I enjoy working with individuals who want to cooperate to find a creative solution that benefits the entire family. The collaborative process provides an environment in which individuals can resolve the issues arising from a very difficult situation in a safe and supportive environment. This process encourages you to be respectful of each other, helps you communicate effectively, and looks for long lasting solutions that will work well for your family.
When you are looking for someone to help you navigate through a very difficult time in your life, and to help you move forward in a positive way, you can turn to me. I strive to make the legal, emotional, and financial aspects of this process as painless as possible. My entire legal practice is dedicated to helping clients address family law issues involving: divorce, support, property division, negotiated settlements, mediation, prenuptial agreements, appeals, custody, child support, and parenting. Although I am comfortable in the courtroom and recognize that sometimes litigation is a necessity, my preference is to work with clients whose goal is to resolve the issues arising in their case through settlement. I often settle cases directly with the other party’s attorney through negotiation, but I also work with many clients who participate in mediation, collaborative process, and arbitration. I am trained as a collaborative attorney, and I appreciate the benefits of working with a professional team trained to address all of the legal, emotional, and financial issues that may arise. I enjoy working on cases that involve complex financial issues. I have an extensive background in financial issues that began with my undergraduate degree from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia, and continued with courses and research throughout my career. I have handled a number of cases that involved closely held businesses, high-income earners, complex compensation and retirement packages, tracing separate and premarital property, and exotic financial instruments and securities. My calm and steady demeanor combined with my extensive knowledge of the divorce process will help reduce your anxiety about your divorce. My clients are comforted by the fact that they feel fully educated about the legal process and issues in their case, and this comfort level enables them to make solid decisions about their future. I will take the time to explain how the legal process works, what options are available to you, and the pros and cons of each option. Through my experiences as a family law attorney and my ties to Northern Virginia, I have developed many contacts and resources to assist you legally, emotionally, or financially, whether as part of your case or in life in general. I earned my law degree from the George Mason School of Law in 1996. I have practiced family law throughout my legal career, but have been handling family law cases exclusively since 1998. My colleagues and I opened Cooper Ginsberg Gray, PLLC in November 2004 with the goal of providing high-quality, effective, dedicated, and cost-effective representation to individuals going through family turmoil. I have been honored to be named in the Washingtonian Magazine and Northern Virginia Magazine as one of the area’s top divorce lawyers on multiple occasions, and I have been included in The Best Lawyers in America. I was awarded the Fairfax Bar Association’s President’s Award. I earned an AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale Hubbell, a leading site rating legal professionals. I returned to my alma mater, George Mason School of Law, as an adjunct professor. I previously served as President of the George Mason Law Alumni Association Board, and as a board member of the Fairfax Law Foundation. I am an active member of the Virginia State Bar, Fairfax Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. For 15 years, I have organized the annual Chipping in to End Domestic Violence Charity Golf Tournament. Through the tournament we have raised awareness of the domestic violence issues that our community faces and raised more than $450,000 for the abused women and children at the Artemis House. I have lived in Northern Virginia for many years, and consider it my home. I enjoy coaching my daughters’ youth basketball teams, and am an avid photographer.
CURRENT:
Chair of Shelter House Board of Directors
Adjunct Professor at the George Mason School of Law
Faculty Member of the Harry L. Carrico Professionalism Course
Co-Chair of Fairfax Bar Association Law Practice Management Committee
PRIOR:
Board Member of Fairfax Law Foundation
Year | Course Title | Instructor | Hours |
---|---|---|---|
Basic/ Introductory Collaborative Law or Interdisciplinary Collaborative Team Training. | |||
2009 | Collaborative Divorce Team Training | Herrick, D'Ari, Schenkel, Smith, Broussard | 22 |
