We are very pleased to announce that Jessica L. Toelstedt, a partner with the firm, has been elected the Vice President of the Family & Divorce Mediation Council of Greater New York. In this role, Jessica will help lead a highly respected organization dedicated to promoting the responsible practice of mediation in family and divorce matters.
The FDMC provides training, support, and continuing education for divorce mediators throughout New York State; and increases public awareness of alternatives to expensive, emotionally draining divorce litigation. With more and more clients opting for a cooperative divorce process, the FDMC is a vital resource for legal practitioners.
Says Ms. Toelstedt:
“As the new Vice President of FDMC, I hope to help grow our organization, increase diversity, and continue to advocate for the use of mediation as a means of resolving disputes in family law. Mediation helps each party to hear ‘why’ the other wants or needs something, instead of just hearing ‘what’ they want. That’s a really critical distinction – understanding motivations is quite often the catalyst that spurs a resolution, or at least a conversation that may lead to a resolution.”
Ms. Toelstedt is the Co-Chair of Berkman Bottger Newman & Schein’s Mediation and Collaborative Law Practice, and the Chair of the firm’s Pre-Marriage Mediation Practice. She has been trained as a mediator by The Center for Understanding in Conflict and regularly mediates all matters related to marriage and family law. In addition to divorces, Ms. Toelstedt also mediates prenuptial agreements, postnuptial agreements, separations, divorces, post-divorce/separation issues, custody, child support matters and agreements for unmarried partners. Ms. Toelstedt also offers her clients services as a consulting attorney, for when they are pursuing the mediation process with an outside mediator.
The firm also wishes to congratulate the new officers who will be serving with Ms. Toelstedt at the FDMC. Congratulations to new President Helene Bernstein, Treasurer Rosalia Labate, and Secretary Carmen M. Rodriguez. We look eagerly forward to seeing what the FDMC has in store in the year to come!