ABOUT THE FIRM
Firm History
In 1998 Julie Ginsburg and Michael Leshin formed Ginsburg & Leshin, LLP. At the time, each had established themselves as collaborative family law attorneys and divorce mediators; also serving as Guardians ad Litem and Parenting Coordinators. Julie had been a founding member of the Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation, Inc. and Michael had served as President. They both desired to create a firm committed at its core to the rational resolution of family law disputes.
Since its inception, G&L has developed into a four-lawyer firm with paralegal and administrative support. Rachel Goldman has become a partner, with a practice focused on collaborative lawyering, mediation, and parenting coordination. Attorney Kathleen Lynch provides support with representing and assisting G&L clients.
Tim Teehan, a law student at New England School of Law, provides paralegal support and Julia Lipman, a British solicitor, provides part-time administrative support. They both assist with case management. Overseeing G&L is Anne Markowitz, Office Manager. Biographical information appears in the “Attorney Profiles” segment of our web site.
Representing Clients
G&L clients look to us to help them find peaceable and pragmatic resolutions of disputes related to: (a) custody; (b) parenting schedules; (c) child support; (d) alimony; and/or (e) property division. These disputes arise in the context of potential or commenced legal proceedings: divorce, modifications, contempts, or paternity. Our representation runs the gamut from consultations with clients who work with a mediator to four-way meetings designed to negotiate out-of-court settlements to arbitrations to motion hearings, pre-trial conferences and trials in the Probate and Family Court.
Julie, Michael and Rachel are all trained as collaborative lawyers and represent clients through the collaborative law process. The Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council website at www.massclc.org describes this process. At its core, this process uses four-way meetings for the negotiation of a settlement in lieu of litigation.
We serve as mediators for the whole range of family law disputes which arise for married, formerly married, and unmarried couples. The Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation website at www.mcfm.org provides information concerning mediation.
Conciliation
In contrast to mediation, a facilitative process, we also serve as conciliators and provide evaluations for cases. We will meet with the parties and their counsel and formulate settlement options.
Arbitration
We also serve as arbitrators. Through arbitration we write a decision addressing the issues presented. We work with counsel to design a structure for the arbitration hearing which best suits their clients’ needs.
Parenting Coordination
Through this process, we attempt to facilitate the settling of the parents’ scheduling and caretaking disputes. If no agreement is reached, we can then provide written recommendations.
Guardians ad Litem
Where parents disagree about custody and/or ancillary child-related issues, a Court will typically appoint a Guardian ad Litem to investigate and, many times, make recommendations for a parenting plan. Through this appointment we will prepare a report which is filed with the Court.
Consultations/Case Evaluation
Through a consultation we can provide a client with a second opinion to assist them in evaluating their options and strategy as they work with their attorney. We also provide case evaluations to lawyers to assist them with advising their clients. In addition to economic issues, these consultations provide guidance as to how to approach parenting issues and how best to remain focused on a child’s needs.
