Gary S. Gorczyca was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1951, and has been an Orange County resident since 1960. He and his wife, Patti, have two sons.
Mr. Gorczyca graduated from the University of California, Irvine (B.A., 1973) and Loyola University School of Law (J.D., 1976). He was admitted to the California State Bar in 1976 and has practiced law in Orange County ever since.
Mr. Gorczyca is rated “AV Preeminent” by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating available for legal ability and professional ethics. He is rated as a SuperLawyer and named one of the Best Lawyers in America – California© for his work in the practice area of Family Law. In 2002 he was named California Attorney of the Year, Family Law, in California Lawyer magazine. In 1996 Mr. Gorczyca received the Vice Chancellor’s Outstanding Service Award from University of California, Irvine, Extension.
Mr. Gorczyca has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Dale E. Fowler School of Law at Chapman University, where he taught classes in Community Property and Family Law continuously for 17 years. He continues to serve as a guest lecturer at the Law School. Additionally, he has served as an Advisory Board member for the Paralegal Certification Program offered through UCI Extension where he began as an Instructor in 1979. He is a former Director at Large for the UCI Alumni Association.
Mr. Gorczyca serves as Editor of the “Family Law Corner” column in the Orange County Lawyer magazine and has authored articles for that publication including,: “Hearsay in Ex Parte Applications” (December 1993) and “Extra Income” (November 2002). He has been an Education Committee member and presenter for the Orange County Bar Association Family Law Section and has also served as a Lecturer for Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB).
Mr. Gorczyca incorporates appellate work into his family law practice and has been Appellate Counsel in a number of published decisions: Lovato v. Sante Fe International Corp. (1984) 151 Cal.App.3rd 549; People v. Calderon (1991) 232 Cal.App.3rd 930; In Re Marriage of Serna (2000) 98 Cal.App.4th 482; and In Re Marriage of Manfer (2006) 144 Cal.App.4th 925.
Mr. Gorczyca served as President of the Orange County Bar Association Family Law Section in 2005. He has been a member of the California State and Orange County Bar Associations since 1977. He served as a Consultant to the Orange County Family Violence Counsel in 1999 and is a past Secretary of the Orange County Bar Association Committee on the Administration of Justice. Mr. Gorczyca has served as a Mentor in the Orange County Bar Association Mentor Program.
