Ellen Fenichel

Ms. Fenichel’s practice focuses on business, real estate and trust disputes in civil and family law matters. She represents high-net worth individuals, closely-held companies, trusts, partnerships and publicly-held corporations. With over 25 years of litigation experience in jury trials, bench trials, arbitrations, mediations and appeals, she oversees matters for the life of the dispute – early stage fact investigation, risk assessment and pre-filing negotiations, then on to initial court filings, discovery and motion practice, and finally to conclusion, whether by trial, settlement, judgment (and subsequent enforcement) or appeal, as necessary.

Her multi-faceted cases regularly require guidance with respect to on-going business management, control, governance and employment issues, consultation and coordination with clients’ accounting, investment, tax and estate planning advisors, overseeing the valuation of jointly-held assets and their subsequent sale or division, planning and implementing complex domestic and international discovery (including the management of electronically-stored information (ESI)), supervising forensic accountings and designing and effectuating structured settlements.

Ms. Fenichel is fortunate to enjoy long-term relationships with many of her clients and provides these clients with on-going risk management services for the duration of their business ventures.

Ms. Fenichel is the Managing Partner of Valle Makoff LLP’s San Francisco operations, has been recognized as a Northern California Super Lawyer, is a past Co-Chair of the California Lawyers Association’s Business Litigation subcommittee, and is a longtime member of Queen’s Bench. She is admitted to practice in all California state and federal courts and the U.S. Tax Court. She arbitrates and mediates before AAA, JAMS and other panels and has been admitted pro hac vice in Delaware.

Ms. Fenichel earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology in 1987 from the University of California at Berkeley, and she obtained her law degree in 1994 from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. While at Hastings College of the Law, Ms. Fenichel served as Editor-in-Chief of the Hastings Women’s Law Journal (1993-94).

Prior to law school, Ms. Fenichel worked in development for the New England Aquarium in Boston, and she continues to be passionate about animal welfare, the arts, the environment and social justice causes.