Finding the best Las Vegas divorce attorney is the first step in dealing with the rigors of your divorce proceedings. The choice you make should be well-matched to the complexities of your case. Jennifer V. Abrams and Vincent Mayo are highly credentialed divorce law experts. Both attorneys are, among other achievements, State Bar of Nevada Board Certified Family Law Specialists. Within family law, they focus on complex divorce and marital law matters. This often includes contested divorce cases, complex property divisions, alimony, and contested child custody issues. Other local attorneys, including those that handle routine divorce cases, often refer complex and high-asset divorce cases to The Abrams and Mayo Law Firm. Call 702-222-4021 to speak with one of our expert divorce attorneys today.
- Jennifer V. Abrams
- Vincent Mayo
- Lianna Urfalyan
- Ilan Acherman
- How to Choose the Best Las Vegas Divorce Attorney
- Divorce Consultations
- State Bar of Nevada Board Certified
- Support Staff
- Our Divorce Clients
- Client’s Bill of Rights
Las Vegas Divorce Attorney Jennifer V. Abrams
Attorney Jennifer V. Abrams is a 20+ year veteran in the practice of divorce law. It is not uncommon for the opposing party to simultaneously retain more than one attorney to litigate against her. Attorney Abrams also routinely represents fellow attorneys or their spouses. Her credentials include:
- Certified Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML). Ms. Abrams is one of only sixteen Las Vegas attorneys that have been accepted into this elite national association.
- Board Certified by the State Bar of Nevada as a Family Law Specialist.
- 2023 Vegaslegal magazine Attorney of the Year.
- 2024 Forbes Magazine Best Divorce Lawyers, Las Vegas NV
- 2024 Top Family Law Attorney by Vegas Inc magazine.
- Executive Council of the State Bar of Nevada, Family Law Section. She was elected to this post for 5 years by her fellow family law attorneys and the Nevada Family Court Judges.
- Appointed by and honored by the Justices of the Supreme Court of Nevada. This was for her work on revising the procedures for NRCP 16.1, 16.2, 16.205 and the Financial Disclosure Forms. These procedures and forms are used by attorneys in every divorce case in the State of Nevada.
- Currently on the committee rewriting Section Five (Family Court) of the Eighth Judicial District Court Rules.
- Honored by the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada as the 2020 Attorney of the Year.
- Published author in the Nevada Family Law Report – Summer 2022.
Ms. Abrams is admitted to practice law in three states, but chooses to practice exclusively as a divorce attorney in Las Vegas. Jennifer Abrams is regarded as both a skilled negotiator and a forceful litigator. As such, she has gained the respect of her colleagues and judges in the Clark County Family Courts.
Attorney Jennifer Abrams is a member in good standing of the State Bar of Nevada Family Law Executive Council, State Bar of Nevada, American Bar Association, American Association for Justice, which is formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the Clark County Bar Association, the State Bar of California, and the Louisiana State Bar (both inactive). She graduated from the Pepperdine University School of Law in California, Magna Cum Laude, with a class rank of 9th out of 255. She received her undergraduate degree in Business Administration, Accounting Theory and Practice, from California State University, Northridge and has passed the Certified Public Accountants (CPA) examination.
Beware the Pitfalls of Alimony
and Child Support Calculators
Jennifer Abrams gave a featured presentation at the December 2021 Advanced Family Law Continuing Legal Education seminar. This State Bar of Nevada event was attended by hundreds of Nevada family law attorneys, judges, and legal staff.
In the video Jennifer explains to the attendees why alimony and child support calculators only provide starting estimates for high-income divorce matters.
The presentation is designed as an advanced discussion of the factors when it comes to alimony and the adjustments when it comes to child support.
Las Vegas Divorce Attorney Vincent Mayo
Attorney Vincent Mayo is a partner in The Abrams and Mayo Law Firm. His divorce law trial and appellate experience have earned him the respect of his fellow attorneys and the family court judges in Nevada. Mr. Mayo’s divorce law legal career includes:
- Martindale-Hubbell AV Rated Preeminent Attorney. This distinction is achieved by only a small fraction of licensed attorneys worldwide.
