Jonathan Kales, (Lawyer/Mediator)
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As a family law attorney and mediator, my goal is to provide clients with the support necessary to reach the best possible resolutions for themselves and their families in an environment that is less painful, more compassionate, individualized, holistic, and efficient, and has greater integrity than traditional divorce. I dedicate my practice exclusively to negotiating divorce settlements via the Collaborative Process and divorce mediation. I stopped litigating entirely in 2012 after practicing family law for years and becoming convinced that court and the adversarial system serve divorcing spouses and their children poorly, making already difficult situations even harder by ramping up conflict and rarely focusing on what's in the best interests of anyone involved. In the end, my hope for each client is an enduring divorce settlement agreement that provides them with a positive path forward in life, whether with regard to co-parenting, financially, or otherwise.
Collaborative Services
I have been the Collaborative Professionals of Northern Virginia's president, representative to the Virginia Collaborative Professionals (VacP), and treasurer, as well as a member of the VaCP’s Council. Additionally, I was named as one of “Ten Leaders in Collaborative Divorce Law in Greater Washington District of Columbia” by The Ten Leaders Cooperative and have been recognized by Virginia Business Magazine as a member of Virginia’s "Legal Elite" in the area of Alternative Dispute Resolution in every year from 2013 to the present. My experience in Alternative Dispute Resolution and family conflicts dates back to the mid-1990s, when I mediated parenting disputes in the Connecticut court system while in law school.
Professional Activities
CURRENT:
Member, Fairfax Bar Association's Alternative Dispute Resolution Section
PRIOR:
President, Collaborative Professionals of Northern Virginia
Treasurer, Collaborative Professionals of Northern Virginia
CPNV Representative to Virginia Collaborative Professionals
Member, VaCP Council
Collaborative Practice Training
| Year | Course Title | Instructor | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic/ Introductory Collaborative Law or Interdisciplinary Collaborative Team Training. | |||
| 2006 | Basic/ Introductory Collaborative Law or Interdisciplinary Team Training | Palliser Conflict Resolution | 20 |
| 30-Hr Interest-Based Negotiation & Mediation Skills | |||
| 1997 | Mediation Training | University of Connecticut School of Law | 50 |
| Additional 15 hours Intermediate/ Advanced interest-based negotiation, communication skills, collaborative, or basic professional coach training | |||
| 2010 | Advanced Collaborative Training | Jack Himmelstein/ Katherin Miller | 8 |
| 2009 | Advanced Collaborative Training | Pauline Telser/ Peggy Thompson | 5.5 |
| 2008 | Intermediate Collaborative Training | Pauline Telser | 3.5 |
| Annual 4 hours collaborative continuing education (basic, intermediate, or advanced) | |||
| 2025 | TRUST: One of five biologically-based core needs & How this need can be addressed proactively in the COLLABORATIVE DIVORCE process. | Jenny Kuszyk, LPC and P. Marshall Yoder, Esq | 1.5 |
| 2025 | Religion and Culture: Do We Sufficiently Consider These Issues In Our Collaborative Work? | Patel, Bowman, Harris, and Tyson | 1.5 |
| 2024 | IMPASSE AND DEADLOCK: OUR MONSTERS OF THE DEEP Refreshing and Refining Our Skills for Navigation and Escape | Lisa Herrick, PhD and Brian Hirsch. Esq. | 1.5 |
| 2024 | Divorce and the Marital Home | Margie Hofberg | 1.5 |
| 2024 | Avoiding Splitting the Team in Collaborative Practice (17th VaCP) 11-11-24 | Loretta “Lori” Gephart, M.A. | 4 |
