Our Team

EMILY MCFARLING, ESQ

Managing Partner

 Emily opened a solo law practice in Las Vegas in 2003 with the primary focus of family law. Since that time Emily has worked diligently to establish a reputation as a knowledgeable and aggressive attorney, gaining the respect of both her peers as well as Judges. Emily has grown her practice over the years and in 2010 gained the credential of Certified Family Law Specialist by the State Bar of Nevada. This is the top Family Law credential an attorney can obtain in Nevada. Emily is a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and officer of the Nevada Chapter, fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers and an AV Preeminent Rated Attorney by Martindale Hubbell. Emily is a certified parenting coordinator and mediator, although her primary focus is litigating complex and/or contested divorce and child custody matters in southern Nevada and Nevada family law appeals. She is particularly knowledgeable in handling family law appeals, complex property division and financial issues, international child custody issues, parental kidnapping, and high conflict child custody cases.

Prior to becoming an attorney, Emily worked for three years at the Tobacco Control Resource Center and Tobacco Products Liability Project in Boston, Massachusetts doing research projects on legal issues relating to tobacco. Emily has worked for the New Hampshire Department of Justice Consumer Protection Division and three law firms in Massachusetts in the areas of family law, tobacco and other toxic tort litigation, real estate, business transactions and estate planning. Emily writes children’s books for children going through family law issues and operates a publishing company for children’s books. While her practice is focused in southern Nevada, Emily is also licensed to practice in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, United States Supreme Court, United States District Court – District of Nevada, as well as all state courts in Arizona and California.

MICHAEL BURTON, ESQ.

Partner

Michael grew up in Wisconsin, moving to Las Vegas in 2003. An avid Packer fan, Michael enjoys sports. Michael also enjoys spending time with his dogs (English and French Bulldog) and his fiancée, who is a fellow family law attorney.

Michael has worked at McFarling Law Group since 2008. During that time, he has assumed numerous managerial roles and acted as the initial point of contact for new clients. In this role, Michael has reviewed over 8,000 family law cases during his time at McFarling Law Group.

Michael has a Bachelor’s in Business Administration in Management from UNLV. Michael owns a commercial LED lighting business with customers world-wide and many notable, high-profile projects.

Michael earned his Juris Doctor from Boyd School of Law at UNLV. While at Boyd, Michael was selected as Outstanding Community Service Volunteer and also received an academic scholarship. While in law school, Michael focused on classes taught by adjunct professors who are active practitioners in the community—with an emphasis on legal writing and trial advocacy. This includes classes taught by District Attorney Steve Wolfson and esteemed retired Federal Judge Philip Pro.

Michael’s style is considered aggressive but reasonable. With a focus on high-conflict contested divorce and custody matters, Michael has significant courtroom and trial experience. But, Michael also has the ability to settle cases outside of court, when the terms are right.

Michael has exceptional client satisfaction as his clients know he is looking out for their best interest, and they appreciate Michael’s candid advice.

ASHLEE VAZQUEZ, ESQ.

Attorney

Ashlee Vazquez was born and raised in Alamogordo, NM, where she grew to love the desert and the outdoors. After determining she wanted to become a lawyer at eight years old, Ashlee started her first job at fifteen as a secretary for a criminal defense attorney. In 2012, Ashlee graduated Cum Laude from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX with a Bachelor’s in Sociology.

Ashlee attended the UNLV Boyd School of Law part-time evening program while working full-time at a law firm and volunteering as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), helping foster children in the courts. During her time at Boyd, Ashlee was also selected to be a student attorney with the Mediation Clinic providing free mediation services to small claim litigants and family court litigants who cannot afford to pay for mediation services. Ashlee also received mediation training from the renowned Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution. 

During law school, Ashlee first worked for Clear Counsel Law Group, a probate and estate planning firm. In 2014, Ashlee joined McFarling Law Group where she started as a legal assistant, moved up to law clerk and then associate attorney. Her experience in each aspect of working in a law firm gives her keen insight into the procedural methods for obtaining the best results for her clients.

