About The Firm
ATTORNEY & STAFF
FREDERICK D. HALE
Licensed in CA in 1995, Frederick D. Hale has practiced Family Law exclusively for nearly 30 years. As the founder of Hale & Associates, Fred brings a wealth of experience to litigation, trials, and hearings. Fred’s 27+ years as a trial attorney has earned him the reputation as an effective and (when necessary) aggressive advocate for his clients.
Fred has also served as a Judge Pro Tem on nearly 1000 court appointed mediations, settling over 97% of those difficult cases. Judges trust Fred will, and does, bring pragmatic solutions to parties undergoing the difficulties of divorce.
Fred is a North County resident for over 25 years, having grown up in Carlsbad in the 70’s. He has served on the Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation, a local non-profit charity benefiting the educational and environmental needs of the unique Lagoon ecosystem. He now lives in South Oceanside with his lovely wife, their wonderful dog Lucy, and 2 pesky but loving cats. Most days Fred can be found surfing, riding his e-bike along the coast, or relaxing with family and friends around the Tiki Lounge in his backyard.
AMY ELIZABETH ALLEMANN, ESQ.
Amy Elizabeth Allemann is a senior litigation attorney, licensed in California since 2000 and
currently practices family law at Hale & Associates, a local Carlsbad law firm. She has built a
reputation for excellence, integrity, and professionalism, with over 22 years of experience
handling complex Family Law and Civil Litigation matters. She is admitted to practice in all
Superior Courts in California, as well the Southern District of California and the Central District
of California.
Amy is passionate about her work as a litigator and is a fierce advocate for her clients. She has
served as a guest speaker at several seminars and taught Mandatory Continuing Education
credits in both legal specific areas as well as teaching classes in ethics and Elimination of Bias.
Additionally, Amy is an alumni of LEAD San Diego’s exclusive Leadership college.
Recently, Amy was distinguished as a “Super Lawyer” for 2022, a recognition given to only a
small percentage of attorneys. She has received numerous awards both in law school as well as
a practicing attorney. Amy is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and is a graduate
of California Western School of Law, cum lade where she earned a number of prestigious
awards including American Jurisprudence Awards and the Corpus Juris Secondum awards.
During law school she served as Staff Editor and Staff Writer for the California Western
International Law Journal and the California Western Law Review.
Amy also serves as Commissioner for the City of Carlsbad on the Parks and Recreation
Commission and was recently appointed to serve on the as a Committee member for the
Carlsbad Growth Management Update Advisory Committee Member Nominations.
In her off hours, Amy enjoys spending time with her family including her husband and 13-year-
old son as well as her adult children and grandchildren. Amy is an active volunteer with the Boy
Scouts, where her son is a Life Scout, serving as Advancement Chair, was previously in
leadership for the YMCA Adventure Clubs for the mom and son’s group and loves camping,
biking, hiking and anything outdoors.
Our highly seasoned staff possesses the highest level of experience in working with reputable forensic professionals including accountants, psychologists, deferred compensation experts, and retirement and pension fund evaluators, to assist the client in reaching informed decisions. We consult with the most trusted business appraisers, if that is also an issue.
Our firm prides itself in empowering you to decide how to have a “successful divorce.” By this we mean that you have been fully informed of your rights, responsibilities, and options during this time of high stress and anxiety to you and your family, and that you have a team of caring responsive professionals guiding you every step of the way.
CLIENT CARE
Each of us is assigned many different kinds of numbers throughout our lifetime, whether it’s social security, driver’s license, phone or a case number for a divorce file—no one wants to be treated like just another number. Each and every client and their legal case, is treated with equal respect and importance in our firm. Our staff is trained to lend emotional support and to be responsive to issues as they may arise. They are also very effective in identifying potential problem areas in a case as well as assisting in the formulation of strategies and problem solving.
To be of service is an important part of our firm’s mission and is reflected by the commitment of our staff members bring to their work and clients.
MANAGING CLIENT EXPECTATIONS
A key element to a successful outcome in a divorce case is by assisting a client in the management of her or his expectations. First and foremost, a client will both want and need to know about their legal rights and obligations in a divorce situation. One of the ways to accomplish moving your case through the court system as efficiently and as cost effectively as possible, is by helping you to set realistic expectations and clearly defined goals for yourself and your family while you are engaged in the divorce process.
Every client has their own idea and belief about what they think is “fair” as it relates to a division of assets, debts, custody and support. The process of divorce court is about how to find your way to reaching an equitable division of marital assets and debts.
COMMUNICATION
You may have heard attorneys occasionally referred to as “counselors at law” and this role is taken very seriously. We consider it our privilege to provide you with the best legal advice during a time when making decisions may not necessarily come easily to you. Understanding a client’s goals in relationship to each step of their case is of critical importance. Keeping clear and open lines of communication between client, staff and attorney, allows our firm to gain a quick and meaningful understanding of your goals and how best to serve and pursue those goals.