In desperate need of more room, the founders of the Los Angeles family law boutique Youngman Reitshtein PLC were excited to move into a new office building they purchased during the pandemic.
"This opportunity arose, and so we grabbed it," said partner Barbara J. Youngman. "We were so thrilled because we had all this extra space. And now, here we are a few years later, and we were totally out of space again, so we had to rent the building next door."
Launched in December of 2014, Youngman Reitshtein PLC is home to nine attorneys, and partner Ron Reitshtein expects that number will increase.
"There's a lot of growth happening, and we're just trying to do our best to keep our arms around it," he said. "But we really want to make sure we continue to handle our cases and our clients with the same level of professionalism and quality."
A 2009 Loyola Law School graduate, Reitshtein started his career as a bankruptcy attorney and used to refer many family law cases to Youngman when the two were sole practitioner suitemates separated by a couple of offices in the early 2010s.
"And one day, Barbara's walking down the hall, asking all the attorneys if they knew a family lawyer who speaks Hebrew," Reitshtein recalled. "And I said, 'Well, I'm not a family lawyer, but I speak Hebrew.' And she said, 'Well, then I'll just teach you what you need to know about family law.'"
The duo teamed up on a complicated prenuptial agreement, and Reitshtein discovered he thoroughly enjoyed the work. The two attorneys worked together on more family law cases afterward, and Youngman was happy to share her longtime expertise as they went along. Then in late 2014, the pair decided to hang a shingle together.
"Barbara's patience is remarkable," Reitshtein said. "In family law, you often see good people at their worst. ... Being really patient and thoughtful are two of the biggest tools of the trade, and she's definitely got that."
Youngman, meanwhile, described Reitshtein as a smart and forward-thinking attorney who cares for his clients.
"And when it comes to math things, Ron's very good with the numbers," she said with a chuckle.
Raised in New York, Youngman said she was fascinated by the law as a kid but decided to pursue a legal career later after working for 12 years in advertising. A 1996 University of West Los Angeles School of Law graduate, Youngman said she didn't plan on a career in family law, but like Reitshtein, she knew soon after her first exposure to the practice area that she'd stumbled onto something terrific.
"It makes me feel like I'm having a positive impact - hopefully most of the time - on people's lives," Youngman explained. "We do have a tremendous impact on people's lives. We see them at their worst moments. Their whole life is falling apart, and having children just makes it all that more difficult."
Raised in the San Fernando Valley, Reitshtein is a married father of three, said he takes satisfaction from helping divorcing couples to resolve their case with as little impact on the children as possible.
"I find a lot of gratification in doing that because I feel like I would want to see my kids in the best situation and my wife in the best situation," Reitshtein explained. "Helping them navigate those difficult times when there's a lot of strife in a relationship is rewarding to me."
Sherman Oaks family law attorney Kevin J. Chroman has worked across from Youngman and Reitshtein in several cases, and described their firm as reasonable, sensible and easy to work with.
"They are all just full of integrity," Chroman said. "If the case has merit, they will pursue those aspects of the case. If there are issues, they will look to resolve it. ... They're not the kind of firm that's just there to generate billables. They are the kind of firm that cares deeply about the client and getting good results for the client."
Youngman's daughter - partner Lauren O. Youngman - passed the bar in 2013 and has also been with the firm since its launch in 2014, but nobody anticipated the level of success the boutique has enjoyed since.
"Sometimes Ron and I look at one another, and we say, 'Remember when it was just you and me and Lauren?'" Youngman explained. "It's amazing; we've just grown so much. ... It's insane, and we're still growing."