Darlene has exclusively practiced family law for more than 15 years, at boutique family law practices, including the elite firm, Meyer, Olson, Lowy & Meyers LLP, and now her own firm, Kaplan | Wanger LLP in Century City, California.  Darlene started her career representing survivors of domestic violence in restraining order hearings, and divorce and paternity matters, and she continues to strongly advocate for survivors of domestic abuse. Darlene specializes in complex child custody matters, including cases where there is parental alienation, substance abuse issues, mental health issues, or children with special needs.  She also has expertise in complex financial matters, and working with experts, including forensic accountants, is an essential component of Darlene’s practice. Although Darlene continues to also maintain a litigation practice, after many years of seeing families emotionally and financially devastated by overzealous litigation, and the inefficacies of the family court system, she decided that there was a better and less adversarial way to help families resolve their conflicts: through collaborative law and mediation.  Darlene has attended numerous trainings to advance her understanding non-litigation methods of resolving family law disputes, often referred to as “consensual dispute resolutions,” including training for collaborative law through the Los Angeles Collaborative Family Law Association, and mediation training at the Center for Understanding in Conflict in Muir Beach, California.  While Darlene believes that sometimes litigation is necessary, she believes that families should first attempt to resolve their disputes through consensual dispute resolution methods, such as collaborative law.