As a Collaborative attorney and divorce mediator, I work with my clients to help them achieve their most important goals and priorities in divorce. I have found that many divorcing couples prefer the opportunity to work in the safe, respectful environment the Collaborative process provides, so that they can focus on the issues that matter most to them and their families.

My previous experience litigating matrimonial cases showed me definitively how expensive, corrosive and emotionally damaging litigation typically is for the family. Litigation cannot provide the customized, constructive way to dissolve a marriage and restructure a family that the Collaborative process offers. With Collaborative Divorce, I work directly with spouses, in structured, informal discussions, where everyone can be open, honest, and respectful.

I recognize that most divorcing couples want to and can determine their own futures. Collaborative Divorce provides targeted legal, emotional and financial support for my clients so that they can keep their discussions focused on creating balanced resolutions that work for the entire family.

I do my best to bring compassion and decency to my work with those in conflict.

EDUCATION

• Tufts University, B.S. cum laude, double major in Biology and English, 1981
• Boston University School of Law, J.D., 1985
• Brown University, M.F.A., 1992

I have presented numerous programs and conducted basic and advanced trainings for:

• New York Association of Collaborative Professionals
• International Academy of Collaborative Professionals
• Family and Divorce Mediation Council of Greater New York
• Pace University School of Law
• Association of the Bar of the City of New York
• Westchester Women’s Bar Association
• Adjunct Instructor in fiction writing at Brown University, Yeshiva University, Stern College, and the Gotham Writers’ Workshop

AFFILIATIONS

• Past President, New York Association of Collaborative Professionals (NYACP). In this role, I guided the growth and direction of the organization, worked with the board of directors to set policy and strategy and oversaw its numerous committees.
• Founding Board Member, NYACP, 2003-2015.
• Chair, Protocols Committee, NYACP. Member, Education and Training Committee, NYACP. Member, numerous NYACP work groups.
• Past Vice President, Family and Divorce Mediation Council of Greater New York; Member of the Board of Directors, 2000-2004.
• Member, International Academy of Collaborative Professionals

ARTICLES

Collaborative Law Catches On [co-written with Arlene Dubin, Esq.]

New York Law Journal

August 9, 2010

Divorce Over 50

Huffington Post

May 7, 2012