In 2016, Ashlee obtained her Juris Doctor from Boyd School of Law, where she received a CALI award as the top student in her legal writing class and Highest Pro Bono Honors. In 2017, Ashlee was licensed to practice law in Nevada and the U.S. District Court of Nevada. In 2018, she was awarded the Outstanding Service Award for her work as a CASA.

Ashlee focuses her practice on contested divorce and child custody cases and family law appeals. Ashlee’s extensive knowledge of family law in Nevada extends to numerous cases she’s briefed for the Nevada Supreme Court and Nevada Court of Appeals. Ashlee’s appellate experience includes the areas of legal separation, guardianship, custody, attorney’s fees, child support, and legal custody issues. 

In her spare time, Ashlee enjoys traveling, concerts, and comedy shows. She also enjoys outdoor activities such as running, hiking, and snowboarding. 

JOSH ARONSON, ESQ., CDFA

Attorney and Financial Analyst

Josh graduated from the University of Arizona with a BA in Journalism and a minor in Economics. At Arizona, he spent significant amounts of time modeling various financial markets, including a labor economics analysis of NBA salaries based on a variety of statistics, long before NBA teams started heavily using analytical data. Josh attended law school at Florida State University College of Law after scoring in the 98th percentile on the Law School Admissions Test (“LSAT”). At Florida State, Josh received “A” grades in, among other things, Dissolution of Marriage and Statistics for Lawyers. Josh Aronson moved to Nevada in 2011 after practicing law in Florida.

In December 2016, Josh became a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (“CDFA”). A CDFA professional is a financial professional skilled at analyzing data and providing expertise on the financial issues of divorce. The role of the CDFA professional is to assist the client and his or her attorney to understand how the decisions he or she makes today will impact the client’s financial future. A CDFA can take on many roles in the divorce process, including providing financial expertise and strategy, data collection and analysis, litigation support, and, if necessary, being an expert witness at trial or during mediation.

Josh provides a unique combination of financial wherewithal, attention to detail, and legal expertise. Josh has been enthralled by statistics and spreadsheets his entire life, and can design a spreadsheet for pretty much any purpose. Josh has professional experience as a bookkeeper, and legal experience doing financial modeling for personal injury law claims, working at a business and tax law firm, and has been practicing family law for several years.

In his spare time, Josh enjoys playing and watching sports, playing poker, and spending time with his wife and two young sons.

CHRISTOPHER R. ALDERMAN

Attorney

Christopher R. Alderman was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. Christopher earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Nevada Las Vegas. He then pursued his law degree at the William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV. During law school, Christopher was actively involved in various organizations and volunteered to teach a free legal information class regarding paternity and custody during the summer of 2011.
After graduating law school and passing the bar, Christopher worked as a law clerk for the Honorable Robert W. Lane at the Fifth Judicial District Court in Nye County, Nevada. Prior to joining McFarling Law Group, Christopher worked at a law office specializing in family law, guardianships, and probate matters.
As a native Nevadan, Christopher enjoys being actively involved in the community and spending time with his family. He enjoys a good game of golf, supporting our local sports teams, hiking, and attending dog shows with his Doberman Pinscher.

Helen P. Towlerton, Esq.

Attorney

Helen grew up in New York and Connecticut but fell in love with the West when she moved to  Colorado for law school, graduating from the Sturm College of Law, University of Denver.

Helen’s family relocated to Henderson, NV while she was still in law school and since 1996, Helen has enjoyed practicing law in both Nevada and Colorado in multiple practice areas including commercial property acquisition and development, entity formation, contracts and civil litigation.  Since 2005, Helen has dedicated her diverse legal knowledge to helping individuals navigate the complexities of family law including marital agreements (both ‘pre’ and ‘post’ nuptial agreements); parenting time (custody); decision-making authority; spousal and child support; relocation, international custody issues; divorce; co-habitation agreements, etc.

