Jill received an undergraduate degree in mathematics from Tufts University and a law degree and MBA from Columbia University. Prior to becoming a mediator, Jill began her legal career practicing corporate law at the prominent New York law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. After leaving the firm, she worked as an in-house corporate attorney and then as a Vice President for Business Development at Citigroup. Jill decided to leave the corporate world and open her own law and mediation practice because she was interested in helping people find a better way to resolve disputes affecting them personally. Jill had a private practice for 5 years in New York City, focusing on family mediation and collaborative law. After relocating to Los Angeles, she opened her practice in Beverly Hills in January 2010, where she is now based full time.
When negotiating corporate transactions, Jill sought to understand the needs and interests of her own client and of the party on the other side of the table and to identify creative solutions that worked for both parties. Jill brings this philosophy and experience of finding common ground to her work as a mediator and collaborative attorney. In addition, her years as a corporate lawyer and a business development executive, combined with her educational background in mathematics and business, make her comfortable and well-versed in understanding and discussing complicated financial situations which are often part of divorce settlements and other matters.
Credentials
General Education
- Tufts University, B.S. Mathematics, 1988 (Magna Cum Laude)
- Columbia University, J.D., 1994 (Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar)
- Columbia University, M.B.A., 1994 (Beta Gamma Sigma)
- New York Bar, Admitted 1995
- California Bar, Admitted 2010
Professional Affiliations
- Los Angeles Collaborative Family Law Association (LACFLA), Board member 2011-2013, Member since 2010
- Los Angeles Westside Collaborative Divorce Professionals (LAWCDP), Member since 2012
- Family Law Attorney Mediators Engaged in Study (FLAMES), Member since 2013
- California State Bar, Family section, Member since 2010
- California State Bar Family Law Section ADR/CDR Standing Committee (South), Member since 2010
- Southern California Mediation Association, Member 2010
- Women’s Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, Member 2009
- New York Association of Collaborative Professionals, Member 2007
- International Association of Collaborative Professionals, Member 2007
- Family and Divorce Mediation Council of Greater New York, Board Member 2006-2007, Member 2003-2007
Teaching, Speaking and Writing
- “The Elephant in the Family Room – Finding the Balance Between the Importance of the Law and Interest-based Negotiation in Family Law Mediation and Collaborative Divorce” Panel Presentation 2012, 24th Annual Southern California Mediation Association Conference
- “Signing Off or Selling Out? Client Self-Determination in the Face of Unconscionable Agreements, Unusual Settlements, and Unequal Bargaining Power” Panel Presentation 2012, California State Bar Family Law Section ADR/CDR Standing Committee (South) Conference
- Center for Understanding in Conflict (formerly Center for Mediation in Law), Training Staff, 2006, 2012
- Benjamin Cardozo School of Law, Adjunct Professor, Divorce Mediation, Spring 2006
- New York University School of Law, Mediator, Lawyering Program Mediation Exercise, 2004
Mediation and Collaborative Law Trainings
- Los Angeles Collaborative Family Law Association, Advanced Trainings, ongoing
- New York Association of Collaborative Professionals, Collaborative Law Training, 2007
- Center for Understanding in Conflict (formerly Center for Mediation in Law), Mediation Intensive Training, 2003, Advanced Training Seminars, ongoing
- Center for Family and Divorce Mediation, Certificate in Divorce Mediation, 2003
- Ackerman Institute for the Family, Divorce Mediation Practicum observation, 2003
- Queens Mediation Network, Basic Mediation Training, Certified as OCS Mediator for Community Disputes, 2003