Catherine Reese, (Lawyer/Mediator)
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Catherine “Kate” Reese focuses her practice on the full spectrum of family law matters in the Northern Virginia and Montgomery County, Maryland regions. Ms. Reese identifies matters that can be resolved more amicably and without the costs of litigation. She highly recommends alternate dispute resolution options such as mediation, arbitration, and collaborative law. Ms. Reese is a Virginia Supreme Court Certified Family Law mediator and an experienced collaborative law attorney, who has gathered over 25+ years of experience in Family Law. She makes it her duty to protect her clients, convey their stories to influential persons in the case, and to negotiate the best outcomes possible for our clients given their circumstances. Ms. Reese has extensive trial experience in contested family law matters, and in the negotiation and preparation of settling cases using the collaborative law, mediation, and mental health tools of prenuptial and marital agreements. Ms. Reese is also known to be an effective and resourceful litigator when representing clients’ best interests.
Collaborative Services
I have been a family law attorney for over 25 years, and I truly appreciate how the litigation process does not meet all the needs of a family. Serving as a participant as well as mediator, I have seen the advantages of that process. I feel that the collaborative approach offers much more to families in need, so I am very pleased to offer this service to my clients. I hope that with encouragement and support, families, especially those with children, will choose this option as it offers the best opportunity for growth and healing. I have my Masters in Counseling and use those skills to further assist my clients.
Licenses
Virginia State Bar ( since 1998 )
D.C. Bar ( Since 1999)
Maryland State Bar ( Since 1999)
Prince William Bar
Fairfax Bar Association
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
Virginia Supreme Court Family Mediator ,J.D.
Professional Activities
CURRENT:
The Best Lawyers in America Honoree (2012 - present)
Martindale Hubbell “AV” Rating of Preeminent Lawyers, 2025
Top 50 Women Attorneys in Virginia by Super Lawyers
A Top Divorce Lawyer by Northern Virginia Magazine (2009 - present)
Member: Fairfax Bar Association, Family Law Section (1998-Present), Circuit Court Committee (2007-Present), Domestic Relations Sub-Committee (2007-Present)
Member: District of Columbia Bar, Family Law Section (1999-Present)
Member: Certified Family Mediator of the Supreme Court of Virginia (March 2011-present)
Member: LGBT Bar Association of DC (2017 – Present)
Member: American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (2010-present)
Named a Super Lawyer by the Washington DC Super Lawyers (2011 - present)
Best Law Firms by U.S. New & World Report (2015 - present)
Recognized as a certified member of the National Board of Trial Advocacy, (2016- present)
PRIOR:
Member: Virginia Equality Bar Association (2017 – 2018)
Nominated as one of the 10 Best Attorneys for Virginia by The American Institute of Family Law Attorneys (AIOFLA), 2015
Member: Virginia State Bar, Council for the 19th Judicial Circuit (July 2009-June 2012), Standing Committee on Lawyer Discipline (July 2009-June 2012), Judicial Nominations Committee (July 2005-June 2008)
Member: Legal Services of Northern Virginia, Board of Directors (2000-2003)
Collaborative Practice Training
| Year | Course Title | Instructor | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic/ Introductory Collaborative Law or Interdisciplinary Collaborative Team Training. | |||
