Collaborative Law
McCarthy Fingar’s Leadership in the Community
Part of the reason for the success of the collaborative format is that, once the participation agreement has been signed by the parties and their attorneys, the attorneys cannot represent their clients if the process fails to reach an agreement and/or someone wants to go to court. For instance, if one of the lawyers in our Collaborative Law group represents a client in a collaborative law engagement and a settlement is not reached, our Matrimonial & Family Law group cannot be engaged to represent the client on the continuing dispute.
Because lawyers retained to assist in the collaborative law process cannot represent those clients in a contested matter in court, the attorneys, like the clients, are motivated to “stay the course” and devote as much time as is necessary to the desired out-of-court settlement. As a result, a large proportion of McCarthy Fingar’s collaborative efforts to resolve divorce and family law issues are successful.
One of our other Collaborative Lawyers is the Firm’s Chief Counsel, Hon. Sondra M. Miller, who also heads up the firm’s Mediation & Arbitration group.
Contact Us
McCarthy Fingar’s Collaborative Law lawyers are dedicated to our clients’ success. If you think you may require our assistance or have any questions, please contact one of our Collaborative Law attorneys in our White Plains office: Kristen Mackay Pennessi by email (kpennessi@mccarthyfingar.com) or by phone (914-385-1033); or Hon. Sondra M. Miller by email (smiller@mccarthyfingar.com) or by phone (914-385-1015).
Gebhardt & Miller Speak on Parent Education in Custody Cases
Dolores Gebhardt and Hon. Sonda M. Miller, both members of our Matrimonial & Family Law, Appellate Practice and Collaborative Law groups, presented “Mandatory Parent Education in Custody Cases: The Pilot Program” at the Westchester County Courthouse. This CLE program, sponsored by the Family Law Section of the Westchester County Bar Association, described the requirements of the new initiative in which judges must refer divorcing parents to OCA-approved classes that assist the parents in putting their children first.
McCarthy Fingar’s “Super Lawyers”
Six of our lawyers have been selected Super Lawyers in the New York Metropolitan area. Gail M. Boggio has again been selected in the fields of Estate & Trust Litigation/Estate Planning & Probate/Elder Law. Kathleen Donelli has again been selected in the field of Family Law. Dolores Gebhardt has again been selected in the field of Family Law. James K. Landau has again been selected in the fields of Commercial Litigation and Appellate, and has again been selected for the Top 25 in Westchester County for Super Lawyers. Frank W. Streng has again been selected in the fields of Estate & Trust Litigation and Estate Planning & Probate. Douglas S. Trokie has again been selected in the fields of Business/Corporate, Closely Held Business, Real Estate, Business and Civil Litigation. Super Lawyers is a listing of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have been recognized by their colleagues as having the highest degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.
Boggio, Bramson, Brophy, Donelli, Gebhardt, Miller & Streng Selected as Super Lawyers
Seven of our lawyers have been selected Super Lawyers in the New York Metropolitan area. Gail M. Boggio has again been selected in the fields of Estate & Trust Litigation/Estate Planning & Probate/Elder Law. Howell Bramson has again been selected in the fields of Estate Planning/Tax and Corporate Business. Joseph Brophy has again been selected in the fields of Personal Injury/Medical Malpractice, General, Estate & Trust Litigation. Kathleen Donelli has again been selected in the fields of Family Law/Collaborative Law/Appellate. Dolores Gebhardt has again been selected in the fields of Family Law/Collaborative Law/Appellate. Judge Sondra Miller has again been selected in the fields of Appellate/Family Law. Frank W. Streng has been selected in the fields of Estate & Trust Litigation and Estate Planning & Probate. Super Lawyers is a listing of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have been recognized by their colleagues as having the highest degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.
Miller Authors Article on Prenuptial Agreements for New York Law Journal
Hon. Sondra M. Miller, who has a national reputation on family law issues and leads our Mediation & Arbitration Practice Group and Appellate Practice group, authored an article for the New York Law Journal on Prenuptial Agreements entitled, “Come Live With Me and Be my Love…But Sign This Prenup!“
Boggio, Bramson, Brophy, Donelli, Gebhardt & Miller Selected as Super Lawyers
Six of our lawyers have been selected Super Lawyers in the New York Metropolitan area. Gail M. Boggio has been selected in the fields of Estate & Trust Litigation/Estate Planning & Probate/Elder Law. Howell Bramson has again been selected in the fields of Estate Planning/Tax and Corporate Business. Joseph Brophy has again been selected in the fields of Personal Injury/Medical Malpractice, General, Estate & Trust Litigation. Kathleen Donelli has again been selected in the fields of Family Law/Collaborative Law/Appellate. Dolores Gebhardt has again been selected in the fields of Family Law/Collaborative Law/Appellate. Judge Sondra Miller has again been selected in the fields of Appellate/Family Law. Super Lawyers is a listing of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have been recognized by their colleagues as having the highest degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.
