About

My desire to attend law school crystalized in college; however, it only became feasible for me to attend years later, at the age of 30.  Never waivering from my long-held goal of becoming an attorney, after graduating from college I was fortunate enough to work for a boutique law firm as a file clerk and relief receptionist on Madision Avenue.  This job experience was an invaluable introduction to handling client needs and concerns, and also law firm functioning.  The next step in my then "legal" career was to become a real estate paralegal.  That employment, during a very exciting time in the commercial lending and residential real estate market, provided a different aspect of my legal education in the real world - transactional work.  I handled mass closings for numerous luxury Manhattan apartment buidlings which had converted to condominium or cooperative ownership and also assisted counsel in the underlying transaction and commercial lender work, among other real estate matters. Having been so fortunate as to attend Fordham University School of Law, and based on my prior employment experience, by the time I graduated I knew I wanted to practice in a "people-oriented" area of law, meaning not transactional, corporate or the like.  I also knew that I preferred to work at a smaller law firm where, based on my personal knowlege and what I had gleaned during the on-campus interview process, I believed I would gain far more experience and responsibility at such a firm.  That is how I came to practice matrimonial and family law exclusively since my admission to the Bar almost 30 years ago. When people ask what i do for a living, once I tell them, it is not uncommon for them to respond, more or less "Oh, that must be so depressing", or "Oh, that's tough".  In my view, we matirmonial and family attorneys are helping people address, in a time of incredible stress and uncertainty, what is most important in their lives: their children, their home, their life savings, perhaps a business interest or a professional practice, and their financial future.  Divorce is a process - and not just a legal process.  Hopefully, at the end of that process, the seeds of a new beginning have been planted, and within them hold the promise of a happy future.  The vast majority of cases, whether pre-judgment (meanining not yet divorced) or post-judgment (addressing issues that arise after parties are divorced), can be resolved without resort to litigation.  For those which cannot be so resolved, litigation is the tool, though it is financially and emotionally very costly. It it my hope that in providing this glimpse into my background, you have a broader sense of me as an attorney and as a person than just reviewing my professional qualifications can provide.   

Practices Areas

Divorce and separation

Language

English

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