Helene Bernstein, a FamilyKind mediator, and member of the Advisory Board, has been a practicing family and matrimonial law attorney for over twenty-five years in New York City representing both adults and children in the Family, Supreme and Appellate Courts. After representing many children in high conflict custody and divorces cases, Ms. Bernstein become trained as a divorce mediator and collaborative attorney in order to improve outcomes for families and provide options outside of the courtroom. Toward that goal, she, along with the founding members of FamilyKind, created a sliding scale fee mediation program for families going through separation and divorce.

Ms. Bernstein has been appointed as a mediator for the Kings and New York County Supreme Court Presumptive Divorce Mediation Panels. She currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Family Divorce Mediation Council and is chair of the continuing education committee. Her numerous professional affiliations include memberships with the New York State Divorce Mediation Council, the National Association for Divorce Professionals, the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, the Interdisciplinary Forum on Mental Health ,and the New York State Women’s Bar Association. Ms. Bernstein graduated with a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School and a B.A. from Binghamton University.

Jo Brody is a mediator with FamilyKind as well as a family and divorce mediator and collaborative attorney in private practice in NYC, Westchester, and “zoom" state-wide. A former commercial litigator, Jo now dedicates her legal and mediation practice exclusively to helping people find non-adversarial resolutions to conflict. Jo’s mediation and collaborative services include divorce, separation, parenting, and finances, as well prenuptial and postnuptial agreements. She also offers legal consulting and review for clients in the mediation process, drafting services, and the preparation and processing of uncontested divorce papers.

Jo is the former Vice President of the Family and Divorce Mediation Council and Co-Chair of their Mentorship Program, is on the Board of the New York State Council of Divorce Mediation, and is a member of various local and statewide bar associations. She was selected to the Matrimonial Mediation Rosters for the Supreme Courts in Westchester and New York Counties. In addition to FamilyKind, Jo is proud to volunteer/offer sliding scale services with the New York Legal Assistance Group and Westchester Community Mediation Center. Jo received her law degree from New York University School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan.

Catherine Canadé is a child inclusive mediator and a consulting attorney for FamilyKind and has worked as a mentor in the FamilyKind Mentorship Program for many years. She has served as a communications coach for couples going through separate and divorce.

Catherine is a collaborative attorney and family and divorce mediator in private practice in Brooklyn, Manhattan and on the North Fork of Long Island and also serves as a consulting and review attorney for clients in the mediation process.

Ms. Canadé is the former president of the Family and Divorce Mediation Council of Greater New York and former co-chair of their Mentorship Program.

Ms. Canadé served for many years on the Custody and Visitation Mediation Panel of the New York City Family Courts and is a long-time certified mediator and mentor at the New York Peace Institute, where she has trained new mediators through their apprenticeship program and helped set up and train mediators in their Custody and Visitation Mediation Program.

Ms. Canadé is an active member of the New York State Council of Divorce Mediation, and is the co-founder and former Assistant Director of the National Association Of Divorce Professionals, Brooklyn Chapter, a founding member of the Long Island Collaborative Divorce Professionals.

Ms. Canadé is on the Board of Directors of the New York Association of Collaborative Professionals, where she is a founder and co-chair of their Mentorship program and is the co-chair of their Racial Equity Media Club, part of the Racial Equity Committee.

Ms. Canadé received her BA with high honors from Vassar College and her JD cum laude from the Washington College of Law at American University.

Amy Carron Day is a mediator, GoodTalk4Children facilitator and an Advisor for FamilyKind. She has been a family and divorce mediator, as well as a Collaborative divorce attorney in New York for over 25 years. Ms. Day has dedicated her private practice to educating clients with family and divorce disputes to help resolve them out of court in a peaceful, fair and efficient manner.

She has always been an active member of the New York State Council of Divorce Mediators and the Family and Divorce Mediation Council, along with the New York Association for Collaborative Professionals in New York City. Ms. Day has worked extensively with children of divorce, as well as teaching conflict resolution skills to children in her volunteer work. She received a B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies at Cornell University, then a J.D. at Brooklyn Law School.

Ana-Lisa Gertner, a mediator for FamilyKind, is a Family Mediator and Divorce Coach at Manhattan Mediators, and a Director at the Center for Mediation and Training in Manhattan. As a mediator she helps families going through conflicts and disagreements arrive at solutions without having to go to court. She has experience mediating a wide range of family conflicts, including parent- adolescent conflicts.

In addition to helping couples separate and divorce, Ms. Gertner also works with couples in marital mediation, using mediation techniques to improve the relationship and to help people stay together. As a coach she works with her clients to determine what is important to them and helps them stay focused on their goals, working with them to strategize and negotiate from a place of strength rather than emotion. She also helps them communicate effectively with their professionals and co-parents. Ms. Gertner trained as a coach at New York University, and she uniquely combines her skills as both a coach and a mediator.

