Carla Boyd Terre

Family Law Practice:

Carla Boyd Terre's practice is dedicated strictly to family law matters. She handles all aspects of family law proceedings, including custody and visitation, property division, registered domestic partnerships, same sex and LGBT family law matters, adoption, domestic violence, child support, spousal support, appeals, pre-nuptial / pre-marital and post-marital agreements, collaborative law and mediation.

Carla has appeared at numerous contested family law proceedings including appearance before the California Court of Appeal in San Francisco. She is experienced in mediation and negotiation, and has helped many clients reach settlements or limit the issues which proceed to litigation. When settlement is not an option, Carla is ready to handle court proceedings and vigorously represent clients in contested matters.

Carla is currently on the Board of Directors of the Collaborative Council of the Redwood Empire (CCRE). She has attended numerous trainings on Collaborative Practice and is excited about the opportunity that Collaborative Practice provides for clients that would prefer to negotiate settlements and stay out of court.

Carla believes that an effective family law attorney stays in close communication with his/her client, working together to reach appropriate resolutions to the unique situations in each case. Carla is compassionate and understands that clients are often going through one of the most difficult times in their lives.

Carla believes it is important to stay informed about developments in family law and attends regular trainings and seminars in addition to receiving weekly publications which provide important updates on recent family law cases and legislative changes.

Education and Background:

Carla Boyd Terre grew up in Sonoma County. She obtained a B.A. in English with Honors from Mills College in 2000. She obtained her J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 2003, graduating in the top 25% of her class.

Carla began her career as a family law attorney working for the Law Offices of Bruce H. Schwartz, a certified family law specialist. After Bruce H. Schwartz passed away in February, 2007, Carla opened her own family law practice in Santa Rosa.

While in law school, Carla received three CALI Awards for Excellence for her coursework in Family Law, Community Property, and Children's Rights. Carla was the only second year law student to have her comment published in the USF Law Review.

During her third year in law school, Carla was an extern for Justice Maria Rivera of the California Court of Appeal, District One, Division Four. Also during her third year in law school, Carla was a law clerk at the Sonoma County Department of Child Support Services. She worked closely with the county's child support attorneys on all aspects of support litigation and managed her own caseload.