Merritt McKeon is considered to be one of California’s preeminent experts in complex international and interstate family law litigation, mediation, and appeals, and has received numerous awards over 25 years of experience as an expert in international Hague Treaty petitions, child abduction, domestic violence, and both domestic and civil business mediation. Ms. McKeon has appeared on numerous television broadcasts such as Burden of Proof, Larry King Live, Good Morning America, The 700 Club, C-NBC and various international media outlets in both Australia and Italy. 

In 1999, Ms. McKeon participated on a legal team with attorney Gloria Allred which resulted in the successful release of an American-born child whose mother had been murdered in Italy. Ms. McKeon appeared in the book Fight Back And Win: My Thirty Year Fight Against Injustice and How You Can Win Your Own Battles by Gloria Allred, which highlights Ms. McKeon’s participation in the successful appeal written in Italy for the Italian Court. Ms. McKeon is co-author of Stop Domestic Violence: An Action Planning Guide to Saving Lives, and appeared with the father of Nicole Brown Simpson on Larry King Live shortly after the O.J. Simpson murder trial. 

Merritt is a contributing author to the Mathew Bender publications Continuing Education to the Bar (CEB), writing a chapter for Nexus Lexus on 'Relocation Cases' (2002), 'Domestic Violence', 'Domestic Abuse,' and 'Child Custody' (2003). In 2002, Ms. McKeon authored 'Domestic Violence Primer', published in the Orange County Lawyer Magazine, and 'The Impact of Domestic Violence on Child Custody Determination in California: Who Will Understand?'

Over the course of her 25 years in practice, Ms. McKeon has filed over 100 writs and appeals and has presented numerous oral arguments. Ms. McKeon has published and appeared as an expert witness and case consultant for both litigation and mediation, and enjoys solving complex issues through mediation rather than litigation. A hands on attorney, she enjoys solving complex issues and helping clients leverage their position for advantageous results.

Ms. McKeon has authored and filed over 100 appeals in the Appellate Courts in California. In 2012 and 2013 Ms. McKeon served as program co-chair and chairwoman of the Appellate Bar Association, 4th District Court of Appeal. Merritt has received numerous awards in appreciation for her outstanding commitment to the protection of children and knowledge of the Hague Convention on the civil aspects of international child abduction, presented by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and in 2000 ran for California State Assembly, winning the primary election in the 73rd district in Orange County, California. In addition to her private practice as an attorney with the Law Offices of Merritt L. McKeon, Ms. McKeon has been an adjunct law professor, teaching courses in civil procedure at Trinity Law School, and developing and teaching 'Domestic Violence Law' during her tenure at the University of West Los Angeles School of Law.

Ms. McKeon received her Master’s Degree from New York University, and her law degree from the Benjamin Cordozo School of Law, New York and has participated in numerous educational programs. While at the Cardozo School of Law, McKeon founded Law Students for Children, and won the 1995 Schwab Essay Contest for Law Students with her article 'International Parental Kidnapping: A New Law, A New Solution.' Her article was cited in the first and only federal decision on the International Parental Kidnapping Crime Law of 1993. 

Merritt is considered as a preeminent attorney in her subject areas and a 'lawyer’s -lawyer' who enjoys participating as both case consultant and as co-counsel, focusing on tactical solutions to complex legal issues which often result in successful mediation through alternative dispute resolution (ADR). In 2014 Merritt attended the renown Pepperdine, Strauss Mediation program and maintains an active practice assisting both clients and attorneys.

Admission Details

• 1997, California

Education

• Yeshiva University, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Class of 1996, J.D.
• New York University, Class of 1994, M.A., Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies; Liberal Arts, Sociology/Political Science
• State University of New York, Empire State College, Class of 1992, B.S., Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies

Associations & Memberships

• Orange County Bar Association (Member, Appellate Section)
• State Bar of California (Member, Sections on: Family Law, International Law)

Languages

• Farsi