Andrew Haas is a FamilyKind mediator and founder of a private mediation practice based in NYC. Andrew is informed by a deep commitment to supporting each person's voice and vision within the mediation process. He sees mediation as an opportunity for clients to have a different kind of conversation - one which brings clarity, connectedness, and direction for how to move forward.

In addition to working with FamilyKind, Andrew enjoys co-facilitating mediation apprenticeships and trainings for Community Mediation Services in Queens, New York. He also serves as a mediation coach at Hofstra University's Maurice A. Deane School of Law. Andrew is a member of the Family Divorce Mediation Council and the Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation. He received an M.A. in Peacebuilding and Human Rights Education from Teachers College of Columbia University and an Advanced Certificate in Conflict Resolution from Columbia University's International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution. Andrew attended Wheaton College in Illinois where he studied International Relations.

Rich Heller serves at FamilyKind as a parent coach, parenting coordinator, and parent education teacher. No stranger to conflict, Mr. Heller is a child of divorce, has been divorced and successfully remarried. He is a “Conflict Coach” who works with people engaged in high levels of conflict so that they can create cooperation out of conflict. He works with individuals and couples, focusing on how they can have a relationship that works with minimum friction and maximum support for their children. Mr. Heller also helps organizations and businesses transform destructive conflict into a vehicle for change and innovation.

He graduated from Vassar College with a Bachelor of Arts degree and received his master’s degree in social work from Hunter College. He then trained to become a mediator with the Center for Understanding in Conflict and trained to be a parent coordinator through the Association for Family and Conciliation Courts. Mr. Heller is a Certified Professional Coach, and an ELI Master Practitioner.

Andrea Hirshman, Esq. is a New York divorce mediator and collaborative law attorney. After experiencing the negativity of litigation, Andrea found divorce mediation and collaborative divorce – forums for settling divorce terms in a dignified manner. People want to be listened to and understood and treated as if they matter. When working with Andrea, clients feel heard, understood and connected all of which empowers them to stay focused on what is important to them and to make good decisions. Andrea’s practice includes all matters having to do with marriage, divorce, separation and interpersonal relationships. Andrea is immersed in the community of mediators and collaborative attorneys - you can learn more about her at https://www.andreahirshman.com/

Emily Jonas is a mediator, parent educator and the Director of Client Services and Outreach for FamilyKind. She is a divorce mediator and family law attorney with over 20 years of experience working with children, families and divorcing couples. Before becoming a divorce mediator, she was the pilot director of the first high school mediation program in New York City, which serves as a national model. Ms. Jonas also collaborated in establishing the first custody and visitation mediation program in New York County Family Court.

She directed the guardian-ad-litem program at the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, representing children in custody, visitation and relocation cases in New York County Supreme Court and Family Court. Ms. Jonas advocated for special needs children in educational matters at Westchester Putnam Legal Services (now Legal Services of the Hudson Valley). She also launched their first pro bono program, successfully recruiting volunteer attorneys to represent people who could not otherwise afford them.

Ms. Jonas is a member of the New York State Council on Divorce Mediation and the Family and Divorce Mediation Council of Greater New York, previously serving as a Board Member for nine years. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania magna cum laude and received her law degree from Northeastern University. She is fluent in Spanish.

Carolyn Kalos has been a family lawyer in New York City for over 25 years, allowing her to see the toll that divorce, custody disputes, and conflict can take on families. She has experience in all areas of family law, and an ability to understand and account for the needs of different parties in complex family dynamics. Prior to joining Diamond, Fee & Kalos, PLLC, Carolyn founded Family Friendly Mediation, where she served as the principal attorney, mediator, parenting coordinator, and divorce coach. Before entering private practice, Carolyn spent 19 years at the Legal Aid Society, Juvenile Rights Practice, first as a trial lawyer and then as an Assistant Attorney in Charge. While at Legal Aid, Carolyn represented children in child abuse and neglect cases, custody cases, and juvenile delinquency cases.

Carolyn was an Adjunct Professor, a trial skills instructor, and a clinical instructor all in the areas of child welfare and juvenile justice. Carolyn was also the Consulting Interim Legal Manager of the Family Law Unit at My Sister’s Place, where she provided representation and advocacy to survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. She also worked as Associate Director and Training Coordinator at the Center for Mediation & Training. Carolyn volunteers as a mediator at the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG).

