Gretel Marie Dufresne is an associate attorney with Phillips Whisnant Gazin Gorczyca & Curtin. Mrs. Dufresne was born and raised in Wayne, PA. She attended the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology with a concentration in Peace and Conflict Studies. Mrs. Dufresne went on to earn her Juris Doctorate from Suffolk University School of Law in Boston, MA. During her law school career, she participated in the Suffolk University School of Law, Juvenile Justice Center Summer Fellowship as a law clerk for Honorable Bettina Borders (Ret.) in the Bristol County Juvenile Court and as a certified student attorney, participated in the Family Advocacy Clinic.
Mrs. Dufresne started her legal career in Boston, MA with Atwood & Cherny, P.C. a leading litigation law firm in Boston recognized for their specialization in complex matrimonial matters and custody disputes on both the trial and appellate levels. In 2008, Mrs. Dufresne joined Phillips Whisnant Gazin Gorczyca & Curtin as an associate attorney after she and her husband, Michael, relocated from New England. Mrs. Dufresne concentrated in the practice of family law and was an active member of the Orange County Bar Association, Family Law Section. After three and a half years on the West Coast, in 2012, Mrs. Dufresne and her family returned to Massachusetts and she rejoined Atwood & Cherny, P.C. as a senior associate. During her time with Atwood & Cherny, P.C., Mrs. Dufresne represented individuals in varied complex divorce and family litigation law matters including issues pertaining to child custody and parenting plans, alimony and child support, asset division, modification and contempt actions, and paternity matters. She was also a member of the Attorneys Representing Children (ARC) program in Essex County Probate & Family Court and active member of Boston Bar Association, Family Law Steering Committee, Continuing Legal Education (“CLE”) Sub-Committee. Mrs. Dufresne was involved in one of the seminal cases addressing the application of the Massachusetts Alimony Reform Act to pre-existing Judgments (Rodman v. Rodman, 470 Mass. 539 (2015)) and following the institution of the Alimony Reform Act in Massachusetts, Mrs. Dufresne co-chaired and moderated the CLE program “Recent Trends in Alimony and Child Support” Mrs. Dufresne also co-authored the chapter Motion Practice for Temporary Orders of the 2016 edition of the MCLE Massachusetts Divorce Law Practice Manual and the chapter Evidentiary Privileges in Fiduciary Litigation of the 2018 edition of the MCLE Massachusetts Divorce Law Practice Manual.
In 2018, Mrs. Dufresne with her husband and three children returned to California and Mrs. Dufresne rejoined Phillips Whisnant Gazin Gorczyca & Curtin. Mrs. Dufresne is excited to be back with the firm and brings with her experience and seasoned litigation skills. Mrs. Dufresne practices exclusively family law. She is a member in good standing with both the Massachusetts Bar (2006) and California Bar (2009).
Mrs. Dufresne resides with her family in San Diego County. Outside of the office, Mrs. Dufresne is an avid runner and enjoys spending time outdoors with her family.
