Top Rated Family Law Attorney in Los Angeles, California
Meet Doreen Marie Olson
Meet Doreen Marie Olson
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that’s an interesting question because
i think everybody believes that when you
go to law school you know exactly what
type of law you want to practice and
where you’re going to end up which
i think in reality that couldn’t be
further from the truth when i started
law school i had absolutely no idea of
what i wanted to do
where i wanted to practice and really my
kind of thoughts were is that the law
would just be a stepping stone because i
really had my eye on moving to
washington dc and becoming a part of our
government which is a scary thought but
when i started in law school i had a
unicorn of an opportunity to work at a
family law firm
and i began as a law clerk working with
my partner today lisa helfen-meyer
i found her to be one of the most
extraordinary lawyers and people that i
really had ever met
and she was such a great example of how
i believed a woman should be
and hold themselves out as a
professional and as a woman
that she really was my
reason for
practicing family law and i never went
back
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the most rewarding aspect it’s actually
i actually have two answers for that
i think the first most rewarding aspect
of practicing family law
is when i
help
particularly women
um who come into my office and they’re
completely
either blindsided overwhelmed um
and just kind of drowning and treading
water with this entire process
and seeing that individual become
stronger
have greater self-esteem
become informed and
get their footing back and
their
respect and confidence in themselves and
just seeing them
end the process that was so daunting and
so scary actually ending it as a
stronger more confident person
and then my second most rewarding aspect
is when i actually see children
that were involved in the custody cases
that i’ve dealt with and actually meet
these children and realize that
their parents took some advice that i
might have given them in terms of
keeping children out of conflicts and
not over embroiling them in litigation
and seeing that that was beneficial to
these kids and they came out of it on
the other side as
great well-adjusted productive you know
young adults
Los Angeles, CA family law attorney Doreen Marie Olson shares why she became a lawyer as well as the most rewarding aspect of her practice. She reflects that many people enter law school thinking they already know what type of law they want to practice and where they will end up, but in her experience, that’s rarely the case. When she started law school, she had no clear plan. Initially, she viewed the law as a stepping stone, hoping to eventually move to Washington, D.C., and work in government. That changed when she had the unique opportunity to work at a family law firm as a law clerk alongside her current partner, Lisa Helfen-Meyer. She was deeply inspired by Lisa’s professionalism and the way she carried herself as a woman in the field. Lisa became the model that shaped her decision to pursue family law, and she never looked back.
She identifies two aspects of family law practice as particularly rewarding. First, helping women who come into her office feeling blindsided, overwhelmed, or lost, and guiding them to regain confidence, self-esteem, and control over their lives. Witnessing these clients emerge from what initially seemed like an insurmountable process as stronger, more empowered individuals is deeply fulfilling.
Her second source of reward comes from seeing the positive impact on children involved in custody cases. When parents follow her guidance—keeping children out of conflict and shielding them from the stress of litigation—she has the opportunity to see those children thrive. Meeting them later and seeing them grow into well-adjusted, productive young adults reinforces the meaningful difference her work can make.