| 2023 | Why be Civil? Learn Why Listening is so Important | The Civility Project | 1 |
| 2023 | Understanding the 5 Conflict Modes at Play in Our Mediation and Collaborative Cases | I was instructor with Amy Kales, and Donne Colton | 1.5 |
| 2023 | Trauma-Responsive Collaborative Practice (16th VaCP) | Dana Baerger, J.D., Ph.D. | 6 |
| 2023 | Home on the Range: Current Approaches and Solutions to the Marital Home | Rowny and Egert | 1.5 |
| 2022 | Solid Foundations - How to build Practices and Teams That Withstand the Storms | Debbie Beach, LCSW, Don Paris, CPA, MST, CDFA, and Steve Goldman, JD | 1.5 |
| 2022 | Collaborative Clients: When Kumbaya is Not Enough | Barbara Burr, Esq | 1.5 |
| 2022 | A Parent's Mental Illness Should Not Prevent A Successful Scheduling Plan | Stephanie Smith, JD and Patrice Garver, MHP | 1.5 |
| 2021 | VIRGINIA’S UNIFORM COLLABORATIVE LAW ACT: WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOUR COLLABORATIVE PRACTICE | CPNV: Jennifer A. Bradley, JD; Anne (Jan) W. White, JD; Karen L. Keyes, JD | 1.5 |
| 2021 | Understanding Domestic Violence and the Challenges in Getting It Right | CPNV: Viola Vaughan-Eden, PhD, MJ, LCSW | 1.5 |
| 2021 | Transform Them | CPNV: Jonathan Foust, MA, CSA | 1.5 |
| 2021 | The Flexible Potential of the Child Specialist Role | CPNV: Natalie Goldberg and Lisa Herrick | 1.5 |
| 2021 | No Justice, No Peace | Barbara Burr, Esquire and Natalie Goldberg, LCSW, LCSW-C, LICSW | 1.5 |
| 2021 | HOLD ONTO YOUR HATS: STRATEGIES FOR STREAMLINING COLLABORATIVE PRACTICE | CPNV: Jennifer Bradley, Esq., Lynn Fetcher, Esq., Natalie Goldberg, LCSW, Jane Ochsman Rowny, CPA, CDFA | 1.5 |
| 2021 | BEYOND SPREAD SHEETS AND CASH FLOW – A DEEP DIVE INTO THE FINANCIAL NEUTRAL ROLES AS FACILITATOR, MEDIATOR AND ADVISOR | CPNV: Debbie May CPA, CFP, CDFA and Robin Taub, J.D. | 1.5 |
| 2020 | Yikes My Client is Recently Sober-Integrating Substance Abuse Recovery into a Parenting Plan | CPNV: Natalie Goldberg, LCSW and George Young, LCSW, MAC | 1.5 |
| 2020 | The Psychological and Ethical Dimensions of Collaborative Practice (13th VaCP) | David A. Hoffman, Collaborative Attorney & Mediator | 6 |
| 2020 | The New Normal | CPNV: Steve Goldman & Patrice Garver | 1.5 |
| 2020 | Prenups, the Collaborative Way | CPNV: Michael McHugh & Lynn Fletcher | 1.5 |
| 2020 | Disclosure? Distractions? Denial? Dunno.: Addressing Full Disclosure of Ambiguous Adultery in Collaborative Divorce | CPNV: Steve Goldman & David Ginsberg | 1.5 |
| 2019 | Common Pitfalls and Best Practices for Drafting Real Estate Provisions in Marital Settlement Agreements | CPNV: Molly Craig, JD | 1.5 |
| 2019 | ASD/Nero-Diversity in The Family: How to Better Understand The Neuro-Diverse Adult Client | Jamell White, PhD, LCSW-C | 1.5 |
| 2018 | Divorce Through the Developmental Lens | Herrick & Scharff | 1.5 |
| 2018 | Collaborative TEAM protocols: How the TEAM establishes an environment of thinking and reasoning | Mary Szpanka and Christine Hissong | 1.5 |
| 2018 | Avoiding Financial Errors in Divorce Settlement | Adam Morgan, CFP, CDFA, MBA | 1.5 |
| 2018 | And They Lived Happily Ever After | Carol Miller, J.Chris Brown, Elizabeth Gray | 1.5 |
| 2017 | What Does Neutrality Look Like? | Lisa Herrick and Natalie Goldberg | 1.5 |
| 2017 | Stop Driving at the End of Your Hood | Garver, Schleifman, McHugh | 1.5 |
| 2017 | Creating the Conditions for Growth As We Help Our Clients Navigate Separation and Divorce | Lisa Herrick and Kate Scharff | 6 |
| 2017 | Creating the Conditions for Growth (As We Help Our Clients Navigate Separation and Divorce) ( 10th VaCP) | Lisa Herrick, PhD and Kate Scharff, MSW | 6 |
