Gallagher & Kennedy is pleased to announce the addition of a family law practice group, with two accomplished attorneys, a paralegal, and their legal support professional joining the Phoenix office. This expansion strengthens the firm's full-service capabilities and marks the establishment of a dedicated Family Law Practice.
I am pleased to welcome this talented team of family law practitioners to our firm. We have been seeking to expand our client services with a domestic relations practice, and this group is the ideal fit for our firm’s clientele, culture, and reputation as a full-service client-focused firm.
Kevin O’Malley, Managing Partner
Representing individuals, families, parents, grandparents, acting caregivers, and minor children, the family law team prides itself on a concierge-style approach, tailored to meet the unique needs of each client. Areas of representation include:
- Divorce, Legal Separation & Annulment
- Child Custody
- Child Support
- Property Division
- Spousal Maintenance & Alimony
- Domestic Violence & Orders of Protection
- Grandparent Rights
- Non-Parent Custody
- Maternity/Paternity
- Prenuptial & Postnuptial Agreements
- Adoption
Melissa F. Benson joins the firm as a shareholder with extensive experience in all aspects of family law. She brings over 17 years of experience working in Arizona’s criminal justice system as a victim advocate, a probation officer, and a sex crimes and domestic violence prosecutor. Melissa is a certified mediator, often helping resolve her client’s most personal disputes before they go to trial.
Melissa is a member of the Arizona Women Lawyers Associations, Arizona Thurgood Marshall Inn of Court, and Maricopa County Bar Association, and volunteers with Wills for Heroes and the Probate Lawyers Assistance Project. She has been recognized to the 2024 list of Top 25 National Women Trial Lawyers and the Top 30 Matrimonial and Family Trial Lawyers. She is admitted to practice in Arizona and New York and before the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.
Melissa graduated magna cum laude from Arizona Summit Law School and was a member of the law review. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice with a minor in Sociology from Virginia Wesleyan College.
Elizabeth Nañez joins the firm as an associate attorney. Bringing a dynamic and diverse background, Liz assists individuals with a wide range of domestic relations law issues including divorce, spousal maintenance, child support, third-party rights, guardianship, and relocation, among others.
Liz is a member of the Latina Mentoring Project, Los Abogados, and the Hispanic National Bar Association. She is admitted to practice in Arizona.
Liz earned her law degree from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at ASU. She externed with the Honorable Diane J. Humetewa at the Arizona District Court, participated in the Post-Conviction Clinic, and served as Vice President of the Chicano/Latino Law Students’ Association. She was also selected for the Diversity Legal Writing Program in her final year of law school.
Before law school, Liz earned her undergraduate degree in Political Science from ASU and has worked as a legal assistant, certified paralegal, and law clerk, roles that deepened her passion for litigation.
Karen L. Duckworth-Barnes is a paralegal with the family law group. With over 11 years of paralegal experience, Karen serves as an effective point of contact for clients. She is knowledgeable and resourceful in stages of case management, from initial disclosures and discovery to all items necessary for complex trial litigation. She works directly with attorneys to develop case management and strategy, and is experienced in Superior, Justice, and Municipal Courts.
Karen earned her certificate in paralegal studies with Highest Honors from Everest College.
Welcome Melissa Benson, Elizabeth Nañez, Karen Duckworth-Barnes, and their long-time legal assistant, Metzli Heck.
About Gallagher & Kennedy
Established in 1978, Gallagher & Kennedy is an Arizona-based law firm with more than 60 attorneys in Arizona and New Mexico representing clients from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses and individuals. The firm’s clientele includes Freeport McMoRan, Inc., Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, The Fertilizer Institute, Grand Canyon University, and Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS).
Read the recent coverage:
Gallagher & Kennedy lures family law practice from another Valley firm | Phoenix Business Journal
Valley Law Firm Establishes Dedicated Family Law Practice, Welcomes Legal Team | InBusinessPhx.com