Kyle Siems, CFLS

Partner

Certified Family Law Specialist (CFLS)

Voted a Semi-Finalist for San Diego’s Top Family Law Attorneys according to the San Diego Daily Transcript.

Kyle J. Siems received his Bachelor of Arts in History from Loyola University of New Orleans, where he graduated Cum Laude and was chosen to study at the John Felice Rome Center of Liberal Arts during his junior year. Mr. Siems received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. During law school, Mr. Siems received a fellowship grant to work with the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii between his second and third year.  He also worked as a committee consultant at the State Capitol in Sacramento, where he assisted in the drafting of numerous pieces of legislation.

After graduating law school, Mr. Siems worked as a staff attorney with the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii.  As Legal Aid, Mr. Siems primarily handled family law cases including dissolution of marriage, child custody, and adoption, as well as represented children in the foster care system. He was recognized for his extraordinary leadership and contributions in promoting and providing legal services to the poor.

Upon leaving Hawaii, Mr. Siems moved to San Diego to work at a large Family Law firm.  He then joined Wilkinson and Finkbeiner in 2014.  Mr. Siems has handled hundreds of dissolution and custody cases from inception to resolution with tremendous results. His calm demeanor and ability to shift gears as the case demands has drawn accolades from clients and peers.

Kyle is also a California State Bar Certified Family Law Specialist (CFLS).

Recent Case Samples

Mr. Siems recently completed a successful negotiation allowing his client to retain the entirety of his retirement savings as reimbursement for the payments made towards his wife’s education expenses.  During the marriage, the client’s wife left her successful career to return to school, while her husband paid her tuition.  After completing her education, the wife’s new career paid her only a fraction of her prior earnings.  To address the situation, Mr. Siems enlisted the assistance of a vocational expert to assess the wife’s earning capability.  This strategy proved successful in allowing Mr. Siems’ client to retain the entirety of his retirement savings to compensate for the amounts paid toward said education.

In a complex child custody case, Mr. Siems successfully prevented one parent from moving the parties’ children across the country upon dissolution.  The client was enlisted Navy personnel stationed in San Diego, and after the parties’ separation, the mother requested the right to take the children to the East Coast to be closer to her family.  After a series of hearings, Mr. Siems obtained an order allowing the children to remain in San Diego with their father.

In a highly contested custody matter between enlisted military members, Mr. Siems obtained a 50/50 custody order for his client, the father.  The parties were embroiled in a very combative relationship, and the mother wrongfully filed for a restraining order against the children’s father to gain an advantage in the custody battle.  After several hearings on the matter, the court determined that the father was not a threat and ordered custody to be shared by the parties.  After defending several motions and getting sanctions levied against the mother, Mr. Siems was able to obtain a joint custody order on the father’s behalf.

Recently, Mr. Siems obtained a move-away order allowing a father to move his teenage son from San Diego to his residence in Las Vegas.   The teenage son had been struggling in school in San Diego and began showing signs of heading down a dangerous path.   Mr. Siems filed a motion to modify custody to allow the son to move to Las Vegas to live with his father.  After a contested hearing on the matter, the court allowed the child to move to Las Vegas and granted primary custody to the father.

In another recent case, Mr. Siems helped a father gain primary custody of his son after the mother’s actions proved she was unfit to care for the parties’ young child.  Mr. Siems’ client had alleged instances of abuse by the mother.  After putting her on the witness stand to testify, Mr. Siems obtained testimony from  the mother admitting to her actions and her inability to properly care for the child.  Thanks to the strategies and experience of Mr. Siems, the dourt ruled in favor of  the father and granted him primary custody.  The mother in this case was required to attend parenting classes and undergo significant counseling before her visitation would be expanded.