Family Law Concentration
Frank P Tranchina, Jr.
Frank P. Tranchina, Jr., is a partner in the law firm of Tranchina & Mansfield, L.L.C. He received his law degree from Loyola University School of Law in 1979. He is Board Certified in Family Law by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization and is also licensed in the State of California. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. He is a past chairman of the Family Law sections of the Louisiana State and Jefferson Bar Associations as well as co-chair of the board certification committee for family law practitioners when first introduced to Louisiana. In addition, Mr. Tranchina has been a frequent lecturer at seminars and conferences throughout Louisiana. Since 1995, he has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America and has been identified in Who’s Who in American Law since 2000. In 2007, he was inducted into the Academy of Court Appointed Masters. He has also been listed in Louisiana Super Lawyers magazine since its first publication in 2007 and in Northern California Super Lawyers magazine since 2015.
Mr. Tranchina was appointed by the Louisiana Supreme Court to the Family Court Rules Committee selected to recommend uniform rules for Family and Domestic Relations Court across the State of Louisiana. He frequently acts as Special Master on complex community property cases and has been appointed by family court judges as an expert witness. In 2014, he was qualified in the Los Angeles Superior Court as an expert on Louisiana law and testified regarding the validity of a transsexual marriage that took place in Louisiana. In 2016, he was also qualified in the Circuit Court of Prince William County, State of Virginia, as an expert in Louisiana Community Property.
Mr. Tranchina served as a member of the Marriage – Persons Committee for the Louisiana State Law Institute. Most recently, he has been inducted into the International Academy of Family Lawyers. He has also been named “2019 Lawyer of the Year in Family Law” by Best Lawyers in America. And just recently announced, Mr. Tranchina has added the accolade of receiving the “2024 Lawyer of the Year in Family Law” by Best Lawyers in America.
- Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, July 18, 1953
- 1979 Admitted to Louisiana Bar
- 1981 Admitted to U.S. Court of Appeal, Fifth Circuit
- 1994 Admitted to California Bar
Education
- Loyola University (B.A. Accounting – 1976)
- Loyola University School of Law (Juris Doctorate – 1979)
- Collaborative Law Training, 2004
- Qualified Louisiana Civil Mediator (2012)
Teaching Positions
- Member of the Loyola Law School
- Family Law Advisory Counsel for Annual CLE; participated and speak in same from 1990 to present.
Books
- Co-author The Court Colleague, a Louisiana family law handbook, copyright 1998
Assistant State Bar Exam Grader for Civil Code I, 1989-1994; Continuing Legal Education Chairman, Family Law Section of the Louisiana State Bar, 1989-1990; Continuing Legal Education Chairman, Jefferson Parish Domestic Relations Section, 1989-1990; Treasurer, Family Law Section of the Louisiana State Bar, 1990; Chairman, Jefferson Parish Domestic Relations Section, 1991-1992; Vice Chairman, Family Law Section of the Louisiana State Bar, 1991-1992; Chairman, Family Law Section of the Louisiana State Bar, 1992-1993, 1993-1994; Assistant Bar Exam Grader for Civil Code 1, 1989-1996; Chairman, Family Law Certification Testing Committee, 1996-1997; Family Court Rules Committee, Louisiana Supreme Court, 2009-present. Marriage Persons Committee for the Louisiana State Law Institute, 2016-present.
Recent Developments in Domestic Law, Jefferson Bar Association,
Biloxi, Mississippi (1989, 1990, 1991 and 1992); Domestic Relations
Mock Trial, Louisiana State Bar Family Law Section, Sandestin, Florida
(June 1990); Discovery in Personal Injury Litigation, Jefferson Bar
Association, Bahamas (October 1990); Family Law In Louisiana,
National Business Institute Seminar, New Orleans (October 1990); New
Divorce Law, New Orleans Pro Bono Project (June 1991); How to Try a
Community Property Partition, Jefferson Bar Association (May 1992);
Family Law in Louisiana, National Business Institute, New Orleans
(March 1992); Aggressive vs. Abusive Discovery Methods, Louisiana Bar
Association Summer School for Lawyers, Sandestin, Florida (June 1993);
Advanced Family Law Seminar, Louisiana Bar Association, Lafayette,
Louisiana (April 1994); Family Law Custody Issues, Lorman Educational
Services, New Orleans (June 1994); Panel Discussion Family Services of
New Orleans (January 1994); Tracing Assets, Commingling Issues and
Other Pitfalls, Family Law Education Systems, Inc. (March 1996); The
Future of Louisiana Family Courts and the Law Seminar, Louisiana State
Bar Association (August 1996); Nuts and Bolts of Divorce Law (October
1996); Community Property/Trial on Traversal/Merits, Family Law
Education Systems, Inc., New Orleans (March 1997); Objectives of a
Model Family Court, Louisiana State Bar Association, Destin, Florida
(June 1997); Use of Trial Notebooks, Louisiana State Bar Association,
New Orleans, (October 1997); Practicing Family Law from A to Z,
Family Law Education Systems, Inc., Metairie, Louisiana (August 1998);
Practicing Family Law from A to Z, Plaquemines, Louisiana (November
1998); Annual Domestic Law Conference, Loyola University School of
Law, New Orleans (December 1998); Legal Pitfalls, New Orleans Bar
Association, New Orleans (June 1999); Recent Developments in Family
Law, Covington Bar Association, Covington, Louisiana (April 2000);
