I welcome all readers to Insights, the new web-based newsletter of the California Chapter of the AFCC.  I’m honored to be the Editor of Insights.  I’d like to take this chance to thank the members of the newsletter committee, who have worked hard to put together interesting and informative content for all of our members.  These committee members are Michele Brown, who has worked to liaison our efforts with the Board; Kendall Evans, who is writing insightful legislation reports and also helping with other newsletter work; and Debra Frank who is working on soliciting and editing articles and essays and also helping with general newsletter activities.  We are looking for one or two further members of our newsletter committee, so if you’d like to join our team please let me know.

I’d also like to thank Lauren Solinsky, a student who has volunteered to produce our “Member Spotlight”; and Dawn Gray who is submitting exceptionally helpful, short summaries of custody-related cases to help us all keep informed and up to date.  A further thanks goes to our panel of experts who’ve agreed to work on the new column “Ask Three Mentors.”  And, perhaps most importantly, I’d like to thank Merry Gladchun, our administrator who has worked ceaselessly on behalf of all aspects of our Chapter and especially the new website and newsletter.

We could not produce this content without the help of all of these people and we appreciate them very much.

If you have an article, essay, idea for a column, or other proposed content for Insights, we would love to hear from you!  Please just use this link to begin the dialog about your submission.

Thank you and I hope you all enjoy the new content.

– Michelene Insalaco, Esq.


Michelene Insalaco is a Certified Specialist in Family Law, handling both trials and appeals.  She has special expertise in international custody cases, relocations, domestic violence, and representing minor children in family law cases.  Ms. Insalaco is active in legislation and has written bills in the areas of mediation, premarital agreements, court reporting, and putative spouses.  Ms. Insalaco is presently Chair of the SF Delegation to the CCBA and has also served as Chair of the SF Family Law Section, and been a Member of Flexcom the Board of the ACFLS.  Ms. Insalaco is a frequent presenter of family law programs and has written many family law articles.  Ms. Insalaco also represents minors in Family Law cases and left-behind parents in incoming Hague Convention return and access cases.  Ms. Insalaco has received numerous awards for pro bono work in family law including BASF’s James P. Preovolos Award and an Angel Award from California Lawyer Magazine.