Family law is, for many, the most intimate legal realm they will ever encounter and for that reason, the most intimidating.  Helen offers a thoughtful, personalized approach in which clients and their family members are treated as individuals, with special attention paid to each moving part of the family equation.

Helen’s primary goal is to help her clients achieve a sense of accomplishment, security and even excitement for the future at the end of what is often a stressful and uncomfortable time.

Preparation is key and Helen looks to her clients as true partners in the process.  On the transactional side, the more information a client receives, the better the agreement.    In litigation, the best outcomes are achieved with the client’s active participation in the discovery and settlement processes in advance of trial.

As an experienced advocate, Helen is skilled at adjusting her approach and addressing ever changing family dynamics as the facts and circumstances require  – without diverging from her foundational principles: truthfulness, candor, understanding and persistence.

In return, clients appreciate Helen’s hard work and sharp attention to detail, as well as her ability to aggressively advocate on their behalf in both settlement and disputed court proceedings.

When not working, Helen enjoys spending time with her family and energetic rescue from the Humane Society, a brindle bundle of joy.  Helen also supports a number of charitable organizations in both Las Vegas and Boulder, Colorado including the Clark County Law Foundation, Annual Attorney Memorial Service; Boulder County Bar Association Family Law Committee Co-Chair; Eye Health Institute, 501(c)(3), Board Member; Past Trustee of The Neon Museum, 501(c)(3);  Cleveland Clinic, Keep Memory Alive 501(c)(3).

Maria Rios Landin

Legal Assistant

Maria Rios Landin was born in Mexico and immigrated to the U.S. when she was twelve years old; she has been living in Las Vegas for 18 years. She started working as a receptionist at a law firm almost immediately after graduating from high school and was later promoted to legal assistant for an immigration and a criminal defense attorney.

In 2009, Maria was one of only a few legal selected from across the U.S. to attend the intense three-day American Immigration Lawyer Association (AILA) Annual Conference, to receive extensive training.

Maria joined McFarling Law Group in 2011 as a legal assistant and has been the firm’s intake specialist and first point of contact since 2017.

In 2014, she obtained her associate of arts degree from College of Southern Nevada and in 2016 she obtained her bachelor’s degree in Spanish for the Professions from UNLV. As part of her degree, Maria received extensive training in translation and interpretation with an emphasis on legal terminology.

Maria has used her skills, knowledge and ability to help not only her clients, but also her community. In 2016, she volunteered as a Spanish interpreter for Volunteers in Medicine, a program that provides free medical care for people who do not qualify for medical insurance. In 2017, she volunteered for the ProSe Boot Camp, a program supported by UNLV Boyd School of Law, which focused on helping people navigate the legal system in proper person. Under the supervision and direction of a law school professor, she taught an immigration class at Shade Tree shelter that focused on a path to U.S. permanent residence for victims of domestic violence.

Maria is highly experienced in complex family law matters and in addition to divorce and child custody matters, she handles all appeals and international parental abduction cases.

In her spare time, Maria enjoys swimming, yoga, spending time with family and her West Highland White Terrier, going to the movies, and playing video games.

Crystal Beville

Legal Assistant

Crystal has lived in Las Vegas for 45 years.  She is a Las Vegas High (original downtown campus) graduate and attended the University of Nevada Reno where she earned a Bachelor’s degree with a major in Accounting. Crystal returned to Las Vegas after college and worked for 25 years in the gaming industry, with the last 16 years at Boyd Gaming as their Corporate Controller.

In 2012, Crystal completed the UNLV Paralegal Certificate program and made a career switch. She has since worked for family law firms and has been with McFarling Law Group since August, 2016.  In addition to her accounting background, Crystal’s personal experience as a child of divorce, experiencing divorce herself, and raising her daughter as a single parent is a huge asset now as a family law legal assistant.

Crystal is a board member on the Las Vegas High School Alumni Association and very active within the group, which raises scholarship money for current LVHS students and conducts an annual all classes reunion party.  She also enjoys spending time with her daughter,  family and friends, reading, going to the movies and is a huge lifetime Disneyland fan.