A boutique practice with top-tier execution
Excellence is not optional—it’s the standard. With years of experience and an uncompromising attention to detail, Josette M. Barsano provides rigorous advocacy and trusted counsel across every stage of a case. Known for navigating complex legal matters with precision and resolve, she delivers the caliber of work product expected from top law firms—meticulous, strategic, and results-driven—while maintaining the accessibility and personal commitment of a boutique practice. Clients benefit from the highest quality legal work, delivered at rates that keep justice within reach.
Key Practice Areas
Click below to expand each topic and see details.
Practice Area
Marriage Dissolution
Contested & uncontested legal separation, divorce, and annulment matters.
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Practice Area
Marriage Dissolution
Contested & uncontested legal separation, divorce, and annulment matters.
Learn more →- Residency & filing requirements in D.C.
- Property division, bank accounts, stock/crypto investments, retirement accounts, QDRO coordination
- Related custody, parenting time, child support
- Related domestic violence petitions, enforcement, and coordination with community resources and safety planning
- Negotiation, mediation, settlement counsel
- Case planning and litigation strategy for contested matters
- Motion drafting, fact-investigation, discovery
- Court filings and appearances for initial hearings, status conferences, pre-trial hearings, and trial
- Post-judgment order enforcement
Practice Area
Spousal Support / Alimony
Temporary and long-term support, income analysis, and modification or enforcement.
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Practice Area
Spousal Support / Alimony
Temporary and long-term support, income analysis, and modification or enforcement.
Learn more →- Temporary / pendente lite support during divorce proceedings
- Long-term and rehabilitative alimony awards
- Assessment of income, lifestyle, earning capacity, and other relevant factors
- Tax treatment and financial planning considerations
- Negotiation, mediation, and settlement agreements
- Litigation strategy, discovery, and expert involvement (vocational, financial)
- Enforcement of alimony orders for nonpayment
- Modification or termination based on change in circumstances
Practice Area
Custody & Parenting Time
Parenting plans, best interest factors, relocation, and modifications.
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Practice Area
Custody & Parenting Time
Parenting plans, best interest factors, relocation, and modifications.
Learn more →- Legal vs. physical custody; tie-breaker provisions
- Holiday/holiday-break schedules and travel provisions
- Relocation standards and notice requirements
- Post-judgment modifications and enforcement
- Parenting time schedules, vacations, and special occasions
- Custody and visitation in the context of divorce, separation, or unmarried parents
- Third-party custody and visitation rights standing (relatives, guardians, others)
- Child support determination and modifications
- Negotiation, mediation, and parenting coordination services
- Case planning, discovery, and trial preparation for contested custody matters
- Representation in hearings, status conferences, pre-trial proceedings, and trial
Practice Area
Child Support
Guideline calculations, deviations, enforcement, and modification proceedings.
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Practice Area
Child Support
Guideline calculations, deviations, enforcement, and modification proceedings.
Learn more →- Income imputation, childcare/health-care add-ons, extraordinary expenses
- Deviation factors, shared-custody adjustments, and best-interest considerations
- Initial support orders in divorce, custody, or parentage cases
- Third-party obligations or standing in support cases (e.g., guardians, relatives)
- Contempt/enforcement actions for nonpayment
- Upward/downward modifications based on change in income, employment, or parenting schedule
- Coordination with interstate/reciprocal support enforcement
- Representation in court hearings, conferences, and trial
How We Work
Step 1
Consult
Begin with a 1-hour consultation—by phone, video, or in person—to clarify your goals and determine next steps. If you move forward, the consultation fee is credited toward your services.
Step 2
Define Services
Decide on the scope of representation that best fits your needs. Options include flat-fee services for specific, limited-scope matters or hourly services for broader, ongoing representation. Every approach is designed to provide clarity and tailored support.
Step 3
Engage
Finalize the relationship with a written agreement that outlines the scope, fees, and terms. This ensures expectations are aligned before work begins.
Legal Team
Josette M. Barsano
Principal Attorney
Licensed in the District of Columbia
- LL.M. in Advocacy, Georgetown University Law Center
- J.D., Georgetown University Law Center
- M.A. in Special Education and Teaching, Arizona State University
- Certificate in Conflict Management and Dispute Resolution, Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine School of Law
Josette is a published writer on access to justice issues and Co-Chair of the D.C. Bar Foundation’s Young Lawyers Network Leadership Council. Before private practice, she served as Training and Practice Managing Attorney at D.C. Affordable Law Firm, Editor-in-Chief of the Georgetown Journal of Poverty Law & Policy, and a Teach for America Corps member.