- State Bar of Nevada Board Certified as a Family Law Specialist.
- Chairperson of the State Bar of Nevada Family Law Section.
- Published Legal Author. His numerous credits include Nevada Lawyer Magazine, Nevada Family Law Report, and Communique, the official Legal Journal for the Clark County Bar Association.
- Board Certified in Family Law by the American Bar Association (ABA).
- Board Certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) in divorce law. The NBTA is a division of the National Board of Legal Specialty Certification. He is one of only seventeen Las Vegas attorneys to receive this distinction.
- Instructor of Nevada attorneys for the State Bar of Nevada Family Law continuing legal education classes.
- Primary editor of the Nevada Family Law Reporter.
- Co-editor of the Nevada Family Law Practice Manual. This manual is used by all Nevada attorneys and judges as the foremost compilation of Nevada statutes, case law, and local and state rules.
- Member of numerous State Bar of Nevada family law committees, including the Nevada Supreme Court Committee to Study Child Custody Reform
- ABA’s Family Law Trial Advocacy Institute Program. This organization accepts only 50 applicants nationally each year.
Vincent Mayo began his legal career in Nevada working directly for Clark County Family Court Judge Gloria Sanchez as a Law Clerk, from September of 2002 to March 2004. Attorney Mayo is a member of good standing of the State Bar of Nevada, State Bar of Nevada Family Law Section, American Bar Association, Nevada Justice Association, and Clark County Bar Association. He also has been accepted as an American Bar Association Panelist.
He received his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Dayton School of Law. Attorney Mayo served as associate editor of the law school’s Law Review, was elected to the Moot Court Litigation team, earned a Dean’s Award Scholarship, and achieved Dean’s List Honors. These accomplishments occurred simultaneous to working as a Law Clerk for a Fortune 500 company while earning his law degree.
Las Vegas Divorce Attorney Lianna Urfalyan
Attorney Lianna Urfalyan has dedicated her entire legal career to complex divorce and child custody matters. She has a well-earned reputation in the Las Vegas legal community for her attention to detail in her legal writings and being a strong advocate for her clients in litigation and settlement conferences.
Ms. Urfalyan is admitted to the State Bar of Nevada and is currently in the process of being certified as a family law specialist. She has co-authored the Hague Convention Chapter for the American Bar Association (ABA) in 2017; The Codex of Family Law Manual to assist new attorneys with specific statutes and case law for the Family Law Conference in Bishop, California in 2018; the ABA publication for Foreign Discovery in 2020; and the State Bar of Nevada divorce information guide in 2023. She has also been distinguished by the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada for her legal contributions and community service.
In 2022, Ms. Urfalyan served as a co-instructor for a State Bar of Nevada Continuing Legal Education (CLE) class for over 50 family law attorneys. The class focused on the complicated gray-area of alimony and temporary spousal support for Nevada based legal matters which is often misunderstood by less experienced attorneys. The class syllabus covered a comprehensive analysis of all factors the Nevada family courts may consider when determining temporary spousal support and alimony for cases involving divorcing spouses and partners dissolving registered domestic partnerships.
Attorney Urfalyan received her Juris Doctorate from Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles, California in 2017. While in law school, she received the CALI Excellence for the Future Award for Children and the Law, the Witkin Award for Family Law Procedure and Practice, and the Wiley W. Manuel Certificate for Pro Bono Legal Services by the State Bar of California.
During law school, Ms. Urfalyan also served as a Law Clerk/Judicial Extern to the Honorable Robert Broadbelt III and the Honorable Amy Pellman. She also clerked for three California law firms who practiced solely in family and fertility law.
Prior to achieving her Juris Doctorate, Ms. Urfalyan earned a B.S. in Biology in 2013 and a B.A. in Psychology in 2014, both from the University of Nevada – Las Vegas (UNLV). In addition to English, she is also fluent in Armenian.
Las Vegas Divorce Attorney Ilan Acherman
Attorney Ilan Acherman has excelled in representing clients in divorce and marital law matters for the past 13 years. Mr. Acherman’s experience includes both complex marital finances and child custody issues.
