Lina Guillen

Lina Guillen was a Legal Editor at Nolo and is an author and trial attorney with over 20 years of experience in a wide range of legal matters. She is an active member of the California State Bar and received her J.D. from UC Law San Francisco.

Lina has been quoted in several national newspapers, online publications, and print magazines, including The New York Times, CNBC, U.S. News, Kiplinger, HowStuffWorks, and Real Simple Magazine, and interviewed by reporter Vivien Lee for Spectrum News in New York.

Legal experience. Lina served as an extern for the Honorable Judge Susan Illston of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. After graduating, Lina practiced at several Bay Area firms, gaining experience in probate litigation, general commercial disputes, real property disputes, white collar crime, public agency, civil rights, employment law, and family law matters. She handled investigations, prepared motions, completed discovery, took and defended depositions, argued hearings, and conducted court trials.

Volunteer work. As a practicing attorney, Lina noted the disparity in outcomes between those who could afford lawyers and those who couldn’t. This inspired her to volunteer at various organizations, including Project Homeless Connect, the Justice & Diversity Center, and Legal Aid of Marin, where she provided free legal assistance to individuals with no access to attorneys.

Writing experience. In addition to law, Lina has always had a passion for writing. She was an editorial assistant for The Press Democrat newspaper, researching and editing major stories and writing smaller pieces for the paper. At Hastings, Lina served as the submissions editor for the Hastings Women's Law Journal.  She also took writing classes at the Writing Salon in San Francisco and studied Writing, Editing, and Technical Communication through the U.C. Berkeley Extension Program.

Working at Nolo. Lina’s legal experience, volunteer work, and writing background drew her to Nolo in 2012, where she felt she could put her skills to good use by assisting in Nolo’s mission to provide reliable legal information to consumers. As a Legal Editor, Lina has edited and coauthored Nolo books, managed the development of legal content on several Nolo websites, and written numerous legal articles on family law issues, LGBTQ law, and more.

She is the coauthor of Neighbor Law,  8th edition; Divorce & Money: How to Make the Best Financial Decisions During Divorce; Living Together: A Legal Guide for Unmarried Couples; and A Legal Guide for Lesbian and Gay Couples.