About Jerry Chang
Experience
Jerry Chang graduated from the University of California, Berkeley (B.A., Political Science., 1987) and the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law (J.D., 1991). He worked as a Deputy District Attorney in Contra Costa County for almost 20 years, with a brief hiatus with a prominent Walnut Creek law firm (McNamara, Dodge) from 1999-2001, and transitioned to Family Law by opening his own practice
At the District Attorney's office he prosecuted the whole gamut of criminals, from misdemeanants (DUI offenders and petty thieves) to child molesters, rapists, and murderers. In addition to trying to jury verdict nearly 100 cases, in two separate calendar years (2002- Sexual Assault Unit, 2009-Homicide Unit) he was the office leader in total number of jury trial days [out of approximately 90 Deputy District Attorneys], and in 2003 obtained the lengthiest sentence in Contra Costa County history (525 years to life)
At McNamara, Dodge Mr. Chang was heavily involved in a number of cases defending police departments, police officers, school districts, and their employees from civil liability. In 2001 he assisted in the successful defense of the Benicia Unified School District where a favorable federal jury trial verdict was reached in the Eastern District of the State of California (Sacramento). Pertinent to Family Law, while in the District Attorney's office Mr. Chang worked an entire year pursuing deadbeat dads for unpaid child support, supervised the Parental Child Abduction Unit for two years (which required close and repeated contact with the Family Court bench), spent an additional two years filing misdemeanor and felony charges against domestic violence offenders, and supervised the misdemeanor prosecution of defendants who violated domestic violence restraining orders
His current practice is almost exclusively referral-based, and involves divorce, child custody and spousal support cases, and domestic violence restraining orders in Contra Costa, Alameda, Solano, and Sacramento Counties. He also handles a small caseload of Pro Bono family court cases for Bay Area Legal Aid. Mr. Chang was a regular instructor at the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office Police Academy (2005-2012) and has previously volunteered as both a trial judge and scorer for the Contra Costa County Office of Education's High School Mock Trial competition. He lives with his sassy teenage daughters in Central Contra Costa County.