He has served as an attorney faculty member for the 2023 American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Expert Witness Program and as a co-instructor with Attorney Lianna Urfalyan for a State Bar of Nevada Continuing Legal Education (CLE) class on Alimony in Nevada.
Mr. Acherman is a strong advocate for children and the benefits educational opportunities provide to them. He has previously been appointed as a judge in the Truancy Diversion Program (TDP). The TDP is offered by the Eighth Judicial District Court to reduce absenteeism in Clark County schools in an effort to reduce the number of youth entering the formal juvenile justice system. TDP supports students and their families to address students’ school attendance, behavior and grades.
Ilan is a 20+ year resident of Las Vegas and has extensive experience with Nevada Court judges. He has worked as a Judicial Extern for the Honorable Stephanie Miley of Nevada’s Eighth Judicial Court. He has also served as a Judicial Law Clerk for Judge Sandra Pomrenze for the Eighth Judicial District Court, Family Division.
Attorney Acherman has been selected as a Super Lawyers Rising Star since 2018. Super Lawyers selects attorneys using a patented multiphase selection process. Peer nominations and evaluations are combined with independent research. Each candidate is evaluated on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement.
Mr. Acherman received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) in 2007 and subsequently earned his Juris Doctorate at the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law in 2011. He was admitted to the State Bar of Nevada the same year and has focused his career on complicated divorce and marital law issues.
Attorney Acherman is admitted to practice in the Federal District Court, District of Nevada, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Ilan is also bilingual and is fluent in English and Spanish.
Contested Divorce
In any divorce matter both parties ultimately have to agree on the terms and conditions. If you can’t agree at the onset, the case is considered “contested.” The term contested divorce can be misleading. It simply means there is a disagreement between the divorcing spouses on one or more issues. For instance, matters such as division of assets and debts, alimony, and child custody can be in dispute. The level of dispute varies from case to case. Therefore, it’s up to your divorce lawyer to keep a cool head when tensions arise.
Most divorce cases begin as contested cases but resolve through negotiations rather than trial. The secret to successful divorce negotiations is to prepare the case strategy as if you were going to trial. This ensures proper vetting of every important aspect. Some negotiations resolve quickly, while others carry on for months. The number of issues and the level of dispute play a key role in the negotiation time frame. A small fraction of cases do not resolve through negotiations. However, it’s important to know that you have the final decision of whether to accept a settlement or go to trial.
Temporary Spousal Support and Alimony
Both spouses have become accustomed to a certain standard of living during marriage. This standard can be in jeopardy during and after divorce. Therefore, temporary spousal support and alimony are vital issues to ensure your lifestyle is secure. Temporary spousal support and alimony are separate issues in Nevada divorce proceedings. Temporary spousal support is the financial arrangement between both spouses during the divorce proceedings. When the divorce resolves, temporary spousal support ceases. Alimony, if any, are payments from one ex-spouse to the other after the decree of divorce is signed and court approved.
Temporary spousal support and/or alimony are often negotiated. But if negotiations fail, then a family court judge will decide the issues. There are no statutes or mathematical formulas for temporary spousal support and alimony in Nevada divorce cases. This means, barring a settlement, the judge in your divorce case has the final say. Knowing the prior decisions a judge has made on these issues is critical. Our divorce lawyers have decades of experience representing both husbands and wives in temporary spousal support and alimony.
High Net Worth Divorce
The benefits of wealth are obvious. But like the song goes – more money more problems. When you and your spouse have complicated financial holdings, it can be challenging to figure out how to divide your assets. It’s also common for a prenuptial or post nuptial agreement to be a factor. This brings up the complicated issues of agreement validity and whether assets are community or separate property. Business owners face the complex task of business valuation. Some valuations can be straight-forward, while others, particularly those involving intangible assets, are more complex.
