team-member

Tess Marie Cozine

Beverly Hills, CA

Licensed for 17 years

Law Degree

Awards

Primary Practice Area

Divorce and Family

Language

English

About

Admitted to the California State Bar in 2004, I am a graduate of the UCLA School of Law ('04).  I have practiced exclusively in Family Law since my admittance to the Bar.  I obtained my undergraduate degree from the University of Southern California (cum laude, '97).  At one point I had my own practice and partnered with a dear friend and colleague who had a successful practice in Assisted Reproductive Technology (egg donor/sperm donor and surrogacy contracts.)  At Levin & Margolin I am happy to be part of a strong team of attorneys and legal staff, working hard to provide resolutions for our clients.  My Family Law practice consists of all matters related to Family Law: Domestic Violence Restraining Orders, Premarital Agreements and Marital Settlement Agreements/"Post-Nuptial" Agreements, Child Support (obtaining and enforcing orders, modification of orders), Spousal Support, Paternity/Parentage matters, Marital Dissolutions (division of property; discovery, valuation and identification of assets; business valuation; child custody; child support; spousal support; injunctive orders; emergency orders; attorneys fees and sanctions.) When the facts and situation warrant it, I support mediated solutions and settlement and believe the client should exhaust this an option before pursuing litigation.  I support using other qualified professionals to assist clients in the divorce process: therapists, forensic accountants, and other experts.  I am a member of the Los Angeles Bar Association and the Beverly Hills Bar Association.  In the past, I have provided services to the Harriet Buhai Center (as a pro bono attorney) and El Centro Legal HALSA clinic (as a student volunteer).  In law school I spent a summer as a volunteer law clerk for the Los Angeles District Attorney Family Violence Division and a semester as a student teacher for a "Street Law" program for high school students.  I serve on the board for FYI-Foster Youth In Transition, a charity for the benefit of in-transition foster youth.  

Practices Areas

Family

Language

English

Contact

Levin & Margolin8484 Wilshire Blvd Ste 660Beverly Hills, CA, 90211-3220

Office: N/A

Website: N/A

Reviews

michael
September 12, 2017

Tess really saved the day for me. I had a very hostile ex-wife who wanted her day in court. I was married for 12 years, had two young children at the time, property and debt to deal with plus my ex-wife was constantly changing her mind and demanding more. Tess saw right through my ex and prepared a bullet proof deposition that focused the judge directly on the truth. My case was settled on only one court date. Tess was truly amazing and I highly recommend her to anyone who is unfortunate enough to be going through divorce. Tess is truly the best!

Craig
September 12, 2017

I hired Tess almost 8 years ago to represent me as a single new father in a custody battle case. I knew going in that I didnt have much of a chance of anything going up against the legal system and the Mother of my child. But immediately I felt that Tess cared about me and my situation and wasn't just going through the motions. Throughout the 2 and half year ordeal Tess guided me through each and every step and provided thoughtful, caring, and logical advice and counseling to get me through each and every hurdle along the way. Over the course of my case, there were many obstacles to over come and many battles to be fought and the temporary outcomes did not always go my way but I knew I was in good hands with Tess and her firm. At the end of the custody war Tess won FULL custody for me, a single Father, which is simply unheard of these days. I dont wish this process on anyone but if you have to go through it I recommend Tess Cozine with all of my heart and soul.

anonymous
September 12, 2017

I hired Tess Cozine to represent me in my divorce case. In my case, we had no children but a 12 year marriage with significant assets and I am the breadwinner. So, I had a lot to lose from a financial perspective -- I was on the hook for spousal support, and was going to lose half of my investments and two LA properties to my spouse who had none and contributed little during our marriage. I was also on the hook to pay not only my own attorney costs, but to pay my spouse's costs. I was facing an enormous financial cost and was very concerned that my divorce outcome would cause financial ruin or worst case, bankrupt me and I would lose all the properties and savings that I worked so hard to achieve. When I was evaluating different attorneys, I chose Tess because of her credentials and experience -- UCLA Law school grad with 13 solid years of Family Law experience. And I liked that her firm, Levin Margolin, was specialized in Family Law but wasn't too large or small. If I ever needed other more senior counsel, Tess could draw upon her partners to provide that. For the "day to day" work, I was able to get a very skillful and knowledgeable attorney but at a better value (Tess is an Associate Partner) than if I hired a Partner. And if I did need a Partner's counsel, Tess's firm was able to provide that. Getting divorced is one of the most traumatic and scary experiences I've had to endure. You're at your lowest point emotionally and at a scary financial juncture that could ruin your financial future for many years to come. It's a crappy and ridiculously expensive system here in the US but there's no other way out of a marriage. So, finding a lawyer that is not only skillful, and experienced -- while not taking financial advantage of me, was my utmost concern. Tess Cozine has operated with fairness and integrity throughout the 3 year process. Furthermore, she has a rare ability to understand short-term tactical strategy while keeping her eye on the long term strategy and goal. She's incredibly smart, savvy and personable. I enjoyed working with her. A divorce case is very much about making "cost-benefit" decisions -- i.e., analyzing what costs to incur with the intent that those investments would pay off and save me money in the long term. I've learned that it was critically important to not only hire Tess but to hire a couple experts that she recommended (forensic accountant and vocational examiner) that proved to be extremely worthwhile investments. With my positive outcome, I look back at the recommendations Tess made along the way after careful consideration as to whether or not it was a wise investment -- and she was always right. She knew who to hire and who not to hire -and she knew when it made sense to spend money and when it didn't. She always carefully considered the cost of each tactical move and would discuss with me before proceeding. She knew I was extremely cost-conscious and was able to put herself in my shoes with every decision. Due to my ex-husband's reluctance to settle or cooperate in the process - and because he was living in my house at my expense -- our case dragged out and was unusually long (over 3 years). This 3 year process gave me a lot of insight into the keys to a successful client-attorney experience and I'm so thankful that I hired Tess and Levin Margolin. With Tess's skillful tactical and long term strategy, I was prevailed on all issues of my case. Tess has given me renewed confidence in the Family Law profession -- as she and her firm are not only super savvy, smart and strategic -- but she and her firm operate with integrity. Many attorneys are not this way. There are many shady, unethical and unscrupulous attorneys. I was very skeptical of all attorneys when I hired her. But along the way, she earned my trust and I now can emphatically endorse her. I recommend her very highly for divorce and family law cases.

