About Emily M De
Emily M De Falla built a career that balances courtroom training and neutral dispute resolution. She earned her J.D. in 1988 from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco after completing a B.S. in Organizational Development and Human Relations at the University of San Francisco in 1984. Those academic choices presaged a practice that blends legal analysis with attention to interpersonal dynamics.
Her first post-law school position was as an associate at Farella Braun & Martel in 1988. She spent that year learning the rhythms of firm practice, drafting, and client work. Three years later she shifted toward mediation and independent practice. In 1991 she opened De Falla Law & Mediation and has operated there as lawyer and mediator since.
Over decades she has balanced advocacy and neutrality. She represents clients in family law matters and also serves as a mediator in domestic and civil disputes. That dual role informs how she evaluates cases: she weighs legal rights and practical outcomes. Her mediation work draws on training in collaborative practice and dispute resolution techniques. She often helps parties explore settlement options outside of court while preserving legal remedies when necessary.
Her professional affiliations reflect that mixed practice. She has been a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals since 2012 and joined the California Lawyers Association the same year, participating in its Family Law and Trusts & Estates sections. Local bar involvement includes memberships in the Contra Costa County Bar Association and the Alameda County Bar Association. She holds memberships in multiple dispute resolution groups, among them the Association for Dispute Resolution of Northern California and the California Dispute Resolution Council. She is active in family-focused organizations, including the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts and the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists as an associate member.
Beyond memberships, she has taken on leadership roles in community and professional organizations. Since 2014 she has served as president of the Board of Directors for Long Term Care Ombudsman Services of Contra Costa County. She has chaired the Public Education Committee of Collaborative Practice East Bay and serves on the board of Collaborative Practice California. Those positions involve outreach, education, and governance rather than litigation alone.
Colleagues and clients see a practitioner who moves between advocacy and facilitation without blurring the two. She continues to practice at De Falla Law & Mediation, handling family law matters, conducting mediations, and advising on related issues.
