Ackerman, Cowles & Associates

Partners:

Rich Ackerman is a litigator and has over a decade of experience in business disputes, employment matters, and constitutional law cases.  Mr. Ackerman also maintains an interest in promoting families through the guardianship/conservatorship practice maintained by the firm.  He has been an attorney since 1994 and as of 2007 he has the highest rating of any attorney in the Temecula Valley on Avvo.com.  He has been an active leader in education, local politics and public policy development.  He is a member of the Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks, Lodge 2801 (Temecula) and a member of the St. Mount Jacinto College Foundation board of directors.

Dawn Cowles is one of the best family law attorneys in all of Southern California.  She brings a willingness to litigate the cases that cannot be peacefully settled and does so with an unprecedented desire to achieve justice when others would have simply given up.  She is known for her willingness to take on aggressively litigated family law cases.  The firm has handled a number of complex family law cases involving business valuation, real estate disputes, and difficult retirement/pension issues.  Ms. Cowles has been in practice since 1990.

Associate Attorney:

Associate attorney Michael W. Sands, Jr., works closely with Messrs. Lindsley and Ackerman in the area of public interest law and business litigation.  He is well experienced in law and motion matters, client relations, and civil litigation.  He assists the firm in personal injury defense and prosecution, business matters, and appellate law.

Office Manager:

Our office is managed by Laura Wilson.  She oversees several staff members and the general operations of the firm.   Aside from being the office manager, Ms. Wilson also provides the firm's clients with paralegal services, client feedback and responsiveness, and she has many years of great experience in the legal field.  Ms. Wilson also assists clients in the preparation of estate planning documents, probate accountings, guardianship petitions, adoption petitions, and conservatorship petitions.