She is a consultant mediator and parenting coordinator with FamilyKind. Carolyn is on the roster of Mediators approved for appointment by the Westchester County Matrimonial & Family Courts. Professional memberships include the National Association of Divorce Professionals (NADP), the Association of Family and Conciliatory Courts (AFCC), the New York State Council on Divorce Mediation (NYSCDM), The Academy of Professional Family Mediators (APFM), the New York State Bar Association, Family Law Sections, and the New York Women’s Bar Association. Carolyn graduated with a BA in Psychology from the University of Michigan and earned her Juris Doctor from Emory Law School.

Randi L. Karmel is a matrimonial and family law litigator and mediator. She is also a parent coordinator, is certified to represent children in the First Department; and is certified to represent clients in Domestic Violence matters in the Integrated Domestic Violence Court. Representing children has given Ms. Karmel special insight as a parent coordinator and mediator.

Ms. Karmel has over 25 years of experience in and out of Court. Prior to opening up her firm, she was Deputy Inspector General at the Department of Investigation (and prior, Examining Attorney, She served as an Assistant District Attorney at the Kings County, District Attorney’s Office where she advanced through the Investigations, Felony Trial, Domestic Violence and Major Narcotics Bureau to name a few. She graduated from the Washington College of Law, American University and was offered a prestigious fellowship to work on Capital Hill in Washington, DC prior to entering law school.

Her main areas of practice are entirely Matrimonial and Family Law. Ms. Karmel is a member of the New York State Bar Association (Member, Executive Committee, Family Law Section), Brooklyn Bar Association (Member, Family Law Section and Chair of the Alternate Dispute Resolution Committee (2022, 2023, 2024), Part 137 Fee Dispute Arbitrator; She was also a former Trustee of the Brooklyn Bar Association; formally volunteered her time with Judges and Lawyer’s Breast Cancer Alert (past Member, Executive Committee).

Ms. Karmel has lectured for the Brooklyn Bar Association on Representing Children with Special Needs and Mediation for Lawyers. She also lectured with experts on Substance Abuse in custody matters.

Ms. Karmel believes in volunteering her time and resources and currently volunteers her time at the Women’s Bar Association, Pro Bono Project and at Savvy Ladies (Executive Board (past) and current member of Board of Directors and Gala Committee; Nominations Committee); She has recently been a guest on “Black Dad’s Unfiltered” and “How Not to Suck at Divorce” podcasts and has also been a guest on Journey Beyond Divorce and has worked with several financial divorce planners and divorce coaches.

Her work has been published in the following decisions and article: New York Law Journal Jin C., v. Juliana L., New York Law Journal: Mother is Barred From Citing Destroyed Diary in Custody Case; New York Law Journal Reported Case: LR v. AZ; article published in the Brooklyn Barrister, “Keeping Privileged Medical

Records Confidential. In addition to the above, Ms. Karmel has been quoted in various publications and television appearances and has been elected to Super Lawyers for over 10 years.

Teresa Ombres is a divorce mediator, attorney and collaborative attorney, with a private practice in Great Neck, New York. After some disillusionment with matrimonial practice early in her career, she quit the law for eleven years. When the Peer Mediation Group in her daughter’s high school did a demonstration for the Parents Association she realized, in a light-bulb moment, that she was a mediator. Ms. Ombres was immediately trained in divorce and community mediation (that was in 1996) and has since devoted her career to understanding and helping people resolve conflict.

Ms. Ombres spent many years on the Board of the Family and Divorce Mediation Council of Greater New York, where she served as Co-chair of the Education Committee. She also spent several years on the Board of the New York Association of Collaborative Professionals. She is a founding member of the New York Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts where she served on the Executive Board for over twenty years.

In the beginning of her mediation career Ms. Ombres worked part-time at Community Mediation Services in Jamaica, Queens, first at the director of the Bayside Satellite office and later managing the first pilot program in Custody-Visitation Mediations at the Queens Family Court. She previously taught the Judicial Matrimonial ADR Externship at St. John’s School of Law, and now teaches the Family Law Practicum at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University. Ms. Ombres is currently enrolled in a seminar taught by Pauline Tesler, a founding member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, where practitioners from around the world are taking a deep dive into better understanding how people’s brains and emotions work in order to help separating couples resolve, not only their immediate issues, but the underlying reasons for their conflict.

Ms. Ombres is a graduate of Fordham University and New York Law School.

Divorce & Family Mediator, Coach and Parenting Coordinator; Psychotherapist; Social Worker

Stephanie is a licensed master social worker, psychotherapist, and mediator, with 25+ years of experience. She's trained at Columbia University School of Social Work, The International Trauma Studies Program and The Center for Mediation and Training. Stephanie has lived and worked all over the world including the US, UK, Middle East, South America, and the West Indies. She is passionate about providing therapeutic support to families and their children by providing supportive mediation, parenting coordination and coaching support.

