Find a Professional

Kali Perkins discovered her passion for the law early in life, with a strong desire to advocate for clients and protect their rights. She earned her J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 2005 and began her legal career as a public defender, later joining a criminal defense firm where she represented clients in a wide range of criminal matters.

In 2009, Kali opened her own law practice at the legendary Pier 5 Law Offices in San Francisco, working alongside her mentor, the famed J. Tony Serra. During that time, she developed her skills as a tenacious and thoughtful advocate—what Serra called a “semantic warrior.” She later founded Green Street Law Group, a cannabis-focused defense firm where she specialized in criminal cases, cannabis licensing, and religious defense cases. She also advised and represented clients in CPS matters, dealing with cannabis issues.

Kali has appeared in courts across California and the United States and has been admitted to appear pro hac vice in multiple federal and state jurisdictions. She has authored several chapters in the CEB Manual on scientific evidence in drug cases, and formerly served as an instructor at Oaksterdam University.

In 2015, Kali became a mother and took a brief 3- year step back from legal practice to focus on raising her two children. In the 6 years since returning to law, now as a mother, she has transitioned her practice to focus primarily on family law and juvenile law, where she finds deep fulfillment in guiding families through complex and emotionally charged legal matters.

For the past six years, Kali has represented clients in court cases involving divorce, child custody and visitation, child and spousal support, juvenile dependency (JV) proceedings, and both domestic violence (DVRO) and civil harassment restraining orders (CHROs).

As Kali matures, so too does her practice. While she is a skilled litigator, she now realizes the extreme benefit that alternative dispute resolution offers children and families. Rather than seeing clients spend their life savings fighting each other, she prefers to assist clients in Collaborative Law and Mediation, where she can empower clients to make decisions themselves, rather than leave their entire future up to a judge.

Kali is a certified mediator with the Center for Understanding Conflict (https://understandinginconflict.org/) and has done numerous trainings with CUC to develop and expand her skills in order to serve her clients.

Kali is also certified in collaborative family law through Collaborative Divorce California, (https://collaborativedivorcecalifornia.com/), and has attended numerous post certification trainings, lectures, and events. While collaborative law is a newer area of law, not yet pervasive in Mendocino, Kali has gained a plethora of colleagues in this field, and given the format, it is entirely possible to handle such cases all over Northern California via modern technology.

Kali’s 20+ years of knowledge and experience allows her to offer clients a range of options for resolving disputes both in court and outside of court. She is deeply committed to helping families find resolution through mediation, collaborative practices, and when necessary, assertive courtroom advocacy and litigation. Today, Kali brings her fierce dedication, legal acumen, and real-world compassion to every client she serves—whether in a courtroom, in mediation, or advising a client to help plan their future.