Steven J. Ryan

About Steven

For over 25 years, Steven Ryan has practiced in the area of family law litigation, representing hundreds of clients involved in complex divorce matters. Mr. Ryan’s practice addresses all of the myriad issues that arise in the divorce setting: marital property division, inherited and gifted property, non-traditional compensation issues, business valuation, child support, child custody, alimony and the modification of previous awards of support. Complementing his experience as a trial advocate, Mr. Ryan is a certified divorce mediator. Mr. Ryan also assists clients in the negotiation and drafting of prenuptial and postnuptial marital property and support agreements. A graduate of Syracuse University College of Law, Mr. Ryan is admitted to the Massachusetts Bar, the Bar of the United States Supreme Court and the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. A member of the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Mr. Ryan has been included each year since 2007 in Naifeh & Smith’s The Best Lawyers in America in the area of family law. He has received recognition as one of the top lawyers in Massachusetts in Boston Magazine’s Law & Politics, Massachusetts Super Lawyers Edition every year since the inception of the award in 2002, and he has been recognized as one of the best lawyers in New England in The New England Super Lawyers Edition. For over 20 years, Mr. Ryan has received an ”AV“ rating by the Martindale and Hubble Law Directory in the area of family law, the highest rating achievable. Mr. Ryan is the author of numerous articles in the area of family law, covering a variety of topics, including: business valuation, the treatment of stock options in divorce, the treatment of qualified and non-qualified deferred compensation in divorce, the treatment of gifted and inherited property in divorce, determining income for purposes of securing alimony and child support, the negotiation and drafting of prenuptial agreements and trial practice. Mr. Ryan is a frequent lecturer for the Massachusetts Bar Association, the Boston Bar Association and Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education.

Practice Areas

Family Law Insights

9 min read

Is a Spousal Support Attorney Worth It in California?

Spousal support in California turns on Family Code Section 4320, a discretionary statute with no fixed formula — which means the order often reflects how well your case is presented, not just the underlying facts. This guide breaks down when hiring an attorney is worth it, what one costs, and how to decide.

Education

• Syracuse University, J.D., graduated 1985

Bar Admissions

• Massachusetts, 1985

Languages