Cristina A. Biegel

With deep sadness, we announce the sudden passing of Cristina A. Biegel on Aug. 28, 2025, after a life rich in professional accomplishments, community activities and the profound joy she found in her roles as daughter, sister, wife, mother and grandmother. Her unexpected death sent shock waves through the Monterey County legal community.

Cristina Almada was born on Christmas Day in Los Angeles, the daughter of Lou Almada — affectionately known to all as “Papa Lou” — and Ligia Davila Almada, lovingly called “Mia” by family and friends. From her earliest years, Cristina was known as “Tina” and her boundless energy and excitement about life was infectious to her many schoolmates and friends — first in grammar school at Saints Felicitas and Perpetua Catholic School in San Marino, and later at the Ramona Convent Secondary School in Alhambra. Tina has remained in contact with many of these friends sharing special moments and reunions throughout the years.

Tina began her college studies at Santa Clara University and, after one year, transferred to Mount St. Mary’s University Los Angeles, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English. She later completed a second bachelor’s degree, in psychology, at UC Santa Cruz, before beginning graduate studies at the University of Michigan. Though her interests were wide-ranging, Tina always returned to her love of English literature and language. She spent a lifetime writing and journaling her thoughts and experiences.

In the early 1970s, while working as a social worker for Los Angeles County and caring for her 20-month-old son, Brandon, Tina met a young public defender whom she often recalled was “interesting.” That young attorney, Larry Biegel, fell in love with both Tina and Brandon. Through a series of serendipitous events, the couple decided in 1975 to marry, leave Southern California, and settle in Carmel where they would go on to share 50 years of an amazing marriage, which included the birth of a second son, Jacob.

After both children had grown and gone off to college, Tina embarked on a second career: to become a lawyer — and a terrific lawyer she became. In 1998, she and Larry established a legal partnership, the Biegel Law Firm in Monterey, representing clients in both civil and criminal litigation.

As Tina matured in her profession, she chose to focus exclusively on criminal law. In doing so, she embraced a deeply humanistic approach — one she likely cultivated during her time as a social worker in Los Angeles. She saw the good in each of her clients, regardless of the charges they faced, and spent countless hours seeking a positive outcome for them. Whether it was helping someone enter a drug or alcohol rehabilitation program or advocating for psychological counseling, Tina was unwavering in her belief in second chances. This steadfast support and faith in her clients often became a powerful motivator, encouraging many to make the issue they faced in the criminal justice system their last. As one former client wrote after learning of her passing, “She played such a crucial role for me during a very difficult time in my life. Meeting Tina was the silver lining to an awful set of circumstances.”

Her personal life was defined by her deep commitment to her children and grandchildren. Her sons, Brandon and Jacob, married remarkable women, both of whom Tina embraced as daughters. Brandon’s two children, Riley and Olivia, were constantly in her sights, whether she was cheering Riley on his budding tennis career or watching Olivia grow into a lovely 12-year-old, with whom she shared a love of shopping adventures. Carrying on the family tradition of nicknames, they both addressed her as “Pony.”

Tina was an avid tennis player, a devoted walker and hiker, an amazing gardener, a talented cook and someone with a keen eye for style — both in dress and in decorating. This creativity extended beyond the home which she and Larry built, and into her writing life. In the last three years, alongside her ongoing law practice, Tina joined two fellow fiction writers in a collaborative effort to support one another’s work. During this time, she worked tirelessly on her debut novel, “Passing Through.” On the morning of her death, Tina called out to Larry as he was leaving for work: “I just finished the novel — all 260 pages of it!” As a tribute to Tina’s creative spirit, Larry, along with her writing partners Joyce Sherry and Nikki Erhlich, plan to ensure that the book is published.

Tina is survived by her husband of 50 years, Larry Biegel; her sons, Brandon Kirsch of Carmel (Jenny) and Jacob Biegel of Oakland (Anna); two grandchildren, Riley Kirsch and Olivia Kirsch; Tina’s beloved brother, Charles Almada of Seal Beach (Beatriz); and her especially loved nephews, Anthony Almada of San Clemente and Andy Almada of Temecula (Carolyn) along with their children, Ava Almada, Alexa Bearce, Taylor Almada and a cousin, Carol Davila of San Diego, with whom she maintained a lifelong relationship.

A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated to honor Tina at the Carmel Mission at 10 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 29, 2025.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions in Tina’s name be made to Rancho Cielo, 710 Old Stage Road, Salinas, CA 93908.