Only a small subset of attorneys routinely handle high net worth divorce cases. Many fellow attorneys, including those that practice divorce law, refer these complicated divorce matters to our law firm. Attorneys Jennifer V. Abrams and Vincent Mayo have successfully represented hundreds of clients in these high stakes matters. Both have the skill and experience to protect your financial interests during every step of the divorce process. Tech entrepreneur Matthias Horch put it this way: “Attorneys Jennifer Abrams and Vincent Mayo and their entire staff did an outstanding job on my divorce case. It was a very complex case and involved multiple jurisdictions with considerable assets at stake. I am very pleased with the results they achieved for me and highly recommend these Las Vegas divorce attorneys.”
Complicated Property Divisions
Nevada is one of the nine community property states. This means, barring an enforceable prenuptial or post nuptial agreement, Nevada statutes state that both spouses have an equal interest in the marital assets. Marital assets are those items of value owned or acquired by either spouse during the marriage. Some assets may involve commingling of separate and community property and thus their status as dividable marital assets may be in question. Assets such as business interests, intellectual property, IRAs, 401ks, stock options, pensions and other retirement plans also complicate the divorce process.
It’s critical that you have an attorney with the financial wherewithal to protect your interests in complex property divisions. Certain marital assets cannot be easily divided and therefore must be accurately valued to use as an offset of other assets. This is where our divorce attorneys’ long standing relationships with court certified financial experts comes in. Because of our extensive divorce law focus, we know the tendencies and value of these experts. We will fight for you to get every dollar of the marital estate that you deserve.
Contested Child Custody
The welfare of their minor children should be the highest priority for both divorcing parents. But this is not always true. In our decades of experience in divorce law, some of the most hotly contested divorce cases involve child custody disputes. Sometimes these disputes have good intentions. Sometimes not.
The Nevada family courts prefer that both parents play an active role in the upbringing of their minor children. Therefore, joint physical custody is the norm unless there are compelling reasons why one parent should have primary custody. Primary physical custody means that the children live with one parent and that parent is the primary caregiver. There can be valid reasons why primary custody is in the best interests of the children. But the burden of proof rests with the parent seeking primary physical custody. The protection of your family is our highest priority. Our Las Vegas child custody attorneys work hard to ensure you and your children’s best interests are served.
Divorce Mediation Options
Divorce mediation can be a viable option for those divorcing spouses who agree on most divorce issues, but need assistance in specific areas. Keeping your divorce out of the family court system has its advantages. Divorce mediation is more private, has less cost, and is faster than court filed divorce cases. It’s important to understand that both parties must enter the mediation process with settlement intentions. If both parties don’t, then the success of mediation process is in doubt.
A divorce mediator is a facilitator to settlement and does not favor either party. Their goal is to find solutions that you and your spouse can both agree to. Typically, the mediator is an experienced divorce attorney or a previous family court judge. Their experience can be to your advantage as they likely know how your positions will fare if you go to court. You also have the right to your own independent legal counsel during the mediation process. This can be vital when assessing the opinions of the divorce mediator.
It’s important to understand that the divorce mediator is not acting as a judge in a legal capacity. Therefore, they can’t force you into an agreement you’re not comfortable with. If you are not in agreement, you have every right to end the mediation process.
Our divorce lawyers have represented clients as legal counsel during the divorce mediation process. They have also acted as the mediator for divorcing spouses. In either event, their decades of experience can move the mediation process forward to a resolution you are satisfied with.
Speak with an Expert Las Vegas Divorce Attorney Today
Divorce is a serious matter. Complex cases even more so. The outcome of your divorce case will affect you and your children for the rest of your lives. You deserve to have the best legal representation you can in accordance with what’s at stake in your divorce proceedings. Our divorce attorneys are seasoned experts who specialize in handling all forms of complex divorce cases. If you need further assistance, please contact us today for a courtesy phone consultation by calling (702) 222-4021.
COVID-19
We continue to serve clients uninterrupted in Summerlin, Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, and Boulder City. In order to accommodate everyone, we are offering either in-office or video conference meetings. If you choose video conferencing, you will be able to meet with an experienced Las Vegas divorce attorney using any PC, Tablet, or Smartphone. Our divorce lawyers in Las Vegas have also recently established a community update section on our website.
