Sheila J. Kadagathur

Ms. Kadagathur is a leading family law attorney practicing in Washington, D.C. and Maryland. She has been recognized as one of the D.C. area’s top lawyers by Washingtonian Magazine since 2017. Since 2018, Ms. Kadagathur has been recognized as a Super Lawyer in Maryland and Washington, D.C. in Super Lawyers Magazine and has been featured in the lists of Top 100 attorneys and Top 50 women attorneys. For several years she was named a Rising Star in both the Washington, D.C. and Maryland Super Lawyers Magazine. Ms. Kadagathur was also named a Top Divorce Lawyer Under 40 by Bethesda Magazine in 2017, and she was recognized as one of Washington, D.C.’s Outstanding Young Lawyers in the Washington Post Magazine in 2013 and 2014. In addition to that, she has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America since 2019.

Before becoming a family law attorney in 2011, Ms. Kadagathur was a litigator at Baker Botts, LLP engaged in high-stakes corporate litigation and sensitive internal investigations. While her prior practice taught her how to succeed in high stress situations, she moved to family law for the experience of helping real people during one of the most difficult times in their lives. Ms. Kadagathur supports her clients in all areas of family law, from issues of spousal support, custody and child support to property allocation and issues involving same sex couples. She is experienced in a variety of methods of resolution including negotiation, mediation, litigation, and a combination thereof. Ms. Kadagathur is also trained in collaborative divorce resolution.

Ms. Kadagathur’s family law practice includes experience in specialized areas of family law. In particular, she enjoys drawing on her background in corporate financial investigations to bring about the best results for her clients who are in more complex financial situations.

Ms. Kadagathur received her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School and her B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to law school, Ms. Kadagathur worked as a “Kids Expert” at the Nickelodeon network.

Ms. Kadagathur is very involved in the D.C. Bar. She was elected to the board of the D.C. Family Law Section for the 2013 to 2016 term and was the Section’s Co-chair for the 2015-2016 term. Ms. Kadagathur is also an active participant in the Montgomery County Bar Association Family Law Section. She serves as a mentor for Big Law attorneys who take on pro bono family law cases. Sheila is also a board member of the University of Chicago Women’s Law School Network.

Ms. Kadagathur is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, Illinois, and Maryland.