Law Office of Raquel M. Silva

Prior to becoming an attorney, I was a paralegal for 16 years in Encino, Santa Barbara, Portland, Oregon and Davis. I worked on many different cases in the areas of civil and business litigation, personal injury, accounting malpractice, real estate title litigation, corporate law, probate, and family law.

I believe that my prior experience as a paralegal, working in many areas of the law, better enables me to handle the wide-range of issues that arise in family law and estate planning. I enjoy working with people to resolve their issues. I also believe that my own personal experience of going through divorce allows me to more fully understand and empathize with the experiences of my clients.

I try to resolve a majority of my cases through the negotiation process whenever possible and I believe that my ability to problem-solve in creative ways allows me greater success in the negotiations. I am also a zealous advocate for my clients in the court process when negotiation fails or is not a viable option.

I am a dual citizen of the U.S. and Portugal (my grandparents immigrated to the United States after WWII) and I enjoy traveling in Europe and learning European history and culture. I am a strong believer in Waldorf education and I have two children who attend local Waldorf schools. In my spare time, I enjoy yoga, skiing, snowboarding and ceramic tile mosaic.