30-Hr Interest-Based Negotiation & Mediation Skills | |||
2009 | Interest Based Negotiation and Mediation Skills for Collaborative Professionals | Burr, Broussard, Herrick, Morrison, and Schenkel | 30 |
Additional 15 hours Intermediate/ Advanced interest-based negotiation, communication skills, collaborative, or basic professional coach training | |||
2013 | Collaborative Divorce Team Training - Getting to the Heart of the Matter | Yoder, Smoller, Herrick, D'Ari, Smith, and Broussard | 14 |
2011 | VaCP 4th Annual Conference - Preventing Real Property Pitfalls in Divorce | Kelly Lise Murray | 2 |
Annual 4 hours collaborative continuing education (basic, intermediate, or advanced) | |||
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 |
2023 | Tax Considerations for Collaborative Divorce Settlements | VaCP Clubhouse: Sallie Mullins Thompson, CPA | 1 |
2023 | Parenting Plan from a Mental Health Perspective | Karen S. Bonnell, MS | 1.5 |
2022 | Divorcing your spouse, but staying married to Uncle Sam | Sarah Avila | 1.5 |
2022 | Transitioning Clients in Collaborative Divorce | Michael McHugh and Teresa Cole | 1.5 |
2022 | Targeted Tools to Resolve Complex Collaborative Impasses | Mitlehner, Soler, and Bradley | 1.5 |
2022 | Navigating Complex Asset Matters During the Collaborative Process | Jamie Blum and Jordan Egert | 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 | Collaborative Clients: When kumbaya is not enough. | Barbara Burr | 1.5 |
2021 | Virginia's Uniform Collaborative law Act: What it Means for Your Collaborative Practice | Bradley, White, and Keyes | 1.5 |
2021 | VaCP 14th Annual Conference - The Flexible Potential of the Child Specialist Role, UCLA, and Maximizing the Role of a Financial Neutral | Lisa Herrick, Natalie Goldberg, Jane Rowny, Jordan Egert, Jamie Blum, Karen Keyes, Teresa Cole, and Cheryl Smith | 7 |
2021 | Transform Them | Jonathan Foust | 1.5 |
2021 | The Flexible Potential of the Child Specialist Role | Natalie Goldberg and Lisa Herrick | 1.5 |
2021 | Strategies for Streamlining Collaborative Practice | Bradley, Fletcher, Goldberg, and Rowny | 1.5 |
2021 | Should Virginia Create a Legal Presumption of Shared Custody? | Adele D'Ari, Lisa Herrick, and Jennifer Bradley | 1.5 |
2021 | No Justice, No Peace | Barbarra Burr and Natalie Goldberg | 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 | Beyond Spreadsheets and Cash Flow - A Deep Dive into the Financial Neutral Roles as Facilitator, Mediator and Advisor | Debbie May and Robin Taub | 1.5 |
2021 | Adult ADHD in Collaborative Practice | Kate Scharff | 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 and George Young | 1.5 |
2020 | VaCP 13th Annual Conference - The Psychological and Ethical Dimensions of Collaborative Practice | David Hoffman | 6 |
2020 | The Psychological and Ethical Dimensions of Collaborative Practice | David A. Hoffman, Collaborative Attorney & Mediator | 6 |
2020 | The New Normal | Steven Goldman, Patrice Garver, Lisa Herrick, and Natalie Goldberg | 1.5 |
2020 | Pre-Nups the Collaborative Way | CPNV: Michael McHugh & Lynn Fletcher | 1.5 |
2020 | Full Disclosure of Ambiguous Adultery in Collaborative Divorce | CPNV: David Ginsberg and Steven Goldman | 1.5 |
2020 | DCACP during COVID-19: Impacts and Opportunities | Herrick, Soler, Goldberg, Moher, and Bradley | 1.5 |
2019 | What's IACP Got To Do With It? | Chris Farish, JD | .5 |
2019 | Real Estate Transactions and Family Law | Molly Craig and Jolene Moore | 1.5 |
2019 | Managing Client Expectations about the Collaborative Process | Bradley, Beach, Girgis, and Grady | 1.5 |
2019 | Difficult Moments in Collaborative Cases | Lynn Fletcher, JD & Jennifer Bradley, JD | 1.5 |
2019 | Collaborative Boot Camp: An Experiential Day of Refining Skills and Deepening Team Cohesion (12th 11-11-19) | Barbara Burr, JD & Lisa Herrick, PhD | 5.5 |
2018 | VaCP 11th Annual Conference - Support Redux | Cassel, Morrison, Robson, Smollar, Toscano, Merlin, Cole, Rea & Macturk | 5.5 |
2018 | And They Lived Happily Ever After | Miller, Brown, Gray, and Metzler | 1 |
2017 | VaCP 10th Annual Conference - Creating the Conditions for Growth | Lisa Herrick and Kate Scharff | 6 |
2016 | VaCP 9th Annual Conference - Counseling Clients Through Bad News | Marjorie Aaron | 6 |
2015 | VaCP 8th Annual Conference - Building Your Collaborative Practice Settlement; Legislative and Case Law Update; & Information Security and Perry Mason Goes Digital; What all Collaborative Professionals Need to Know about Electronic Evidence | Fancher, Macturk, Nelson, and Simek | 6 |
2014 | VaCP 7th Annual Conference - Understanding Attachment Styles & its Application in Collaborative Divorce Cases | Yuval Berger MSW, RSW and Lisa Alexander, B.A. LL.B | 7 |
2011 | VaCP 4th Annual Conference - Navigating Emotional Currents: Delving Beneath the Surface of the Collaborative Process | CPTI: Lisa Herrick & Kate Scharf | 3 |