| 2017 | Collaborative Marketing Principles | Larry Rockwell | 1.5 |
| 2017 | Collaborative 1-Day Training: Complexity and Protocols | Victoria Smith JD, C.Med., Cert.CFM (FMC) | 7.5 |
| 2016 | Motivational Interviewing and Collaborative Divorce | Marks/Goldberg | 1.5 |
| 2016 | Client Science for Collaborative Professionals: Client Interviewing and Decision-Making Through Bad News and Other Legal Realities (VaCP 9th) | Marjorie Aaron | 6 |
| 2015 | Working With Families With Special Needs Children | Nuzzo | 1.5 |
| 2015 | What are Our Core Collaborative Principals? Part II | Fletcher/Miller | 1.5 |
| 2015 | What are Our Core Collaborative Principals? Part I | I was the instructor along with fellow CPNV Executive Board Members | 1.5 |
| 2015 | Legislative and Case Law Update (8th VaCP) | MacTurk | 1 |
| 2015 | Information Security and Perry Mason Goes Digital: What all Collaborative Professionals Need to Know about Electronic Evidence (8th VaCP) | Nelson and Simek | 2.75 |
| 2015 | How to Present Collaborative Divorce at the First Client Meeting | I was the instructor | 1.5 |
| 2015 | Employee Benefits: What the Employee and Spouse Need to Know as They Contemplate Divorce | CPNV: Erika Schliefman & Keith Lindahl | 1.5 |
| 2015 | Collaborative Pre Marital Agreements | McHugh | 1.5 |
| 2015 | Building Your Collaborative Practice (8th VaCP) | Fancher | 2.75 |
| 2014 | Your Professional Profile Should Communicate your Commitment to the Collaborative Process | Paul Smollar | 1.5 |
| 2014 | Breaking Down Barriers to Support: How a Cohesive Collaborative Team Can Inspire New Thinking | Kimberly Fauss, Lonnie Broussard, Adele D’Ari, and Paul Smollar | 7 |
| 2014 | 7th VaCP Conference:Understanding Attachment Styles and its Application in Collaborative Divorce Cases | Yuval Berger; Lisa Alexander | 7.5 |
| 2013 | The Meaning of Money | Rona Hitlin-Mason, LPC | 1.5 |
| 2013 | Everything You Wanted to Know About Divorce and Tax But Were Afraid to Ask | Keith Lindall | 1.5 |
| 2013 | Divorce Research Redux: Which Myths Should We Believe About The Consequences of Divorce on Adults & Children - and Which are Myths? | Lisa Herrick | 1.5 |
| 2013 | Dialogues Across Divides | Vriginia Mediation Network and The Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University | 8 |
| 2013 | Collaborative Conversations About Support | Smollar and D'Ari | 1.5 |
| 2013 | 6th VaCP Conference: Overcoming Barriers to Settlement: A Skills-Based Training Utilizing Strategies from Psychology, Communication, Negotiation and Neuroscience | Nina Meierding, MS, JD | 7.5 |
| 2012 | The Collaborative Roadshow | CPNV - Burr, Hirsch, Pence, Solar & Zimmerman | 1.5 |
| 2012 | Team Collaboration in a Difficult Case | CPNV - Miller, Fletcher & Pendzich | 1.5 |
| 2012 | Navigating Asset Valuation Pitfalls in Collaborative Divorce Cases | Erika Schleifman, CPA/Carl Mitlehner, CDFP | 1.5 |
| 2011 | VaCP 4th Annual Conference - Navigating Emotional Currents: Delving Beneath the Surface of the Collaborative Process | CPTI: Lisa Herrick & Kate Scharf | 3 |
| 2011 | Preventing Real Property Pitfalls in Divorce | Kelly Lise Murray | 2 |
| 2011 | Mediation Ethics | Spahn and McCammon | 2 |
| 2011 | Advanced Mediation Training | Virginia Mediation Network | 6 |
| 2010 | IACP 11th Annual Netwrk and Educational Forum | IACP | 18 |
| 2009 | Advanced Mediation Training | Virginia Mediation Network | 8 |
| 2008 | Three Day Core Interdisciplinary Team Training | Collaborative Divorce Team Trainings | 20 |
| 2008 | Advanced Mediation Training | Community Mediation Center | 8 |
| 2005 | Mediation Training | Northern Virginia Mediation Service | 30 |
| 2004 | Mediation Training | Northern Virginia Mediation Service | 45 |