| 2009 | Basic Interdisciplinary Collaborative Team Training | CPTI | 22 |
| 30-Hr Interest-Based Negotiation & Mediation Skills | |||
| 2009 | Mediation Skills & Process | Northern VA Mediation Service | 20 |
| 2004 | Mediation Skills & Process | Northern VA Mediation Service | 20 |
| Additional 15 hours Intermediate/ Advanced interest-based negotiation, communication skills, collaborative, or basic professional coach training | |||
| 2010 | Welcome to Bedrock! Practical Tools for Interest Based Bargaining | IACP | 1.5 |
| 2010 | The Art & Science of Resilience: Facilitating the Prepared Mind of the Collaborative Client | IACP | 4.75 |
| 2010 | Interest-Based Negotiation Without the Power Struggle | IACP | 3 |
| 2010 | From Grievance to Agreement: Adding Forgiveness Practices to Our Collaborative Toolbox | IACP | 5 |
| 2010 | Bargaining with the Devil: When to Nedotiate, When to Fight | Robert Mnookin, JD | 1 |
| Annual 4 hours collaborative continuing education (basic, intermediate, or advanced) | |||
| 2025 | The CPNV Low Bono Program and exploring ways to save costs for our clients and making collaborative more accessible | CPNV | 1.5 |
| 2025 | Assessing and Working with Problematic Financial Dynamics in Collaborative Divorce | CPNV | 1.5 |
| 2024 | Six Tips for Creating A Successful Working Relationship with Our Clients From the First Consult Through Settlement | Collaborative Clubhouse: Lisa Herrick, PhD | 1.5 |
| 2024 | Avoiding Splitting the Team in Collaborative Practice (17th VaCP) 11-11-24 | Loretta “Lori” Gephart, M.A. | 4 |
| 2023 | Trauma-Responsive Collaborative Practice (16th VaCP) 11-13-23 | Dana Baerger, J.D., Ph.D. | 6 |
| 2022 | When Kumbaya is not enough | Barbara Burr | 1.5 |
| 2022 | Understanding the 5 Conflict Modes at Play in Our Mediation and Collaborative Cases | Jonathan and Amy Kales, and Donne Colton | 1.5 |
| 2022 | Targeted Tools to Resolve Complex Collaborative Impasses | Carl Mitlehner, CFP, Sue Soler, LCSW, and Jennifer Bradley, JD | 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 | Managing Challenges in the Collaborative Divorce Process: Cognitive Bias, Mental Health, High Conflict Personality Disorders, and Addictions | Dr. Beth I. Wilner, Ph.D. | 6 |
| 2022 | If You See Something, Say Something – Navigating Complex Asset Matters During the Collaborative Process | Jamie Blum and Jordan Egert | 1.5 |
| 2022 | Divorcing your spouse, but staying married to Uncle Sam | Sarah Avila, CFP, CDFA | 1.5 |
| 2021 | Transform Them | Jonathan Foust, MA, CSA | 1.5 |
| 2021 | SHOULD VIRGINIA CREATE A LEGAL PRESUMPTION OF SHARED CUSTODY? | Adele D’Ari, Ph.D., Lisa Herrick, Ph.D., and Jennifer Bradley, Esq. | 1.5 |
| 2021 | Maximizing the Role of a Financial Neutral in Unprecedented Times (14th VaCP) | Jane Rowny, CPA, CFP®, CDFA®, Jamie Blum, CPA, CDFA®, & Jordan Egert, CPA, CFE, CDFA® | 2 |
| 2021 | Changes, Practical Applications and Issues now that the UCLA Statute has been Enacted (14th VaCP) | Teresa Cole, JD, Karen Keyes, JD & Cheryl Smith, JD | 1.25 |
| 2021 | ADULT ADHD IN COLLABORATIVE PRACTICE: A POWERFUL, UNDER-RECOGNIZED X FACTOR | Kate Scharff, Psychotherapist | 1.5 |
| 2021 | A Deeper Dive into the Role of the Child Specialist (14th VaCP) | Natalie Goldberg, LCSW & Lisa Herrick, PhD | 2.75 |
| 2020 | Yikes My Client is Recently Sober-Integrating Substance Abuse Recovery into a Parenting Plan | Natalie Goldberg, LCSW and George Young, LCSW, MAC | 1.5 |
| 2020 | The New Normal | Lisa Herrick, Natalie Goldberg, Steven Goldman, Patrice Garver | 1.5 |
