Event Details

The Honorable James G. Bertoli is currently assigned as the supervising judge of the Family Law Division of the Sonoma County Superior Court and has been a member of the Sonoma County bench for over 22 years. In addition to general family law cases, Judge Bertoli has sat as the judge handling both civil and criminal domestic violence cases. In addition to his duties on the bench, Judge Bertoli serves on the Sonoma County Superior Court Executive Committee, the governing and policy-making body for the court. 

A fourth-generation native of Sonoma County, Judge Bertoli was educated at Santa Rosa Junior College and received his Bachelor’s Degree in Economics in 1982 from the University of California at Davis. He received his Juris Doctorate from the University of San Francisco in 1985 and began practicing family law and public sector labor law with the Santa Rosa, California law firm of Wotring & Byrne. He then became the managing partner of the law firm of Byrne & Bertoli in 1989 and then formed a solo practice in 1991 which he maintained until his election to the bench in November, 2000.

Hilary Finch has been a Mediator/Child Custody Recommending Counselor with Family Court Services at the Superior Court in Sonoma County for two years.  She earned a Master’s in Social Work (M.S.W) from U.C. Berkeley after which she worked in a variety of social services positions including Child Protective Services, and two regional centers.  She returned to school to pursue a law degree and earned her J.D from the University of San Francisco in 2004. Since then, she has served in various public service legal roles including staff attorney for the Office of the Family Law Facilitator in Santa Clara County, representation of parents in juvenile dependency matters in both Sacramento and Humboldt Counties, assistant public guardian in Humboldt County and staff attorney with the Office of the Humboldt County Counsel.  

Deirdre is a trial lawyer and an experienced family law practitioner with more than 30 years of trial and negotiation experience. She is a Sonoma County native and a partner of Evans Kingsbury LLP. She attended the University of California at Davis as a Regents’ Scholar. She received her B.A. degree in Psychology summa cum laude in 1978 and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi. Ms. Kingsbury earned her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. She is rated AV Preeminent® by Martindale-Hubble®. 

Deirdre’s current practice focuses on litigating and resolving disputes involving divorces and child custody, probate and trust matters, real estate matters, and appeals. Deirdre has won cases involving child custody “move away” orders, fraudulent transfer, quiet title/easement, and probate matters.

Deirdre currently serves on the Boards of Directors of the Sonoma County Bar Association and Sonoma County Women in Law, and is the current vice-chair of  SCBA’s Family Law Steering Committee.

Julie Levy handles numerous types of matters as an attorney, focusing her practice on family law with an emphasis on child custody litigation. Julie has also been appointed as minor’s counsel since 2018. Julie’s practice also includes elder abuse restraining orders and other civil matters. Julie’s experience as a legal secretary and paralegal prior to law school made a tremendous impact upon her ability to effectively practice law. Julie volunteers as a Mediator on the Civil Harassment restraining order calendar and has done so for almost seven years. Julie also volunteers as a Sonoma County Judge Pro Tem presiding over small claims matters.  Julie formerly served as the Chair of the Sonoma County’s Fee Arbitration Advisory Committee and is currently a Fee Arbitrator. Julie is a member of the Family Law Education Committee, and the Family Law Education sub-committee which focuses on the annual Minor’s Counsel training. She is also on the Education Committee serving as a liaison for the Family Law Education Committee.