Joseph H. Wolch

Professional Activities and Associations:
President;Contra Costa Family Law Section 2006
Director; Contra Costa Family Law Section
Board Of Directors 2004-Present
Program Director; Contra Costa Family Law Section 2007
Member ; Contra Costa Country Family Law Rules Committee
Member ; Contra Costa Country Family Law
Bench/Bar Committee
Chairman of the Board: Contra Costa Country Lawyer
Referral and information Service Board of Directors
Member; Association Of Trial Lawyer Of America
Member; American Bar Association
Guest Speaker; California Society Of Certified Public
Accountants (2009)
Admissions:
California Bar Association,1993, United States District Court,1993
United States Court Of Appeals 9th Circuit, 1994
Articles:
Contra Costa Lawyer President’s Message
Contra Costa Lawyer; Good Times, Bad Times;
The Impact Of The Recession On Family Law (February 2009)
Education
University Of North Dakota; JD With Distinction, 1993
University Of Oslo, Norway; International Law, 1991
University Of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada, Bachelor Of Arts, 1988

Kimberly B. Kirkpatrick, Esq.
Senior Associate Attorney

Ms. Kirkpatrick is certified as a Specialist in Family Law by the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization. She has practiced Family Law in California since 2007. Ms. Kirkpatrick is currently the chairperson of the Continuing Legal Education and Custody Issues committees for the Contra Costa County Bar Family Law Section. Having served as the Family Law Section President in 2019, she now serves as Past President and in that role, is chairperson of the Bench/Bar committee which functions as a liaison between the Judges in the Family Law Department and the Family Law attorneys in Contra Costa County.
Ms. Kirkpatrick’s passion is children’s issues including custody matters. She has participated in extensive continuing legal education in the area of child custody and parenting plans, including Trauma Informed Child Custody Practice, a program seeking to reduce the negative impact of divorce on minor children.
She began her practice in San Diego County where she twice received the award for Outstanding Young Attorney. A great communicator, she has made multiple media appearances on local news programs discussing and educating viewers regarding Family Law.
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES AND ASSOCIATIONS:
Member: Contra Costa County Family Law Section, Member: Alameda County Family Law Section, Member: American Bar Association Family Law Section, Member: American Inns of Court, Member: San Diego CW Channel 6; 2009 and 2010; Family Law discussion and advise.
Admissions: California Bar Association, 2007, United States District Court, 2007
United States Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 2007
AWARDS: Top Attorney, Rising Star, Super Lawyers, Outstanding Young Attorney (2009-2010)
ARTICLES: In Chancery, CCC Family Law Newsletter, multiple articles (2018-2020), Foothills Bar Association Newsletter: monthly column on Family Law subjects (2010-2011)
LAW EDUCATION: Thomas Jefferson School of Law, San Diego, CA

Robert Senh
Associate Attorney

Prior to joining the Law Offices of Joseph H. Wolch, Robert had his own
practice in Contra Costa County assisting clients throughout the Bay Area
in family law, criminal defense, immigration, and various civil actions.
Robert’s practice focus turned to family law over the last six years.
Drawing on skills from a wide range of legal practice, Robert brings a breadth
of knowledge to serve his clients’ interests.
Robert received his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Oregon School
of Law in 2008, where he served as the Managing Editor of the Oregon Review of
International Law and the Director of the Minority Law Students Association. While
in law school, Robert interned for the Honorable Lyle C. Velure, a well-known and
respected trial judge in Oregon State. Robert also served as a clerk for the
Washington State Attorney General’s Office.

During the summer of 2006, Robert had the opportunity to teach and travel in
China, crossing the length of the country by air, train, bus, and boat from the
far northeast in the City of Harbin to the island of Hong Kong in the far southeast.
While there, Robert taught an American Law class to undergraduates at one of China’s top universities, H.I.T. (Harbin Institute of Technology). Following his experience in China, Robert was inspired to study international law. Robert’s article, “The Liberty Rights of Resident Aliens,” was chosen for publication by the Oregon Review of International Law.

Prior to law school, Robert received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington.

Family Law Specialist certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization.

Kathryn Y. Mignani
Associate Attorney

Ms. Mignani has practiced Family Law in California since 2020. Prior
to joining the firm, she practiced law at a civil litigation firm that
specializes in defending public entities. While she would like her
legacy to be one of helping save more marriages than end them, Ms. Mignani
understands that not all marriages can be saved, and her passion is to
represent those who are navigating their way through the family courts
and find the most effective and efficient path to a just resolution of
their matter.

Education
John F. Kennedy University College of Law, JD, magna cum laude, first in class, 2019
University of California, Berkeley, Bachelor of Arts, 1984

Admissions
California State Bar, 2020
United States Federal Court, Northern District of California, 2021

Community Involvement
Board member, non-profit that provides support and assistance to American girls, ages 10-18, who have been recovered from the despair of sex trafficking.
Contra Costa County Bar Association
– Member, 2017 – present
– Education Committee, 2020-present
Robert G. McGrath American Inn of Court, Contra Costa County chapter, 2021
Adjunct professor (undergraduate legal writing), John F. Kennedy School of Law at Northcentral University.

Anne Bonfiglio
Associate Attorney

Family law attorney Anne Bonfiglio is a native New Yorker who received her Bachelor of
Arts degree from New York University Washington Square University College and her Juris
Doctor from New York University School of Law.

Ms. Bonfiglio began her practice in California as a litigation associate in Palo Alto at
Ware & Friedenrich; through a variety of mergers Ware & Friedenrich became Gray Cary Ware &
Friedenrich and ultimately DLA Piper. There she represented individuals, small businesses,
start-ups, Fortune 500 companies and national trade associations in a variety of litigation
matters. Ms. Bonfiglio subsequently worked as a Senior Litigation Associate at Skadden, Arps,
Slate, Meagher & Flom, also in Palo Alto.

After taking a break to focus on raising her young family and a variety of experiences
combining paid and unpaid work and family responsibilities Ms. Bonfiglio became an executive
coach. She describes it as a privilege to help men and women achieve improved results at work
and better work life balance so they can have the happy and successful life they want and deserve.

In 2018 Ms. Bonfiglio returned to the full-time practice of law to focus on her passion
for providing compassionate advocacy for clients going through the family court system.
She is a dynamic, committed professional dedicated to achieving the best possible outcomes
while making the highly emotional and challenging family law processes as manageable as possible.

Kate Gums
Paralegal

Kate brings over 13 years of experience in the legal field to our firm,
with exclusive dedication to Family Law throughout her career. Kate
enjoys working closely with our clients, and assisting them during
sensitive times with difficult issues. She has an excellent working
relationship with the Court Clerk’s and will always go out of her way
to make sure that your case gets the attention it requires when preparing
documents for Court. Kate is one of two paralegals in the office who will
be your primary contacts managing your case on a day-to-day basis for
routine matters such as client communications, legal filing, document
generation, management and integration.
Since joining the firm in April of 2014, Kate has also maintained the
firm’s accounts receivable and monthly billing.

Education
Diablo Valley College
Associate in science degree -Administration of Justice 2011