Judge Adrianne E. Marshack

Judge Adrianne E. Marshack was appointed to the Orange County Superior Court by Governor Gavin Newsom on March 14, 2022, and is assigned to the Central Justice Center handling family law matters. Before joining the bench, she built her career as a complex business litigator, serving as a Partner at Goodwin Procter LLP and previously as a Partner and Associate at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP (2009–2014 as Associate, 2016–2021 as Partner). She earned her law degree from UCLA School of Law. Judge Marshack's transition from high-stakes commercial litigation at two prominent national law firms to a family law judicial assignment represents a significant shift in subject matter. Her background in complex business litigation means she brings analytical rigor and familiarity with sophisticated financial and evidentiary arguments to a court that frequently handles asset division, business valuation, and support disputes with commercial dimensions. Because no ruling analyses, attorney observations, or ingested content are currently available for this judge, behavioral patterns and courtroom tendencies cannot be characterized from observed data at this time. The profile data establishes her credentials and background, but attorneys should treat any inferences about her judicial temperament or ruling tendencies as unverified until additional data is collected.

Given Judge Marshack's documented background as a complex business litigator at two major national firms, attorneys handling family law matters with significant financial complexity — such as business valuations, tracing of separate property, or support calculations involving business income — should present those issues with the same rigor expected in commercial litigation. Well-organized financial exhibits, clear evidentiary foundations, and precise legal arguments grounded in statute and case law are consistent with the standards of practice at the firms where she worked. Attorneys should not assume that her commercial litigation background translates into impatience with family law procedure or doctrine. She has been on the family law bench since her 2022 appointment and has had time to develop familiarity with family law-specific rules and culture. Briefs and arguments should reflect command of both the Family Code and any applicable business or financial law implicated by the case. Because no direct observational data exists for this judge, attorneys are strongly encouraged to speak with colleagues who have appeared before her at the Central Justice Center and to review any publicly available minute orders or tentative rulings from her department before their first appearance.

• critical

  Research Current Department Practices

  No observational data exists in this dataset. Before appearing, obtain minute orders, tentative rulings, or colleague accounts from attorneys who have appeared in her department at the Central Justice Center.

• critical

  Prepare Rigorous Financial Documentation

  Given her background in complex business litigation, financial exhibits, valuations, and income analyses should be meticulously organized, sourced, and presented with clear evidentiary foundations.

• important

  Master Applicable Family Code Provisions

  Demonstrate command of the Family Code sections governing your matter. A judge transitioning from commercial litigation to family law will expect counsel to be the subject-matter authority in the courtroom.

• important

  Review Local Rules for Central Justice Center

  Confirm current Orange County Superior Court local rules and any department-specific standing orders for Judge Marshack's courtroom, as these govern procedural expectations.

• important

  Prepare Concise, Well-Organized Briefs

  Attorneys from major national litigation firms typically value precision and economy in written advocacy. Briefs should be tightly argued and free of unnecessary filler.

• ›Treat financial and evidentiary presentations with the same precision expected in complex commercial litigation, consistent with her documented pre-bench practice background.
• ›Be fully prepared on Family Code doctrine and procedure; do not assume her commercial background means she will overlook gaps in family law knowledge.
• ›Follow all Orange County Superior Court local rules and any posted standing orders for her department at the Central Justice Center without exception.
• ›Arrive prepared with organized exhibits and clear record citations, reflecting the standards of practice at the national law firms where she was a partner.