| 2020 | Prenups, the Collaborative Way | CPNV: Michael McHugh & Lynn Fletcher | 1.5 |
| 2020 | Disclosure? Distraction? Denial? Dunno. Addressing Full Disclosure of Ambiguous Adultery in Collaborative Divorce | Steve Goldman and David Ginsberg | 1.5 |
| 2020 | Dialectical Behavioral Therapy: Adapting Techniques for Collaborative Practice | CPNV: Britt Rathbone, LCSW-C | 3 |
| 2020 | Cash, Covid, and Collaboration: Financial considerations for assisting your clients. | Jordan Egert and Jane Ochsman Rowny | 1.5 |
| 2019 | Women & Financial Wellness: Beyond the Bottom Line | VaCP | 1.5 |
| 2019 | Uniform Collaborative Law Act in Virginia Information Session | VaCP | 1.5 |
| 2019 | The Space Between: The Richness of Our Work With Clients Before and After and In Between Team Meetings | VA CLE | 1.5 |
| 2019 | A Collaborative Case Study: How the full-team model supported a family with undiagnosed mental health issues. | VA CLE | 1.5 |
| 2017 | Ethical Advocacy in Mediation | VA CLE | 2 |
| 2017 | Divorcing the Wealthy | AAML | 5 |
| 2017 | Creating the Conditions for Growth As We Help Our Clients Navigate Separation and Divorce | Lisa Herrick and Kate Scharff | 6 |
| 2017 | 2017 Family Law Seminar | VTLA | 7.5 |
| 2016 | Matrimonial Law 2016 | AAML | 8.5 |
| 2016 | Discernment Counseling | Rona Hitlin-Mason, LPC | 1 |
| 2016 | 78th Annual Meeting | Virginia State Bar | 2 |
| 2016 | 32nd Adv Family Law | Virginia CLE | 6 |
| 2015 | Master Class in Collaborative Practice: Neurobiology and Decision Making | IACP 5th Annual | 14 |
| 2015 | Emotional Intelligence in Teams | IACP 5th Annual | 3 |
| 2014 | Understanding Attachment Styles and its Application in Collaborative Divorce Cases | Yuval Berger; Lisa Alexander | 7.5 |
| 2014 | Intersection of Military and Family Law | AAML | 2.5 |
| 2014 | Cultural Issues in Mediation | NoVa Mediation Services | 5 |
| 2014 | Advanced Witness Preparation | Virginia CLE | 4 |
| 2014 | AICPA/AAML National Conference on Divorce | AAML | 12 |
| 2014 | 2014 Annual Divorce Practice Seminar | VTLA | 6 |
| 2013 | Matching client needs with process choices. How do you, as a practitioner, explain the options, think about which option is best for a client and help clients decide on the process? | CDRP | 1 |
| 2013 | Divorce Research Redux: Which Myths Should We Believe About The Consequences of Divorce on Adults & Children - and Which are Myths? | Lisa Herrick | 1 |
| 2013 | Defining a Collaborative case: Parameters and Implementation | CDRP | 1 |
| 2013 | Brandenburg, Keeling and Division of Hybrid Property | Michael McHugh & Grant Moher | 1 |
| 2012 | The Infinity Loop: When the Process Becomes the Conflict | Adele D'Ari, Lisa Herrick, Jan White and Paul Smollar | 1 |
| 2012 | Team Collaboration in a Difficult Case | Carol Miller, PhD, Lynn Fletcher, Esq, Liz Pendzich, Esq | 1 |
| 2012 | Navigating Asset Valuation Pitfalls in Collaborative Divorce Cases | Carl Mitlehner, Erika Schleifman | 1 |
| 2012 | Fees in Collaborative Cases | Debbie May, Linda Ravdin | 1 |
| 2012 | Expanding Collaborative to Lower Income Families | Andrea Hirsch, Suzy Eckstein and Sara Scott | 1 |
| 2012 | Best Practices in Mediation | Geetha Ravindra | 8 |
| 2011 | Not Your Everyday Divorce Issues | VTLA | 6 |
| 2010 | The Negotiation Within-How Collaborative Professionals Can Manage Their Competing Internal Voices | IACP | 1.5 |
| 2010 | The Art of Presenting & Opposing Expert Testimony | Fairfax Bar Association | 3 |
| 2010 | Matrimonal Law | AAML | 9.5 |
| 2010 | Judicial Conference of Virginia | Supreme Court of Virginia | 3 |