michael
September 12, 2017

Tess really saved the day for me. I had a very hostile ex-wife who wanted her day in court. I was married for 12 years, had two young children at the time, property and debt to deal with plus my ex-wife was constantly changing her mind and demanding more. Tess saw right through my ex and prepared a bullet proof deposition that focused the judge directly on the truth. My case was settled on only one court date. Tess was truly amazing and I highly recommend her to anyone who is unfortunate enough to be going through divorce. Tess is truly the best!

Craig
September 12, 2017

I hired Tess almost 8 years ago to represent me as a single new father in a custody battle case. I knew going in that I didnt have much of a chance of anything going up against the legal system and the Mother of my child. But immediately I felt that Tess cared about me and my situation and wasn't just going through the motions. Throughout the 2 and half year ordeal Tess guided me through each and every step and provided thoughtful, caring, and logical advice and counseling to get me through each and every hurdle along the way. Over the course of my case, there were many obstacles to over come and many battles to be fought and the temporary outcomes did not always go my way but I knew I was in good hands with Tess and her firm. At the end of the custody war Tess won FULL custody for me, a single Father, which is simply unheard of these days. I dont wish this process on anyone but if you have to go through it I recommend Tess Cozine with all of my heart and soul.

anonymous
September 12, 2017

I hired Tess Cozine to represent me in my divorce case. In my case, we had no children but a 12 year marriage with significant assets and I am the breadwinner. So, I had a lot to lose from a financial perspective -- I was on the hook for spousal support, and was going to lose half of my investments and two LA properties to my spouse who had none and contributed little during our marriage. I was also on the hook to pay not only my own attorney costs, but to pay my spouse's costs. I was facing an enormous financial cost and was very concerned that my divorce outcome would cause financial ruin or worst case, bankrupt me and I would lose all the properties and savings that I worked so hard to achieve. When I was evaluating different attorneys, I chose Tess because of her credentials and experience -- UCLA Law school grad with 13 solid years of Family Law experience. And I liked that her firm, Levin Margolin, was specialized in Family Law but wasn't too large or small. If I ever needed other more senior counsel, Tess could draw upon her partners to provide that. For the "day to day" work, I was able to get a very skillful and knowledgeable attorney but at a better value (Tess is an Associate Partner) than if I hired a Partner. And if I did need a Partner's counsel, Tess's firm was able to provide that. Getting divorced is one of the most traumatic and scary experiences I've had to endure. You're at your lowest point emotionally and at a scary financial juncture that could ruin your financial future for many years to come. It's a crappy and ridiculously expensive system here in the US but there's no other way out of a marriage. So, finding a lawyer that is not only skillful, and experienced -- while not taking financial advantage of me, was my utmost concern. Tess Cozine has operated with fairness and integrity throughout the 3 year process. Furthermore, she has a rare ability to understand short-term tactical strategy while keeping her eye on the long term strategy and goal. She's incredibly smart, savvy and personable. I enjoyed working with her. A divorce case is very much about making "cost-benefit" decisions -- i.e., analyzing what costs to incur with the intent that those investments would pay off and save me money in the long term. I've learned that it was critically important to not only hire Tess but to hire a couple experts that she recommended (forensic accountant and vocational examiner) that proved to be extremely worthwhile investments. With my positive outcome, I look back at the recommendations Tess made along the way after careful consideration as to whether or not it was a wise investment -- and she was always right. She knew who to hire and who not to hire -and she knew when it made sense to spend money and when it didn't. She always carefully considered the cost of each tactical move and would discuss with me before proceeding. She knew I was extremely cost-conscious and was able to put herself in my shoes with every decision. Due to my ex-husband's reluctance to settle or cooperate in the process - and because he was living in my house at my expense -- our case dragged out and was unusually long (over 3 years). This 3 year process gave me a lot of insight into the keys to a successful client-attorney experience and I'm so thankful that I hired Tess and Levin Margolin. With Tess's skillful tactical and long term strategy, I was prevailed on all issues of my case. Tess has given me renewed confidence in the Family Law profession -- as she and her firm are not only super savvy, smart and strategic -- but she and her firm operate with integrity. Many attorneys are not this way. There are many shady, unethical and unscrupulous attorneys. I was very skeptical of all attorneys when I hired her. But along the way, she earned my trust and I now can emphatically endorse her. I recommend her very highly for divorce and family law cases.