Our Team

Janani S. Rana, CFLS

Partner
Janani S. Rana is a Certified Family Law Specialist and seasoned trial attorney who represents business owners, executives, physicians, and their spouses in financially complex family law matters throughout Orange County.
Janani Rana headshot

Biography

For Janani, family law presents the opportunity to help solve complex human problems. She enjoys helping people navigate one of the most significant transitions of their lives, in a practice area where justice, financial goals, and practical realities often pull in different directions. She believes the best outcomes rarely come from rigid formulas, but from strategic judgment, thoughtful preparation, and a clear understanding of what matters most to each client.

That perspective began long before she became a lawyer. As an undergraduate studying Political Theory at the University of California, San Diego, Janani became fascinated with how institutions, relationships, and public policy shape individual lives. She spent her junior year studying at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, where she completed a minor in South Asian Studies while traveling extensively throughout Europe and Asia. Those experiences fostered an appreciation for different cultures and perspectives that continues to shape her practice today.

Janani earned her Juris Doctor (JD) from USC Gould School of Law (Fight On!) in 2009. She knew early on that she wanted to practice family law. During law school she clerked for the Honorable Amy Pellman and the Honorable Harvey Silberman in the Los Angeles Superior Court Family Law Division, externed at a respected family law firm (Trope & Trope), and interned with the Alliance for Children’s Rights, Harriet Buhai Center for Family Law, and Western Center on Law & Poverty. She then spent nearly a decade practicing family law in Los Angeles, ultimately becoming a partner at her prior firm. Those early years shaped the foundation of her practice: rigorous preparation, practical judgment, and thoughtful advocacy in complex family law matters.

Since joining Minyard Morris in 2016, Janani has devoted her practice exclusively to family law, representing clients in high-conflict custody matters, complex property disputes, support litigation, and cases involving substantial business interests and executive compensation. She has been a partner with the firm since 2023.

Outside the courtroom, Janani is equally committed to her family and her community. She and her husband are raising two young children, one of whom has significant medical needs. That experience has given Janani a profound appreciation for resilience, empathy, and the importance of practical problem-solving during life’s most difficult moments. She brings that perspective to every client she represents, and to her many leadership roles in the community.

Practice Areas

Family Law
Domestic Violence
Child support
Spousal Support
Property Division
Custody and Visitation
Business Valuation
Attorney Fees

Bar Admission

California

Experience

Janani’s practice focuses on complex family law matters involving:

  • Business valuations, professional goodwill, and ownership interests
  • Executive compensation, including RSUs, stock options, deferred bonuses, and other equity-based awards
  • Qualified and non-qualified deferred compensation arrangements
  • Closely held businesses, professional practices, and partnership interests
  • Separate property tracing and reimbursement claims
  • Characterization and division of complex assets
  • High-income and variable-income support disputes
  • Child custody and move-away litigation
  • Domestic violence matters
  • Premarital and postmarital agreements

She regularly works with forensic accountants, business valuation experts, vocational evaluators, and tax professionals to develop persuasive financial analyses for trial and settlement.

Janani has extensive courtroom experience in Orange County and regularly handles evidentiary hearings, trials, and complex discovery disputes. She believes thorough preparation is one of the greatest advantages a trial lawyer can bring to a client.

Affiliations & Credentials

Education

  • University of Southern California Gould School of Law, Los Angeles, California
    • J.D.
    • Honors: Editor, Hale Moot Court Honors Program, USC Gould School of Law
  • University of California San Diego
    • B.S.
    • Major: Political Theory
  • London School of Oriental & African Studies
    • Minor: South Asian Studies

Professional Associations

Janani believes she has the responsibility to serve not just her clients but also the broader community.

She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Orange County Women Lawyers Association, and is the inaugural President of the South Asian Bar Association of Orange County.

Janani is passionate about mentoring younger attorneys, increasing diversity within the legal profession, and expanding opportunities for South Asian lawyers throughout Orange County.

Her professional associations include:

  • South Asian Bar Association of Orange County (President 2025-2027)
  • Pediatric Epilepsy Research Foundation (Parent Advisor, Infantile Spasms study)
  • Orange County Women Lawyers Association (Executive Officer)
  • South Asian Bar Association of Southern California (Former Steering Committee Member; Past President)
  • Orange County Bar Association (OCBA) – Mommy Esq. (member), Diversity & Inclusion Committee (member)
  • Epilepsy Foundation, Orange County Regional Committee (member; Past Director)
  • USC Gould School of Law Alumni Association, Orange County Regional Chapter (Member; Past Chair, 2020-2024)
  • Academy of Certified Financial Litigators, Los Angeles Chapter (Founding Member)
  • National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) (member)
  • California Asian Pacific American Bar Association (CAL-APABA) (member)
  • South Asian Network Advisory Council (SAN) (member)
  • Orange County Asian American Bar Association (OCAABA) (member)
  • Hispanic Bar Association of Orange County (OC-HBA) (member)

Classes & Seminars

Janani regularly lectures and presents to attorneys, law students, business owners, and community organizations on a variety of family law topics.

Her presentations have included:

  • “IVF, Family Law, and Estate Planning Considerations”, May 2026, SABA Orange County
  • Moderator, “Equal Pay and Overcoming the Gender Pay Gap”, May 2024, Orange County Women Lawyers Association
  • “The Nuts and Bolts of Litigating a Business Asset”, February 2024, East West Family Law Council (click here to read her handout)
  • Business Talk Podcast with Meghan McNulty: “A Business Owners’ Family Law Survival Guide” (click here to listen on Apple Podcasts), January 2024
  • Enterprising Women (panel discussion), May 2022, Epilepsy Foundation of Orange County
  • What Every Business Owner Should Know About Divorce (CLE webinar), May 2022, Orange County Bar Association, Business & Corporate Law Section
  • Moderator, “What We Wish We Knew”, a panel discussion regarding career advancement, June 2021, Orange County Bar Association, Diversity & Inclusion Committee
  • Guest Lecturer, USC Gould School of Law, Community Property, “Insurance, Disability Pay & Severance” (March 2020, November 2021)
  • Lecturer, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, Family Law Clinic, “Child Custody Move-Aways” (May 2017)

Qualifications

Janani is a Certified Family Law Specialist, certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization.

She is also a three-time graduate of the Kolodny Family Law Trial Institute, having completed:

  • National Family Law Trial Institute
  • Advanced Cross-Examination Institute
  • Business Valuation Institute

She is committed to continuous professional development and regularly attends advanced family law education throughout California and nationally.

Recognition

Awards, Certifications & Associations