I've always felt it was my job to get to know my clients and their problems on a basic level: What are their deepest concerns? What are their fears? Clients come to me nervous, even scared. So I always, from the start, work to reduce that sense of fear. Sometimes it's just a fear of the unknown, and of the future.

Clients get a lot of information, usually before they come see me, from well meaning friends, and from the internet. Sometimes that information only creates more of a sense of uncertainty.

Some of my clients have faced some very painful forms of abuse. This includes victims of domestic violence. People - even friends and family - will ask, Why do you stay in that relationship? But I understand why. It's very difficult for a victim to leave their abuser. There are many underlying issues motivating behavior. In those situations I feel that I can help.

Clients ask me about restraining orders, and other legal methods intended to reduce a genuine threat. I tell them that final restraining orders in New Jersey are just that - they don't expire, they are permanent, and can only be dissolved upon a showing of good cause. Other states are not nearly as strict with such actions. So they are not to be pursued casually or without great consideration. This is also true for defendants who have been accused of committing domestic violence. It is important for them to be represented also. I help those individuals as well.

I always listen, and I am always sympathetic, to whatever my client is dealing with. But I think I am good at not getting emotionally tied up in a case. And that's always in the best interests of my clients. I am their advocate, and their counsel. A degree of detachment is critical for me to be effective in that role. I always give - after a thorough review of the facts and information - a series of scenarios, best-case and worst-case, to my client. Yes, even the role of judges, and other lawyers, can impact the outcome - and the length - of a case.

I see everyone - everyone across the economic spectrum. And the issues they face are often not all that different. The range of contemporary family law is broad as well: Divorces, child-custody disputes, pre-nuptial agreements, adoption, domestic violence. It's all part of my work today.

I knew from my days in law school that I wanted to be a family lawyer. My work gives me an opportunity to really help my clients, at a time when they most need it. They need someone that can listen, who can give capable and thorough advice and who can advocate for them every step of the way. I've always felt I can do that and that I'm making a difference.