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Tülin D. Açıkalın is one of three founding partners of ADZ Law, LLP and a Certified Family Law Specialist. Ms. Açıkalın uses her background in business management, civil litigation, poverty law, and domestic violence non-profit legal services to resolve cases in a cost-effective and equitable manner. Ms. Açıkalın’s practice includes:

Family Law: high conflict custody, complex asset division, support, mediation counseling/MSA review, post marital agreements, and Collaborative Divorce.

Domestic Violence Victim Representation: Restraining orders and criminal court advocacy.

Ms. Açıkalın uses a trauma informed approach to help clients achieve safety, economic stability, and dissolve their intimate relationships. Ms. Açıkalın is a peacemaker resolving disputes by mediation, settlement, and Collaborative Divorce whenever possible. Employing mental health, child development, financial, and other experts where productive, Ms. Açıkalın brings the full legal arsenal to bear to resolve cases expeditiously. She uses domestic violence and family law best practices to ensure that clients are informed and supported in making their own decisions.

Ms. Açıkalın's commitment to the Collaborative Process reflects her conviction that when parties work together with trained professionals—rather than against each other—they retain greater control over outcomes, reduce costs, and are better positioned to maintain necessary ongoing relationships, particularly when children are involved.

Ms. Açıkalın served on Judicial Council of California’s Elkins Family Law Taskforce to “study and propose measures to assist trial courts in achieving efficiency and fairness in marital dissolution proceedings and to ensure access to justice for litigants, many of whom are self-represented.”

Prior to launching ADZ Law, LLP in partnership with Jessica Dayton and Hon. Lauren Zorfas (retired), Ms. Açıkalın was a managing attorney at Bay Area Legal Aid, the largest poverty law firm in the Bay Area. Ms. Açıkalın used her Spanish language skills to represent low-income immigrant survivors of domestic violence in their complex high-risk legal cases in family law, international child custody law, immigration law, housing law, and public benefits law matters.

As a regular part of Ms. Açıkalın’s practice, she maintains an active pro bono case load for domestic violence clients. Ms. Açikalin has served as faculty for Practising Law Institute, National Legal Aid and Defender Association, and Legal Aid Association of California programs on a variety of issues including, LGBT cultural competency, immigration issues for family law practitioners, domestic violence restraining orders for same-sex couples, and navigating international child custody cases. She has also testified before state legislative committee hearings on a range of topics.

Ms. Açıkalın graduated cum laude from Tulane Law School in 2000. During law school Ms. Açıkalın was a member of the Tulane Law Review and held the position of Associate Editor. Ms. Açıkalın received her Bachelor of Science degree in Management with a concentration in finance from Tulane University’s A.B. Freeman School of Business in 1994.

Prior to her work as a lawyer, Ms. Açıkalın worked for several years in a variety of capacities for New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial as part of the Gumbo Coalition in the City of New Orleans’ Office of Economic Development.