Joelle Perez is a compassionate and experienced divorce mediation attorney who serves as a neutral third party, helping clients reach mutually agreeable settlements with dignity and respect. Her mediation style is rooted in creating a safe, supportive environment that prioritizes the emotional and financial well-being of both spouses—and their children.

Having personally navigated divorce mediation, Joelle brings a unique and deeply empathetic perspective to her work. She understands firsthand the emotional challenges her clients face, which allows her to approach each case with sensitivity, insight, and a genuine commitment to helping families transition with care.

Joelle is the founder of Peacemaker Divorce Mediation, a practice dedicated to guiding clients through the divorce process in a cooperative, amicable, and cost-effective way. Her mission is to help individuals move forward with clarity, control, and compassion.

In addition to her private practice, Joelle is a leader in the field of divorce mediation. She is the Past President of the New York State Council on Divorce Mediation, the former Chair of the Council’s Nominating Committee, and former Co-Chair of its Education Committee. She also serves as Program Manager for the Long Island Collaborative Divorce Professionals, working to advance collaborative approaches to family law.

Carmen M. Rodriguez is one of the few mediators with the unique experience of having worked in a Wall Street Law firm as well as having mediated over 500 cases in family, matrimonial, commercial and real estate law. She has her own law and alternative dispute resolution prac-tice in Manhattan.

A graduate of Brown University and Columbia Law School, Carmen is recognized by her peers for her great ability to analyze complex topics and explain them in plain English.

To learn more about Carmen and Rodriguez Law & Mediation, PLLC, please visit:

https://www.rodriguezlawandmediation.com

Alla Roytberg Esq. is a lawyer, mediator and frequent lecturer with over 30 years of professional experience. She provides legal services in NY and NJ and mediation services nationally and internationally.

Ms. Roytberg’s practice focuses on all aspects of family and matrimonial law, including representation, mediation, collaborative divorce an work on prenuptial and marital agreements. Her areas of concentration also include general mediation, residential real estate representation and ancillary general practice. Ms. Roytberg is fluent in the Russian language and frequently addresses the legal needs of the Russian Community in New York and of the Multi-Cultural and international community in Queens County, where she maintains her main office.

Ms. Roytberg is a member and past President of the Family and Divorce Mediation Council of Greater New York, member and co-chair of the Court Relations Committee at the New York State Council on Divorce Mediation, an Advanced Practitioner Member of the Association for Conflict Resolution, a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals and New York Association of Collaborative Practitioners, of the New Jersey Mediators Association and Pennsylvania Mediators Association. She is also a member of the Family Section and Dispute Resolution Section of the New York State Bar Association and a member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution committee at the New York City Bar.

She is currently an active mediator member of the matrimonial panels in Kings, Queens, Richmond, New York, Nassau and Westchester counties as well as various upstate court panels in New York State.

Jennifer Safian serves FamilyKind as a trilingual mediator as well as a Member of the Board of Directors. She is a family and divorce mediator and has been in private practice in New York City since 2003. Ms. Safian volunteered many hours mediating custody and visitation disputes at Cluster—a mediation center in Yonkers. For many years, she was also active on the Custody and Visitation Panel of the Family Courts of the five boroughs of New York City and was a divorce mediator for the Westchester County Supreme Court’s Matrimonial Mediation Program.

Ms. Safian is an accredited mediator member of the New York State Council on Divorce Mediation, and a former member of the board and membership chair of the Family and Divorce Mediation Council of Greater New York.

She was raised in Paris, France, is fluent and can mediate in French, Spanish and English. Ms. Safian received her BA and her master’s degree in Fine Arts at the University of the Sorbonne.

Lara Traum is a mediator with FamilyKind as well as a collaborative attorney, mediator, parenting coordinator, and partner at Roytberg Traum Law and Mediation, PC.. She serves families as an attorney in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut and as a mediator internationally, in both English and Russian. Lara believes that conflict fatigue is lethal to restructuring families and helps parties explore creative options, reduce costs, and resolve their conflicts with dignity.

A fully out-of-court practitioner, Lara is a Board Member of the NYS Council on Divorce Mediation and an attorney-member of Long Island Collaborative Divorce Professionals. Lara was selected to the Matrimonial Mediation Rosters for the Supreme Courts in all five boroughs of New York City. Lara has authored numerous articles and book chapters on mediation and collaborative law, as well as the 2023 ABA Book Effectively Representing Clients in Family Mediation (coauthored with Forrest S. Mosten and Hon. Elizabeth Potter Scully), and she trains and lectures throughout New York and in California. Lara received her law degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, cum laude, with a Concentration in Matrimonial and Family Law, and her Bachelor of Arts degree from New York University.