BIOGRAPHY

Elizabeth M. Brown joined Michele Lowenstein’s team to collaborate with a firm that echoed her beliefs. In this often-rough, often-disdained niche market of family law, Brown found her calling and became a partner in 2009. A spouse and mother, Brown takes her work personally and passionately – she sees her own children in the eyes of her clients’ children, and advocates for the best outcome on their behalf.

Brown earned her undergraduate degree in Social Welfare and Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley in 1994. These fields of study taught her to look at the divorce decisions and process through a broader lens: how it affects not only the family, but the community as well. Brown earned her J.D. from California Western School of Law in 1999. Her law school years were not a means to an end, but rather an opportunity to involve herself intimately in more than theory. Brown served as President of the Public Interest Law Foundation and helped develop a grants program for students in pro bono internships. She interned in the areas of juvenile law and criminal law. Brown was awarded the Alec L. Cory Scholarship for outstanding Pro Bono Service, and a second scholarship from the Foundation of the State Bar of California.

After law school, while fellow graduates lobbied for powerful (and paid) careers, Brown entered the Peace Corps and worked in the Kingdom of Tonga advocating for youth through grassroots projects and grant writing. As a volunteer she embraced the culture and traditions of Tonga, learned the language, and assisted in building a solid relationship with the people in the community.

Brown’s work in California and across the globe in the South Pacific taught her that there are many solutions for a problem. A compassionate advocate, she enjoys finding innovative solutions that tend to best fit a client’s style and aid a smooth, less-stressed result during this extremely difficult time. Though successful representing clients in a traditional court, Brown also succeeds through alternative dispute resolution models such as four way meetings, the use of special masters, and private judging.

Brown continues to expand her legal education by attending seminars covering diverse topics in family law, and stays current with recent developments in her field.

In her free time, Brown enjoys camping with her family. "Nature inspires me in my work," says Brown. "It is humbling. I always remember that however stressful and out-of-control a divorce or dissolution may be right now for a client, it is only the current step of many more to come in his or her life."

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