Andy Cook

San Diego divorce attorney Andy Cook of Carmel Valley is a Certified Family Law Specialist, licensed by the State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization. His practice is limited to family law. He has been running his own practice, which features a full-time associate and a full-time legal assistant, for over 29 years. Furthermore, Andy has received the Peer Review Rating of AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell. In addition, he has been recognized for his skill by being voted by his colleagues for the San Diego Business Journal’s 2016 and 2017 Best of the Bar list and being chosen as one of San Diego Magazine’s “2019 Top Lawyers in San Diego”. Most recently, he was named a 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 San Diego Super Lawyer, a selection process run by Thomson Reuters, and was named a Top Family Lawyer in the “Top Family Lawyers” supplement of the Los Angeles Daily Journal in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

Andy Cook also served a three year term as an elected member of the Board of Directors of the San Diego County Bar Association, the region’s oldest and largest law related organization (and the second largest in California), having been chosen by an electorate of over 7,000 attorneys in a contested election in 2013 that involved ten candidates competing for four openings.

As that tough 2013 election shows, Andy is known for his unwavering perseverance as well as his durability, dependability, exceptional hard work and strong writing and speaking skills.

Past Judicial Experience

In addition, from 2007-2015, Andy served 39 times as a temporary judge in the Family Support Division of the San Diego County Superior Court (in the old Departments 42, 43 and 44 in downtown and Department 34 in Vista). From 2010-2014, he also served as a temporary judge 38 times in selected family law departments in the largest court system in the world – the Los Angeles County Superior Court (with his assignments including branches in downtown, Burbank, Compton, Long Beach, Norwalk, Pomona, San Pedro, Santa Monica, Torrance, and Van Nuys). He also served an astonishing 155 times starting in 2007 as a temporary judge in small claims departments in downtown, Kearny Mesa, El Cajon, Vista, and Chula Vista. He also served 79 times as a settlement conference judge for family law matters in downtown San Diego, Chula Vista, Vista, and El Cajon beginning in 2005. Andy also served as a judge for the Teen Court program featuring sentencing determinations in actual juvenile delinquency situations. In addition, he served many times as a fee dispute arbitrator for the State of California’s Mandatory Fee Dispute Arbitration program (MFAA) for over 23 years.

Biography

The father of an attorney, the oldest of three brothers, and the son of a retired neurologist (Father), Andy was born in Syracuse, N.Y. but grew up from age two onward in the New York City area, mostly in Mendham Twp., N.J., which is a small town 38 miles west of midtown Manhattan.

After graduating in 1984 from the University of Vermont with a B.A. in history, Andy worked full-time in radio broadcasting for six years (with gigs in places such as Middletown, Conn. and Newton, N.J.), before landing in San Diego in 1990 for law school. He then earned his law degree from California Western School of Law (CWSL) in San Diego.

While in law school and immediately afterward, Andy was a law clerk and then an attorney at three insurance defense law firms. He was also a student intern in the Civil Division at the San Diego City Attorney’s office.

Andy opened his law practice on May 8, 1995. He has had a full-time associate for most of the period from 2007 forward, and he also has a full-time paralegal and additional personnel to help him. In 2001, Andy passed the family law specialist exam and was subsequently certified as a family law specialist by the State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization.

Personal Life

Andy Cook has been married for over 28 years to the former Marcia Gezelter, who grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland (outside of Washington, D.C.) and who, like Andy, graduated from the University of Vermont. She then embarked on a career as a physical therapist that has spanned over three decades, mostly in San Diego but originally in New Orleans. The Cooks, who have lived in the Carmel Valley area of San Diego since 1997, have two daughters, Lilah, who is an insurance defense attorney in Los Angeles; and Jennifer, who is in medical school. Both of the younger Cooks are graduates of Torrey Pines High School.

Besides spending time with his family, Andy enjoys travel (having visited 20 countries outside of the United States); sports; comedy; the theatre, working out; reading; trivia; current events; history; relaxing at the beach; and visiting with friends.