HLG enthusiastically welcomes Victoria Diffenderfer — our fifth attorney. She will practice from both our Santa Barbara (Montecito) and Ventura County offices.
Victoria is a Southern California native, having spent her formative years in Huntington Beach. In 2019, she relocated to Santa Barbara with her husband and children.
She began her journey in law in 2008. Victoria began as a legal assistant and gradually ascended to the role of office manager at a top law firm in Irvine, California. Over the course of 15 years, she devoted herself to providing exceptional support to various law firms — honing her skills as a diligent legal assistant and efficient office manager. This set the stage for her transition toward becoming a lawyer.
Victoria attended Santa Barbara College of Law. While there, she enriched her knowledge and practical experience through an internship under Judge Brian Hill of the Santa Barbara County Superior Court. She earned her Juris Doctorate degree and passed the California Bar Examination in 2022. She gained her law license earlier this year.
Before and after her acceptance to the Bar, Victoria worked for and was mentored by Santa Barbara family law lion, Rick Montgomery. HLG has the highest respect for Rick, who practiced at the highest heights and with the greatest integrity since 1971. This valuable experience solidified Victoria’s passion for family law. It empowered her to embark on her own family law career.
HLG proudly supports our legal communities in “the 805” and beyond. We appreciate Victoria’s already-demonstrated commitments to Santa Barbara Women Lawyers (where she joins HLG attorney, Taylor Fuller), the Santa Barbara County Bar Association (where she joins all our attorneys), and Santa Barbara Barristers (where many started as litigators – I enjoyed my early years in the Ventura County group). We will support her – as we do all our professionals — as she continues to learn and grow. HLG welcomes Victoria’s energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to our profession — which we, in turn, provide our clients and their families!