-1993
• Eber & Nakagawa, Of Counsel, 1992
• Hill, Van Saten, Steadman & Simpson, Partner and Shareholder, 1988-1990
• Stephen B. Ruben & Associates, Ltd., Principal and Shareholder, 1979-1988
• State of Illinois, Special Assistant Attorney General, 1984-1990
• Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, Special Administrator Probate Court, 1988-1991
• Circuit Court of Dupage County, Illinois, Guardian Ad Litem, Probate Court, 1976-1988
• Jann, Carroll, Kruse & Sain, Associate Litigation Attorney, 1976-1978
• City of Chicago, Assistant Corporation Counsel, 1973-1976

EDUCATION

• Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law
  • LL.M. in Dispute Resolution, Spring 2021
  • Advanced Mediation Training, 1999
  • Certified Family Law Mediation Certificate, 1997
• Dominican College, Collaborative Family Law Training, 2000
• Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago Kent College of Law, J.D., 1973 with Honors
• Bethany College, B.A. with Honors, May 1970

HONORS AND AWARDS

• Lawyer of National Distinction, Family Law, 2012-Present
• Top Ten Family Law Attorney in California, 2012-Present
• Top Ten Family Law Attorney in San Francisco, 2014-Present
• Super Lawyer, Northern California Family Law, 2006-2008 and 2014-Present
• Family Law litigator of the Year, Family Law Institute, 2019
• ITT Chicago Kent College of Law Alumni, Professional Achievement Award in Family Law, 2014

LEGAL ASSOCIATIONS AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS

• Senior Settlement Master, San Francisco Unified Family Law Courts
• Settlement Officer, San Francisco Superior Court, Civil Division
• Judge Pro Tem, Family Law Division, San Francisco Superior Court, 1996-2014
• Lawyers Club of San Francisco, Inn of Court
• Bar Association of San Francisco, Family Law Section, Mediator and Arbitrator
• Association of California Certified Family Law Specialists
• Association of Family and Conciliation Courts
• Elkins Family Law Implementation Task Force, 2010-2014
• Elkins Family Law Task Force, Judicial Council/ Office of Administrative Court, 2008-2010
• Family Law Section Executive Committee, State Bar of California
• Marin County Superior Court, Family Law Division, Judge Pro Tem, 2009-2012
• Association of Certified Family Law Specialists (ACFLS)
• Bay Area Legal Foundation, Board Member, 2001-2005
• Stern Grove Festival, Board Member, 2010-2021
• Rotary Club of San Francisco, Officer and Board Member, 1992 to 2011
• Huckleberry Youth Program, Advisor to the Finance Committee, 2010 to 2013

SELECTED SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS AND PUBLICATIONS

• Contributing Bi-Monthly Editor, Lexis-Nexis; California Family Law Journal, 2009-2018
• “International Child Custody Relocation,” Moderator and Speaker, AFCC Winter Workshop, 2016
• “Hague Convention Update,” Moderator and Speaker, AFCC Winter Workshop, 2015
• “Child Abduction Warnings and Pitfalls,” Bar Association Bulletin, 2014
• “Ask the Expert – Child Abduction Warnings,” California Lawyer, 2014
• “Child Abduction – Warnings and Pitfalls, a Perspective from a Family Law Specialist,” Panelist, AFCC Conference, 2015
• “How to Impute Income for Spousal Support and Child Support,” Speaker, Section Educational Institute (SEI), 2009
• “Impact of Parental Alienation on Long Term Custodial Orders,” Family Law News, 2009
• “What is Your Exit Strategy? Long Term Spousal Support Issues,” Family Law News, 2008
• “Harding Move-Away Cases, Recent Developments and Legal Strategies on Pre and Post Dissolutions,” Speaker, Legal Aid Association of California, 2006
• “Collaborative Divorce – A Paradigm Shift,” Business Litigation Magazine, Fall 2001
• “Contested Hearings on the Enforcement of Pre-Marital,” Lawyers Club Inn of Court, 2000
• “Impact of Bankruptcy on Dissolutions of Marriage,” National Business Institute, 1998
• “I Now Pronounce You Separated,” Family Law News, 1996