Alexander C. "Alex" Payne

Born and raised as the only Chinese-American on the French Caribbean island of Saint Martin where his family still calls home, Alex had brief stints throughout the Caribbean and South America where he attended schools taught only in French, Spanish, and Papiamento. Alex eventually migrated to the United States and earned his undergraduate degree from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and his Juris Doctorate in Virginia from George Mason University School of Law, a Tier I law school, which he attended because of its focus on economics in law.

Following law school, Alex practiced criminal law in Virginia, which included criminal appellate matters. (See Little v. Commonwealth (2012) 777 S.E.2d 317 (Va. Ct. App. 2012).) Alex ultimately moved back to California and spent five years practicing business litigation, primarily focusing on employment, construction defects, and contract litigation. Alex's diverse caseload ran the gamut from simple actions involving a single agreement or unrepresented opposing party to major actions involving publicly traded companies, international disputes from Mexico to China, and matters deemed "complex." (See e.g., Ping Pan v. Skyline Technology HK Co., Ltd., CIVRS1201048, 2018 WL 4275239 (Fourth Dist. Ct. September 6, 2018) (involving Chinese international shipping dispute); Marriage of Hsu, G053490, 2017 WL 2334020 (Fourth Dist. Ct. May 30, 2017) (involving transmutation)). Alex litigated these actions in federal and state courts, before judges, administrators, and commissioners, and through alternative dispute resolution services.

Alex transitioned from general civil litigation to focus exclusively on family law at Minyard Morris to assist real people get through one of the most trying times of their lives - divorce. Alex has excelled in family law.

Alex graduated from the National Family Law Trial Institute in Houston, Texas. "The National Family Law Trial Institute is the preeminent litigation skills course dedicated exclusively to family law." Alex went to successive 3-day programs focusing on business valuation and cross examination.

Alex has litigated complex marital and financial issues, including actions involving multiple parties (e.g., claimants) in dissolution courts, attorneys' fees & costs, business valuation, cash flow or income available for support, and child custody. Alex routinely handles matters with expert witnesses, including forensic accountants, reasonable compensation experts, child custody evaluators or Evidence Code section 730 experts, and appraisers. Alex handles family law appeals and has argued before the California Court of Appeal in family law matters. (See e.g., Nakamoto v. Hsu (2022) 79 Cal.App.5th 457.)

Alex is a partner of Minyard Morris and limits his practice to family law matters in Orange County. Alex is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML). The "American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) is the leader in Family Law continuing education, publications, networking and training." "Fellows of the Academy have set the standard for the matrimonial bar. They have helped improve the quality of family law practice throughout the country for attorneys and litigants alike." In Orange County, there are approximately 17 AAML Fellows and four are partners at Minyard Morris. Mark E. Minyard, Michael A. Morris, Lonnie K. Seide, and Alexander C. Payne.

Alex is an active member of the local community. Alex is on the Board of Directors for the Orange County Bar Association (OCBA). Alex is a Director for the Public Law Center (PLC), which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing free legal services to low-income residents and other nonprofits in Orange County. Alex serves on leadership for the Orange County Asian American Bar Association (OCAABA) and as President for the Orange County Korea American Bar Foundation (OCKABA Foundation), which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit promoting and advancing charitable activities relating to the law for the benefit of all communities, particularly the Korean-American community in Orange County.

Outside of the office, Alex is a passionate, but perpetually disappointed, Minnesota sports fan and stays physically active with local basketball and beach football leagues. Alex extensively travels internationally and has a personal quest to dine at as many Michelin 3-starred establishments as possible. Alex is also learning Mandarin.