Kathleen Carothers Paone, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been an Orange County resident since 1980. She and her husband, Tim Paone, have 3 adult children.
Ms. Paone graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, (cum laude, 1977) and received her Juris Doctor degree from Loyola University (J.D., 1980). While in law school, she was a member of the St. Thomas More Law Honor Society. She was admitted to the California State Bar in 1980 (and the Northern, Central and Southern Federal District Courts of the State of California in 1980 and 1981) and practiced law in Orange County thereafter.
Ms. Paone is a Certified Family Law Specialist by the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization. She is rated “AV Preeminent” by Martindale Hubbell, the highest rating available for legal ability and professional ethics. She has also been recognized as a “Best Lawyer” by U. S. News and World Report’s Best Lawyers Guide since 2019. Throughout her years of practice in Orange County, Ms. Paone has been a member of the Orange County Bar Association and has volunteered with the Constitutional Rights Foundation, Mock Trial program and Amicus Publico, the predecessor to the current Public Law Center. She has served on the Board of Directors of ATSC (Assessment and Treatment Services Center), a juvenile diversion and prevention program, and the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County.
Ms. Paone practiced exclusively business and real estate litigation from 1980 to 2000. During that time, she was one of the first female partners at a 40+ attorney firm (Drummy, Garrett, King & Harrison) and handled all aspects of numerous complex business and real estate litigation cases. She also worked for the smaller boutique firm of Paone, Callahan, McHolm & Winton, where she focused primarily on real estate litigation. In 2000, Ms. Paone took a sabbatical from the practice of law to devote more time to her family.
In 2006, Ms. Paone returned to the practice of law and practices exclusively family law. Her civil business law experience, particularly in the real estate litigation arena, provides a unique foundation and perspective for handling marital dissolutions, many of which involve complicated business and real estate issues.