Interpreting the Children’s Code, Louisiana State Bar Association,
Family Law Section, Destin, Florida (June 2000); Domestic Litigation on
a Budget, Louisiana State Bar Association, Sole Practitioner and Small
Firms Section, Metairie, Louisiana (November 2000); Negotiating
Alimony and Property Settlements, Prime Time CLE, Metairie, Louisiana
(December 2000); Tax Considerations in Connection with Divorces,
Louisiana State Bar Association: Tax Section, New Orleans, Louisiana
(December 2000); Recent Updates in Family Law, Jefferson Bar
Association, Biloxi, Mississippi (April 2001); Family Law: Trials and
Triumphs, Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association, Baton Rouge (April
2001); Recent Updates in Family Law, Covington Bar Association, Covington, Louisiana (February 2002); Domestic Law Panel Discussion,
Louisiana State Bar Association, Bench Bar Conference, Biloxi,
Mississippi (April 2002); Recent Developments in Family Law,
Covington Bar Association, Covington, Louisiana (June 2003); Trial
Advocacy in Domestic Matters, Covington Bar Association, Covington,
Louisiana (May 2004); The Impact of Bankruptcy on Dissolution of
Marriage in Louisiana, National Business Institute, New Orleans,
Louisiana (August 2004); Creditors Rights And The Impact Of
Bankruptcy On Community Property, Loyola Law School Continuing
Legal Education Seminar (December 2004); Duties Between Spouses
Before, During And After Marriage, LSU Law School Continuing Legal
Education Seminar (February 2006); Law Practice Management, LSU
Law School Continuing Legal Education Seminar (September 2006);
Special Problems In Child Support – Over The Guidelines, Loyola Law
School Continuing Legal Education Seminar; Principles of Co-
Ownership of Property: How to Handle Non-Community Property Cases,
LSU 11th Annual Family Law Seminar, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
(September 2007); Use of Special Masters, Covington Bar Association
Family Law Conference, Covington, Louisiana (2007); Legal Issues for
a Mobile Society: Conflict of Laws & How to Make Out of State
Judgments Executory, LSU 12th Annual Family Law Seminar, Baton
Rouge, Louisiana (December 2008); The Judge Appointed a Special
What? The Ins and Outs of The Special Master Statute, Loyola Annual
Family Law Seminar (December 2008); Direct and Cross-Examination
of an Expert Witness, LSU 13th Annual Family Law Seminar, Baton
Rouge, Louisiana (September 2009); How to Effectively Manage Your
Family Law Practice, Loyola Annual Family Law Seminar (December
2009); Effective Use of Discovery in Domestic Cases, Effective Use of
Remedies for Abusive Discovery, Loyola Law Continuing Legal
Education Seminar (December 2010); Special Provisions in Family Law
Documents, Loyola Annual Family Law Seminar (December 2011);
Selected Community Property Issues/Tax Ramifications, Covington Bar
Association (April 2010); Back to Divorce Basics, Loyola Family Law
Seminar (December 2012); The Ends and Outs of the Special Master
Statute, Covington Bar Association (October 2012); Co-Owned Property
Versus Community Property, Covington Bar Association (April 2013);
Is Mediation or the use of Special Masters an Effective Tool in
Community Property Partitions?, LSBA Summer School for Lawyers and
Judges (June 2013); Mismanagement of a Family Owned Business, LSU
17th Annual Family Law Seminar, Baton Rouge, Louisiana (September
2013); Co-Ownership as it Relates to Community Property, Loyola Law
Continuing Legal Education Seminar (November 2013); Prenuptial
Agreements- What You Need / What You Don’t Need, Franklinton Bar
Association (April 2014); Trying Community Partitions on a Shoestring,
New Orleans Bar Association (May 2014); Valuing Good Will in a
Professional Practice, LSBA Family Law Seminar (August 2014);
Evidence Issues, LSU 18th Annual Family Law Seminar, Baton Rouge,
Louisiana (September 2014); How to Handle Community Property
Litigation on a Budget, New Orleans Bar Association Family Law
Section (October 2014); Good Will and Community Property Partitions,
Loyola Law Continuing Legal Education Seminar (November 2014);
Evidence Issues- (When, What), Admissibility, Code of Evidence Art.
1101, Third Annual Study Break, 21st Judicial District Court Bar
Association (December 2014); Basics of Divorce Practice, Louisiana
Association for Justice, Baton Rouge, Louisiana (April 2015); Update on
Domestic Violence Law in Divorce and Custody Proceedings, LSU 19th
Annual Family Law Seminar, Baton Rouge, Louisiana (September 2015);
Overview of Community Property and Partition, St. Charles Bar
Association (March 2016); Objection, Your Honor! (Yes, Even in Family
Court), Louisiana State Bar Association (May 2016); Complex Issues in
Community Property, LSU 20th Annual Family Law Seminar, Baton
Rouge, Louisiana (September 2016); Evidence Issues- Objections,
Admissibility, and Code of Evidence Article 1101, New Orleans Bar
Association (September 2016); Expert Advice on Use of Special Masters
in Divorce, New Orleans Bar Association (December 2016); Effective
Use of Mediation in Family Law Cases, Covington Bar Association
(March 2017); Special Masters and How to Effectively Use Them in
Advanced Family Law Hot Topics, Louisiana State Bar Association
Family Law Seminar, Kenner, Louisiana (May 2017); Vices of Consent
in Judicial and Extrajudicial Partitions, LSU 21st Annual Family Law
Seminar, Baton Rouge, Louisiana (September 2017); Updates on
Legislation and Jurisprudence, 22nd Judicial District Court- Family
Court’s Annual Court Improvement Day, Covington, Louisiana (August
2018).