Before joining Connell Cummings in early 2021, Ms. Christine Stearns practiced family law in the San Francisco Bay Area where she focused her practice on primarily high-conflict, high-asset divorces. Much of her work there involved an international element, including cases with parties that were nationals or domiciliaries of India, China, Japan, and other Southeast Asian countries. Ms. Stearns’ experience extends to custody (including move-away cases), child and spousal support, division of property, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, and post-divorce modification actions including those related to support and custody.

Ms. Stearns is a member of the Georgia Bar, California Bar, and the Oregon Bar. Prior to moving out of California, she passed the California Family Law Specialist’s exam, and served as a regular volunteer arbitrator for the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing division of the San Francisco Human Services Agency. She also served as a volunteer for several years with the family law division of the San Francisco Bar’s Justice & Diversity Center (formerly called the Volunteer Legal Services Program), and was twice awarded the association’s Outstanding Volunteer in Public Services Award.

Ms. Stearns received her B.A. in English Literature from the University of California at Davis, and later, a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law.