Attorney Profile

     Jane B. Freidson has thirty years of experience trying difficult cases in New York City.  She has specialized in family law cases since starting private practice in 1995, appearing routinely in Family Court and Supreme Court.  She has handled prenuptial agreements, divorces, separation agreements, proceedings to enforce judgments, guardianship cases, juvenile delinquency, child custody, child support, paternity, and orders of protection in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Westchester Counties.  She has represented husbands, wives and unmarried partners, and is often appointed by judges to represent children in contested custody cases.

     As a trial lawyer, Jane has seen the very best and very worst of what litigation can mean for a family in conflict.  Her mediation practice was born from her observation that contested divorce litigation is often not a path to familial peace and is rarely sufficiently focused on the needs of the children in the family.

     Jane’s mediation practice helps you work together to resolve your family disputes, restructuring your family in a way that you think is best.  Mediation can also save you thousands of dollars in legal bills.  Jane’s experience as a family law litigator sets her apart from most of her peers in the mediation world and allows her to help you evaluate your options in a real-world framework. 

     Mediation is not for everyone. Both you and your partner need to be committed to working together in an ethical way, willing to share information and ideas, capable of shifting your thinking to create a solution that works for both of you.  Not everyone can do this during the stress of separating and Jane remains an active litigator, both for those hoping to negotiate a settlement with their partner and for those who are facing a battle in court.

Degrees:     
BA, Grinnell College 1975
JD, New York University School of Law 1978

Bar Admissions:   
New York State Supreme Court 1979
Federal District Court, SDNY, NDNY, WDNY 1979
Federal Circuit Court, 2nd Circuit 1980
Federal District Court, EDNY 1995

Awards:
Thurgood Marshall Award, Association of the Bar of the City of New York 1998

Legal experience:
Civil lawyer, public interest law, 1978-1981             
Public defender 1981-1994
Union organizer 1984-1986
Private practice, family law 1995 to present

Other qualifications:
Visiting faculty member at Benjamin Cardozon Law School’s Intensive Trial Advocacy Program
Certified as trainer of trial advocacy by National Institute of Trial Advocacy
Qualified as a law guardian for children in New York City
Completed training in Divorce Mediation at the Ackerman Institute for the Family
President of the Board of Directors, Brooklyn Arts Exchange