Areas of Practice

AdoptionChild Welfare /Juvenile DependencyGuardianship

Litigation Percentage

25% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Bar Admissions

California

Certifications

NACC Child Welfare Law Specialist 

Education

Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, Malibu, CaliforniaPepperdine University

Tamalani Barnett was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Ms. Barnett grew up with a passion for helping families become whole and for protecting vulnerable children. She has bachelor's degrees in political science and sociology from Pepperdine University and a Juris Doctorate from Pepperdine’s Caruso School of Law. Ms. Barnett is a National Association of Counsel for Children Certified Child Welfare Law Specialist. She has sixteen years of experience working with children in foster care. This includes nine years at the Children's Law Center of California as a staff attorney for children and as the director of the attorney conflict panel. While at CLC Ms. Barnett lead the initial efforts for the firm regarding child sex trafficking identification and prevention.  Ms. Barnett opened a private adoption law practice in 2008 where she has helped families with independent adoptions, agency, international re-adoptions and adult adoptions. In 2020 she joined FamilyBuilding. She engages the community through trainings and public speaking on the topics of foster care, adoption, reunification and child welfare law. Ms. Barnett is the executive director of a nonprofit she co-founded called RaisingHOPE, Inc that empowers children in foster care to achieve their dreams through resources and relationships. RaisingHOPE provides funds, mentoring, life skills and advocacy for children who are or were in the foster care system. She has a passion for coaching and providing resources to young adults aging out of the foster care system. Her heart is to show the love of Christ to the vulnerable.

Ms. Barnett and her husband, Clark, have been married for 17 years and they have two children. The Barnett family enjoys walks, the beach, board games, movies and theater.