Bramson, Brophy, Donelli, Gebhardt & Miller Selected as Super Lawyers
Five of our lawyers have been selected Super Lawyers in the New York Metropolitan area. Howell Bramson has been selected in the fields of Estate Planning/Tax and Corporate Business. Joseph Brophy has again been selected in the fields of Personal Injury/Medical Malpractice, General, Estate & Trust Litigation. Kathleen Donelli has again been selected in the fields of Family Law/Collaborative Law/Appellate. Dolores Gebhardt has been selected in the fields of Family Law/Collaborative Law/Appellate. Judge Sondra Miller has been selected in the fields of Appellate/Family Law. Joe Brophy has also been selected as one of Westchester’s top 25 lawyers. Super Lawyers is a listing of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have been recognized by their colleagues as having the highest degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.
Judge Miller Interviewed by Wall Street Journal on Impact of New Divorce Law
Hon. Sondra M. Miller, who leads our Mediation & Arbitration Practice Group and Appellate Practice groups, was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal on the impact of the new divorce law. Judge Miller, who has been a long-time proponent of reforms in divorce law, discussed how the new divorce law, passed in 2010, has had unintended consequences on temporary alimony for some affluent New Yorkers. See video below for that interview. Footage provided by Wall Street Journal.
Judge Miller & Donelli Speak to Law Revision Commission
Hon. Sondra M. Miller and Kathleen Donelli, members of our Matrimonial & Family Law and Collaborative Law groups, were invited and met with the New York State Law Revision Commission (“LRC”) at a Roundtable Meeting on Maintenance Awards in Divorce Proceedings on October 25, 2011 at Albany Law School in Albany, New York. Both Judge Miller and Kathleen had the opportunity to discuss the legislation that the New York State Legislature has directed the LRC to propose by December 31, 2011 on maintenance awards.
Boggio, Donelli & Gebhardt Elected Directors of Women’s Bar Association of State of New York
Gail M. Boggio, Kathleen Donelli and Dolores Gebhardt were elected and then sworn in as directors of the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York.
Judge Miller Receives the “Above the Bar” Award & Selected as “Pace Setter”
Hon. Sondra M. Miller was selected as the “Pace Setter” and received the “Above the Bar” award on April 28, 2011 in White Plains, New York.
Judge Miller Interviewed by New York Law Journal on Court Ruling on New No-Fault Divorce Legislation
Hon. Sondra M. Miller, who has been a long-time proponent of “no fault” divorce and helped bring upon its passage in law last year, was interviewed by the New York Law Journal (2/4/2011) to comment on a recent ruling on the new law by Essex County Justice Robert J. Muller. Justice Muller is the second judge to rule that a trial is required if a party disputes whether, under the new law, a marriage has “broken down irretrievably.” The article went on to say:
“Sondra Miller, the former Second Department justice who headed a commission appointed by former Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye to examine the state’s matrimonial laws, disagreed with Justice Muller’s conclusion stating that the ‘irretrievably broken’ language must be read in the context within which it was written. . . . ‘It is quite clear,’ Ms. Miller said, that the ‘purpose’ of the language referring to an oath provided by ‘one party’ was to ‘avoid litigation.’ ‘It was not the intent of the Legislature and the bill’s sponsors to avoid litigation on fault grounds only to substitute litigation upon the ground of irretrievable breakdown,’ added Ms. Miller who is now chief counsel at McCarthy Fingar in White Plains. ‘The statute was designed to avoid the expense and delay of full trials.'”
Judge Miller Speaks at Induction Ceremony of Justice Linda J. Christopher
Hon. Sondra M. Miller spoke at the Rockland County Courthouse in New City at the induction ceremony of newly elected Justice Linda J. Christopher.
Judge Miller Interviewed by New York Law Journal on “No Fault” Divorce
Hon. Sondra M. Miller was interviewed by the New York Law Journal as a spokesperson for various state and local bar groups who lobbied Albany legislators for an amendment of divorce law to permit “no fault” divorce. Judge Miller, who is also the Director of the Office of Family Services for the Office of Court Administration, organized the event in Albany, to remind legislators of the need to change the divorce laws and to highlight the near-unanimous support that the no-fault option has among bar groups. In her interview, Judge Miller also spoke of the difficulties the no-fault option faced in the current legislative session, since no-fault divorce is just one of a myriad of items vying for attention. In the interview, Judge Miller said: “They are not focused on this issue. And we, as a group, are at a disadvantage because we are not lobbyists.”
