Attorney Amy Wechsler has been practicing law since 1985. She practices exclusively in the area of family law. She is certified by the New Jersey Supreme Court as a matrimonial attorney and is an accredited divorce and family mediator and trained arbitrator. She is also a collaboratively trained practitioner. Ms. Wechsler lectures and presents at the New Jersey State Bar Association as well as the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education.
*Super Lawyers: No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Information on the selection process can be found here.
Mediation Experience
- Accredited Professional Mediator, NJ Association of Professional Mediators, 1997 – Present
- Mediator for Economic Mediation Program in conjunction with Superior Court of New Jersey, 1999 – Present
- Co-founder and Mediator for Somerset County Volunteer Custody Mediation Program and Speaker at Custody Mediation Workshop, 1995 – Present
- Mediation in Private Practice, 1995 – Present
- Faculty Instructor for Biannual ICLE Basic Mediation Training, 2013 – Present
- Faculty Instructor for ICLE Advanced Mediation Training, 2013 – Present
Areas of Practice
- Family Law
- Divorce
- Custody and Parenting Time/Visitation
- Enforcement and Modifications
- Mediation
- Collaborative Law
- Arbitration
- Dissolution of Domestic Partnerships
- Premarital Agreements
- Parenting Coordination
- Guardian ad litem
Certified Legal Specialties
- Certified Matrimonial Attorney, New Jersey Supreme Court, 1998
Bar Admissions
- New Jersey, 1985
- U.S. District Court District of New Jersey, 1985
- U.S. Supreme Court, 1996
Education
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey School of Law, Newark, New Jersey
Juris Doctor - Rutgers Graduate School of Social Work
M.S.W – 1976 - University of Connecticut
B.S. – 1972 - Rutgers University
Divorce Meditation Course – 1994 - NJ Association of Professional Mediators, Mediation Internship 1993-1994
- Numerous ICLE, NJAPM, ATLA, NJAJ Seminars in Family Law, 1993-Present
- Rutgers University, Introductory Course in Divorce Mediation – 1994
- Jersey Shore Collaborative Law Group, Collaborative Law Training – 2008
- Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Parent Coordination Training, Chicago, Illinois, 2010
- American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Arbitration Training, Chicago, Illinois, 2013
- New Ways for Families Institute, High Conflict Families Training – 2014
Published Works
- “Summary of Significant Changes to the 2016 NJ Court Rules Affecting Family Practice,” The Clarion, Somerset County Bar Association, Fall, 2015
- “Custody and Parenting Time/Visitation Plans: What Are They and Why Do We Need Them?,” New Jersey Family Lawyer, Vol. 36, No. 1, August, 2015
- “Alimony and Taxes,” New Jersey Family Lawyer, Vol. 33, No. 1, June , 2012 (co-author with Jeffrey Urbach, CPA)
- “The Do’s and Don’ts of Mediation and Arbitration,” New Jersey Family Lawyer, Vol. 27 No. 2 October, 2006 (co-author with Amy Z. Shimalla, Esq.)
- “Imputing Income to Assets,” New Jersey Family Lawyer, Vol. 18 No. 7 Nov/Dec., 1998 (co-author with Melissa G. Schiffman, Esq.)
Classes/Seminars
- Speaker, Cutting Edge Issues in Custody Evaluations, ICLE Family Law Symposium, 2016
- Speaker, Protecting Communications Made Prior to Signing a Collaborative Participation Agreement, ICLE Hot Tips Seminar, 2015
- Speaker, Resources for Domestic Violence Victims and Their Families, NJSBA and SCBA, 2015
- Instructor and Guest Lecturer, Collaborative Family Law and ADR, Rutgers School of Law – Newark, 2015
- Moderator/Speaker, Professionalism in Family Law – The Ethics of Steering Your Client in the Right Direction, SCBA, 2015
- Faculty, Mediation Training, ICLE, 2014
- Speaker, Advanced Mediation Training, 2014, 2016
- Speaker, Use of Guardian Ad Litem for Parties Not Represented by Counsel, ICLE Hot Tips Seminar, 2014
- Moderator, Pet Peeves in Family Law, NJSBA, 2014
- Speaker, The Neurobiology of Addiction: Implications for Families and Children in Custody Cases, NJ-AFCC, 2014
- Speaker and Moderator, Parenting Coordination Workshop, ICLE, 2013
- Speaker/Panelist, Joint Custody: Fact or Fiction?, NJSBA Annual Meeting, 2013
- Speaker/Panelist, Ethics in the Law, Somerset County Bar Association, 2012
