State: Pennsylvania

John Pierce enjoys family law because he likes helping people through their daily life and handling issues that affects them each and every day. He enjoys helping individual people.

“I would let the client know that I understand their legal issues are personal and often emotional. I handle each issue with care knowing that not everything is about numbers and dollar figures. I handle each case intentionally working to serve the client, while also advising on cost effective approaches to litigation.” he says.

Pittsburgh divorce attorney Jill Rosenthal has a strong interest in child psychology and family dynamics.

Because of her background in child psychology and development, she is able to work with families undergoing the stressful process of establishing custodial rights.

Ms. Rosenthal also knows the importance of being honest with clients upfront and working with them to achieve attainable goals.

“The court process involves multiple steps, and it is in a client’s best interest to be patient and to attempt to minimize their emotions throughout so that they can focus on their ultimate goal,” said Ms. Rosenthal.

Ms. Rosenthal also trained under one of the leading court-appointed child custody psychologists and is experienced in reading, reviewing, and critiquing court-ordered evaluations, which can aid in preparing child custody cases for settlement or trial.

Family law to Caroline J. Thompson has always been an excellent hybrid of two of her passions: the law and psychology.

“In family law, you get to develop a relationship with the clients that you do not have in many if any, other areas of the law,” Ms. Thompson said. “It is very gratifying to assist people, and fight for them, during a very difficult time in their lives.”

She said so much of family law is helping people sift through the emotional aspects of a divorce to get them to a resolution that they can live with and move forward with their lives. Ms. Thompson thinks it is extremely important for a client to know the pros and cons of each action and the possible outcomes.

“I do not shy away from having the honest, and sometimes difficult, conversation about what to expect with clients,” she said.

Amy Humbert said she takes a very aggressive approach to her cases when that approach is needed.

“I seem to know when to push forward with issues my clients believe in, and I have been very successful in child custody cases,” Ms. Humbert said.

She believes that parents need to take a step back from their problems and issues and look at the best interest of the children and what works for them.

“I enjoy fighting to get father’s time their children,” she said. “It is gratifying to help people through hard times.”

Courtney Knox said having an empathetic personality is necessary for a divorce lawyer when dealing with people going through a very traumatic event in their lives.

“However, it’s not just being empathetic and understanding,” she said. “It’s also about trying to introduce levity into their situation because if they are doom and gloom all the time it’s going to be so much harder for them to get through it.”

Ms. Knox said she tries to pull her clients away from the emotion as much as possible so they can see their case from an outside perspective.

During her time as a Support Hearing Officer, Ms. Knox found it appalling how many people were unprepared to go into support hearings just thinking someone else was going to do the work for them.

“There are so many nuances that help you tweak things in your favor, and that experience really opened my eyes to the possibilities that were there in regards to arguing support,” Ms. Knox said.

Certified Mediator

Pittsburgh divorce attorney Richard A. Julius chooses to practice family law because it is one of the few areas of practice where there is an opportunity to help people daily.

With a sharp focus on the intricacies of family law, Mr. Julius makes sure his clients are always kept up to date on the progress of their cases.

“I believe that an attention to detail is one of the most important traits that a family law attorney can have,” Mr. Julius said. “In cases that so often involve countless moving parts, clients appreciate the knowledge and forethought that goes along with being able to assess the effects of each decision on each of those moving parts.”

Mr. Julius understands that the system and process are not designed to make winners and losers. Winners are the people making intelligently aggressive decisions with their family’s best interests in mind.

“The best way to describe the type of attorney I am is intelligently aggressive,” Mr. Julius said. “You should expect during your case to know your options and, to the extent that such prediction is possible, the effects of each option, including the consequences of inaction. That way, you can make the most informed decision about what is best for you and  your family.”

Being reasonable goes a long way in domestic relations matters, according to Jason Lasser.

“Judges and mediators constantly think, ‘what’s the reasonable thing to do in this situation?'” Mr. Lasser said. “So if you are both thinking like that, it can benefit you in the long run.”

Being reasonable also helps set expectations with clients, he said.

“The sooner you can realize the reality of your case, the more productive you are going to be in your case,” Mr. Lasser said. “It’s about getting everyone on the same wavelength.”

Getting the attorney and the client on the same page is crucial because that relationship must be built on trust from the onset.

“Full and honest disclosure from our clients is a must,” he said. “I will be honest and upfront in my discussions with, and representation of, my clients and the same is necessary for return, so that we may represent their interests in this sensitive matter to the fullest extent.”

Ms. Boogay has been with the firm since 2011, practicing exclusively family law. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Boogay’s practice was primarily family law focused resulting in a decade-and-a-half of family law practice.

Ms. Boogay oversees the operation of the Philadelphia and Radnor offices of Cordell and Cordell as Litigation Manager in addition to maintaining her own caseload.