Judge Miller is Keynote Speaker for The Family & Divorce Mediation Council of Greater New York
Hon. Sondra M. Miller was a keynote speaker on November 8, 2007 for The Family & Divorce Mediation Council of Greater New York (FDMCGNY) at its 25th anniversary gala celbration in New York, New York. FDMCGNY is a not-for-profit group dedicated to the constructive resolution of traditional and non-traditional family disputes.
Gebhardt and Judge Miller Author Article on Divorce Law and Abandonment
Dolores Gebhardt and Hon. Sonda M. Miller authored an article in the Pace Law Review, Justice Abandoned: Forty Years of Stalemate in Actions for Divorce on the Ground of Abandonment, 27 Pace Law Review 605 (2007). Click on Article to see this publication.
Gebhardt & Judge Miller Lecture in Manhattan on No-Fault Divorce
Dolores Gebhardt and Hon. Sondra M. Miller spoke at a forum in New York City at the Association of the Bar of the City of New York on October 11, 2007, entitled “The Need for No-Fault Divorce.”
Judge Miller Joins Board of Legal Services of Hudson Valley
Hon. Sondra M. Miller has joined the Board of Directors of Legal Services of the Hudson Valley.
Miller Interviewed on Recommendations of Matrimonial Commission
Hon. Sondra M. Miller In the aftermath of the recent bribery conviction of former state Supreme Court Justice Gerald P. Garson, there has been substantial media coverage of the manner in which matrimonial and family law cases are litigated in the court system. Judge Miller, who headed the Matrimonial Commission formed by Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye, was interviewed by The Institute for Judicial Studies for both her observations on the case and efforts to implement the recommendations of the Matrimonial Commission. For excerpts of that interview, click at Interview. Click at Report to see the recommendations of the Matrimonial Commission.
Judge Miller Lectures on Ethical Considerations and Attorney Fees
Hon. Sondra M. Miller lectured on Ethical Considerations and Attorney Fees as part of an all-day program in Tarrytown, New York on October 24, 2006 entitled “Probate and Administration of Estates” for the Trusts & Estates Law Section of the New York State Bar Association.
Bramson and Donelli Lecture on Tax Issues Related to Divorce
Howell Bramson and Kathleen Donelli lectured on “Tax Issues Related to Divorce” on May 9, 2006 at The Bank of New York in White Plains. For lecture materials, click on Seminar Outline.
Judge Sondra Miller Joins Firm and Leads the Firm’s Appellate and Mediation and Arbitration Practice Groups
We are pleased to announce that Judge Sondra M. Miller, retired from the Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department, as of January 1, 2006, has joined our Firm as Chief Counsel. Judge Miller is a member of the Firm’s Commercial Litigation and Matrimonial & Family Law groups and will lead the Firm’s appellate practice.
Mandatory Parent Education in Custody Cases: The Pilot Program
by Hon. Sondra M. Miller on 02/27/2020
Family Law Section of the Westchester County Bar Association
[Read in full]Judicial Discretion & the Voice of the Child in Resolving Custody Disputes: Comments on the Think Tank Report
by Hon. Sondra M. Miller on 04/01/2014
[Read in full]
New Divorce Legislation – No Fault Divorce, Maintenance Guidelines, Counsel & Expert Fees, Modification of Child Support
by Hon. Sondra M. Miller on 10/14/2010
Westchester Women's Bar Association
[Read in full]Justice Abandoned: Forty Years of Stalemate in Actions for Divorce on the Ground of Abandonment
by Hon. Sondra M. Miller on 01/01/2007
27 Pace Law Review 605 (2007)
[Read in full]| Presenter | Description | Organization | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Hon. Sondra M. Miller |
Mandatory Parent Education in Custody Cases: The Pilot Program |
Family Law Section of the Westchester County Bar Association |
02/27/2020 |
|
Hon. Sondra M. Miller |
“Who Owns Your DNA: Property, Privacy and the Cancer Battle” |
Judges and Lawyers Breast Cancer Alert, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Manhattan |
11/10/2010 |
|
Hon. Sondra M. Miller |
New Divorce Legislation: No Fault Divorce, Maintenance Guidelines, Counsel & Expert Fees, Modification of Child Support & Orders of Protection |
Westchester Women’s Bar Association, White Plains, New York |
10/14/2010 |
|
Hon. Sondra M. Miller |
Keynote Speaker |
New York, New York, The Family & Divorce Mediation Council of Greater New York |
11/08/2007 |
|
Hon. Sondra M. Miller |
“The Need for No-Fault Divorce” |
10/11/2007 | |
|
Howell Bramson |
“Tax Issues Related to Divorce” |
The Bank of New York, White Plains, New York |
05/09/2006 |