Tülin D. Açıkalın

Tülin D. Açıkalın is one of three founding partners of ADZ Law, LLP, and a Certified Family Law Specialist. Ms. Açıkalın uses her background in business management, civil litigation, poverty law, and domestic violence non-profit legal services to resolve cases in a cost-effective and equitable manner. Ms. Açıkalın’s practice includes:

• Family Law: high conflict custody, complex asset division, support, mediation counseling/MSA review, post marital agreements;
• Domestic Violence Victim Representation: Restraining orders and and criminal court advocacy;

Ms. Açıkalın uses a trauma informed approach to help clients achieve safety, economic stability, and dissolve their intimate relationships. Ms. Açıkalın is a peacemaker resolving disputes by mediation, settlement, and Collaborative Divorce where possible. Ms. Açıkalın is also a warrior when necessary, using litigation to enforce legal rights and protect assets, children, and personal liberty. Ms. Açıkalın is skilled in legal strategy, negotiation, pre-trial discovery, motion practice, trials, and appeals. Employing mental health, child development, financial, and other experts where productive, Ms. Açıkalın brings the full legal arsenal to bear to resolve cases expeditiously. She uses domestic violence and family law best practices to ensure that clients are informed and supported in making their own decisions.

In 2024, Ms. Açıkalın attended the two-day Collaborative Divorce Skills Training offered by the Sacramento Collaborative Divorce Group and is attending the 40 Hour Basic Mediation and Conflict Resolution Training offered by the Center for Understanding in Conflict. Ms. Açıkalın served on Judicial Council of California’s Elkins Family Law Taskforce to “study and propose measures to assist trial courts in achieving efficiency and fairness in marital dissolution proceedings and to ensure access to justice for litigants, many of whom are self-represented.” The Elkins Task Force produced a report that resulted in the legislature adopting Family Code 217 guaranteeing family law litigants the right to trials to present testimony.

Prior to launching ADZ Law, LLP in partnership with Jessica Dayton, Ms. Açıkalın was a managing attorney at Bay Area Legal Aid, the largest poverty law firm in the Bay Area. Ms. Açıkalın used her Spanish language skills to represent low-income immigrant survivors of domestic violence in their complex high-risk legal cases in family law, international child custody law, immigration law, housing law, and public benefits law matters. Prior to her nonprofit legal work, Ms. Açıkalın was an associate attorney at Latham & Watkins and Gordon & Reese where she gained experience in the areas of business litigation, securities fraud litigation, health care fraud litigation, and international child custody litigation.

As a regular part of Ms. Açıkalın’s practice, she maintains an active pro bono case load for domestic violence clients. Ms. Açikalin has served as faculty for Practising Law Institute, National Legal Aid and Defender Association, and Legal Aid Association of California programs on a variety of issues including, LGBT cultural competency, immigration issues for family law practitioners, domestic violence restraining orders for same-sex couples, and navigating international child custody cases. She has also testified before state legislative committee hearings on a range of topics.

Ms. Açıkalın has volunteered with Court Appointed Special Advocates, Exhale, political campaigns, and the San Francisco animal shelter. Ms. Açıkalın was a member of the San Mateo County Domestic Violence Council and its Legal Process Committee from 2006 to 2015, and San Mateo County Blue Ribbon Commission on Foster Care and its Information Sharing Committee from 2011 to 2015.