- Speaker, Use of Guardian Ad Litem Appointments for Adults in Family Law Matters, AFCC-NJ, 2012
- Speaker, The Child Specialist-In or Out of the Collaborative Model, AFCC-NJ, 2012
- Speaker/Panelist, Family Attorney as Diagnostician and Process Shaper, ICLE, 2012
- Speaker, The Disposition of Pre-embryos: To Be or Not to Be?, ICLE Hot Tips Seminar, 2012
- Instructor, Collaborative Law 2-day Training, ICLE, 2011, 2012
- Speaker/Panelist, Ethics in the Law, Somerset County Bar Association, 2011 – 2012
- Moderator/Speaker, Ethics in the Law, Somerset County Bar Association, 2011
- Speaker, Motions to Modify Support, Somerset County Bar Association, 2010
- Speaker, Arbitration in Family Matters, Somerset County Bar Association, 2010
- Speaker, Savings as a Component of Marital Life Style, FLEC Meeting, 2010
- Speaker, Alternatives/Precursors to Full Custody Evaluations, ICLE, 2010
- Speaker, Enforcement of Anti-Lepis Provisions, NJSBA Annual Meeting, 2009
- Speaker, Calculating Child Support in Equal Shared Parenting Cases, ICLE, 2009
- Speaker, Modification of Support in the Current Economic Climate, ICLE, 2009
- Speaker, Tax Issues in Divorce, Somerset County Bar Association, 2007
- Speaker, Ethical Issues in Representing Children, ICLE, 2006
- Speaker, Divorce and Taxes, Alimony and Taxes, NJ Society of CPA’s, NJAPM and ICLE, 2006
- Speaker, Recent Developments in Family Law, Association of Divorce Financial Planners, 2005
- Speaker, Comparative Family Law, Association of Divorce Financial Planners, 2004
- Speaker, Alimony and Child Support, NJAPM Advanced Divorce Mediation Seminar, 2004
- Speaker, Family and Divorce Mediation, Somerset County Bar Association, 2001
- Speaker, Structure and Use of Court Mediation Programs, NJAPM, 2000
- Moderator & Presenter, Financial Planning in Divorce, Mediation, and Hot Tips, ADR Day, 1999
- Moderator, Financial Planning in Divorce Mediation, NJAPM Annual Conference
- Moderator & Presenter, Child Support Guidelines Seminar, Somerset County Bar Association, 1998
Honors & Awards
- Chosen as Super Lawyer by NJ Monthly Magazine, 2014 – 2015, 2017
- Chosen as Top 50 Women Lawyers in NJ by NJ Monthly Magazine, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2017
- Professional Lawyer of the Year, Somerset County, 2005 Recipient
Professional Associations & Memberships
- Association for Advancement of Collaborative Practice, Co-President/Member, 2015
- Segal v. Lynch – co-authored amicus brief on behalf of NJ-AFCC, 2012
- Vicinage XIII Inn of Court, Steering Committee/Member, 2010 – 2014
- New Jersey Collaborative Law Group, Board Member, Secretary/Chair and Co-Chair, Education Committee/Member, 2009 – 2014
- NJ Supreme Court , Testified in support of establishing a Parenting Coordination Court Rule, 2007 – Present
- New Jersey State Bar Association, Family Law Executive Committee, 2007-Present
- Association of Family and Conciliation Courts – NJ Chapter, President-Elect, 2015 – 2016, Treasurer, 2009 – 2015; Member, 2004 – Present
- Pilot Program for Economic Issues in Divorce Matters, Somerset County, Mediator, 1999 – Present
- District XIII Ethics Committee, Chair/Vice-Chair/Member, 1998 – 2001
- New Jersey Association of Professional Mediators, Member, 1996-Present; Trustee, 1997-2001
- Central Jersey Family Inn of Court, Member, Steering Committee and Master, 1996 – 1999
- Somerset County Custody Mediation Program, Co-founder and Custody Mediator, 1995 – Present
- New Jersey State Bar Association, Member, 1994 – Present
- Somerset County Bar Association, Member, 1993 – Present; President 2013 – 2014; Chair and Co-Chair of Family Law Committee
- Matrimonial Early Settlement Panel, Hunterdon and Somerset Counties, Panelist, 1991 – Present
Past Employment Positions
- Copeland, Shimalla, Wechsler & Lepp, LLP, Partner, 1995 – 2010
- Copeland & Shimalla, Of Counsel, 1993 – 1995
- Herold & Haines, Associate, 1992
- Norris, McLaughlin & Marcus, Associate, 1986 – 1991
- Sills, Cummis, Zuckerman, Radin, Tischman & Epstein, Associate, 1985 – 1986
- New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Hospitals, Program Analyst, 1977 – 1981
- NJ Division of Youth and Family Services, Program Development Specialist, 1973 – 1975