| 2010 | Cases in Professionalism and Civility | Northern VA Chapter VA Women's Attorney Association | 2 |
| 2010 | 72nd Virginia State Bar Annual Meeting | Viriginia State Bar | 1.5 |
| 2010 | 11th Annual Networking & Educational Forum: ”Creating the Collaborative Connection: Commitment, Competence and Community” | IACP | 16 |
| 2010 | 11th Annual Networking & Educational Forum ”Creating the Collaborative Connection: Committment, Competence and Community” | IACP | 16 |
| 2009 | Web 2.0: Business Tool or Blackhole? | VA Women Attorneys Association | 1 |
| 2009 | June Virginia State Bar 2009 Disciplinary Conference | Virginia State Bar | 8 |
| 2009 | Judicial Conference of Virginia | Supreme Court of Virginia | 6 |
| 2009 | Family Mediation Skills | N. VA Mediation Service | 18 |
| 2009 | Ethics of Social Networking | VA Women Attorneys Association | 1 |
| 2009 | Domestic Violence Assess | N. VA Mediation Service | 7 |
| 2009 | Collaborative Team Training | CPTI | 22 |
| 2009 | Cases in Professionalism and Civility | VA Bar Association | 2 |
| 2009 | 71st VSB Annual Meeting | Virginia State Bar | 1.5 |
| 2009 | 2009 Ethics CLE | VA Women Attorneys Association | 2 |
| 2008 | Domestic Relations | Fairfax Bar Association | 3 |
| 2008 | A Lifetime of Service | VA Women Attorneys Association | 4.5 |
| 2008 | 24th Annual Advanced Family Law | VA CLE | 5.5 |
| 2008 | 2008 Family Law Seminar | VA Trial Lawyers | 6 |
| 2007 | Neutral Case Evaluator Training | Fairfax Bar Association | 2.5 |
| 2007 | Mental Health Issues | VA CLE | 4 |
| 2007 | Circuit Court Practices | Fairfax Bar Association | 4 |
| 2007 | Avoiding Legal Malpractice | VA CLE | 2 |
| 2005 | Professionalism/Civility | VA Bar Association | 3 |
| 2005 | Preventing Legal Malpractice | MN Lawyer/Prolegia | 3 |
| 2005 | Motions Practice in Fairfax | Fairfax Bar Association | 3 |
| 2005 | FBA Bench and Bar Convention | Fairfax Bar Association | 9.5 |
| 2005 | Evedentiary Issues | Fairfax Bar Association | 2.5 |
| 2005 | Discovery at Trial | Fairfax Bar Association | 1 |
| 2004 | The Business of Law | VA Women Attorneys Association | 1 |
| 2004 | Professionalism | VA Bar Association | 2 |
| 2004 | Lawyers Helping Lawyers | VA Women Attorneys Association | 1 |
| 2004 | Family Law University | MICPEL | 5 |
| 2004 | Ethical Advocacy in Mediation | The McCammon Group | 2 |
| 2004 | Children As Witnesses | VA Women Attorneys Association | 2 |
| 2004 | 114th Annual Meeting | VA Bar Association | 4.5 |
| 2003 | The Case of the Resistant Assistant | VA CLE | 2 |
| 2003 | Bench Bar Out of Town Convention 2003 | Fairfax Bar Association | 8 |
| 2003 | 20th Annual Family Law Seminar: Update on Recent Virginia Appellate Cases | I was the lecturer. | 1 |
| 2002 | Training Session For Circuit Court Conciliators | Richard Boone, Honorable Arthur B. Vieregg, Honorable Teena D. Grodner, David Rosenfeld, Glenn Clayton, Joyce Schargordodski, John Sexton, Lawerence Gaughan, and Edward O’Conner | 3 |
| 2002 | Hot Topics in Domestic Relations Law | Sharon D. Nelson, John W. Simek, Richard J. Byrd, Honorable Michael P. McWeeny, and Honorable Dennis J. Smith | 3 |
| 2002 | Fairfax Circuit Court Practice Manual | Fairfax Bar Association | 4 |
| 2002 | Electronic Discovery: Do You or Don’t You Want It? | D.C. Bar CLE | 3.5 |
| 2002 | Difficult Opposing Parties and Process | VA Women Attorneys Association | 1.5 |
| 2002 | 21st Annual Family Law Seminar: Insights on Tough Custody Issues | I was the lecturer | 2 |
| 2002 | 18th Annual Advanced Family Law Seminar | VA CLE | 6 |