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 Lazar and Schwartz specializes in achieving outstanding outcomes for individuals relating to their marriage, divorce, and estate planning needs, while working in integrity with client's values. We have practiced Family Law for over thirty years, and believe that all family matters require thoughtful, sensitive and thorough discussion and review before any action is taken, and that the action should be one mutually adopted by the lawyer and their client. The firm was founded in 1984 by Kathryn Lazar and Robert Schwartz, both of whom graduated from Cornell Law School. They are married to one another, and have two grown daughters. Melissa Rutkoske, an attorney working in the Family Law field, doing litigation and collaborative divorce, joined the firm in 2008. Kathryn Lazar is one of the pioneers in divorce mediation and collaborative divorce. After learning how the court system dealt with divorce, she established the Mid-Hudson Divorce and Family Mediation Center, Inc. in 1982, and has offered mediation services to hundreds of divorcing couples since that time. Given her experience level, both as a mediator, and as a divorce litigator, she provides a respectful, thorough and careful environment to assist couples in jointly charting their own future course after separation. For more information, please go to www.mhmediation.com. In 2002, Kathryn helped establish the first Collaborative Divorce group in New York State, which has grown to become the Hudson Valley Collaborative Divorce and Dispute Resolution Association, Ltd. The Collaborative Divorce process involves utilizing a team of professionals (lawyers, divorce financial specialists and mental health specialists) to assist a couple in resolving all issues involved in separation and divorce, while protecting both parties and their children from unnecessary conflict and the costs inherent in litigation. Kathryn has provided a lot of training events for other professionals seeking to enter the collaborative divorce field. For more information, please go to www.collabdivorce-ny.com. Robert Schwartz served as law clerk in the Putnam County Family, County and Surrogate Courts, and as one of the first Child Support Hearing Examiners in the White Plains Family Court. He served as Deputy County Attorney in Putnam County. He has been in private practice for many years; his practice has encompassed family law, personal injury law, and criminal law, in both the trial and appellate courts. Over the years he has lectured on various legal topics, including matrimonial law. He presently focuses his practice on divorce mediation. Melissa Rutkoske is a West Point graduate and entered the field of law as a second career, after being an Army Officer and an engineer. She is a graduate of Quinnipiac University School of Law and has chosen to practice in the field of Family Law. Melissa came to Lazar & Schwartz after employment at Legal Services of the Hudson Valley where she represented victims of domestic violence in family matters. Melissa believes that clients are best served by an attorney that has a full picture of the client's world and can maneuver through the system, understanding the impact that legal decisions will have on the client's life. Melissa is a member of the Hudson Valley Collaborative divorce and Dispute Resolution Association and the Dutchess County Bar Association. She resides in Beacon with her husband and four children. The firm offers consultations for individuals at any stage of a family law problem. We work with people who are considering a separation, who have already separated, who want to bring a divorce action, or who have post-divorce problems. For an appointment, please call our office at 845-896-9651 and our staff will be glad to assist you. For more information about the firm and the services offered, please go to www.lazarandschwartz.com. |
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