Attorney Amy Zylman Shimalla has been practicing law since 1986. 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. Shimalla lectures and presents at the New Jersey State Bar Association as well as the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education.
*Best 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.
*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, 1999 – Present
- Mediator for Economic Mediation Program in conjunction with Superior Court of New Jersey, 1999 – Present
- Founding Member, Somerset County Volunteer Custody Mediation Program, 1995 – Present
- Mediation in Private Practice, 1995 – Present
- Faculty Instructor for Biannual ICLE Mediation Training Course
- Faculty Instructor Biannual Advanced Mediation Training
- Faculty Instructor Annual Family Law Institute
- Named in Best Lawyers in America for Alternate Dispute Resolution, 2005-2019
Areas of Practice
- Family Law
- Arbitration
- Collaborative Divorce
- Litigation
- Mediation
Certified Legal Specialties
- Certified Matrimonial Law Attorney, Supreme Court of New Jersey
Bar Admissions
- New Jersey, 1986
- U.S. District Court District of New Jersey, 1986
- U.S. Supreme Court, 1996
Education
- Seton Hall University School of Law, Newark, New Jersey
Juris Doctor – May, 1986 - Rutgers University, University College
B.S. with Highest Honors – 1980 - Rutgers University
Divorce Mediation Course – 1994 - Jersey Shore Collaborative Law Group
Collaborative Law Training – 2008 - American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Chicago, Illinois
Arbitration Training, 2013 - Mediation Training in Domestic Violence Cases, 2015
Published Works
- Co-Author, New Jersey Family Law ADR Handbook, NJICLE, 2015
- “The Passage of the New Jersey Family Collaborative Law Act and the Impact on Collaborative Practice,” New Jersey Family Lawyer, November, 2015
- “Collaborative Divorce: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions,” New Jersey Family Lawyer, Vol. 35, No. 1, September, 2014
- “Collaborative Divorce Explained,” New Jersey Family Lawyer, Vol. 31 February, 2011
- “The Do’s and Don’ts of Mediation and Arbitration,” Co-Author with Amy Wechsler, Esq., New Jersey Family Lawyer, Vol. 27 No. 2 October, 2006
Classes/Seminars
- Trending Custody Panel, NJ Bar Association Annual Meeting, May 2019
- Alimony panel, NJ State Bar Association Annual Meeting, May 2016
- Speaker, Getting to Yes in Divorce: Using and Understanding ADR in Family Law Cases, NJICLE, 2015, 2016
- Speaker, Professionalism in Family Law – Steering Your Client in the Right Direction, SCBA, 2015
- Speaker, How to Be a Better Advocate for Your Client in an ADR Process, SCBA, 2015
- Speaker, Privileges, Confidences and Their Ethical Implications in Family Law Litigation, NJICLE, 2015
- Panelist, Hot Tips for Handling Domestic Violence Matters, SCBA, 2015
- Economic Mediation with Domestic Violence Final Restraining Orders, NJICLE, 2015
- Speaker, Alternative Dispute Resolution in Family Law, 2015, Rutgers School of Law (Newark)
- Speaker, Vicinage XIII Family Law Bench Bar Conference, 2015, SCBA
- Speaker, Domestic Violence Seminar , NJSBA Midyear Meeting, 2015
- Faculty, Family Law Summer Institute, 2010 – 2015
- Speaker, Family Law Symposium – 2006, 2015
- Speaker, Collaborative Divorce, Rutgers School of Law (Newark), 2011 – 2015
- Faculty, Collaborative Divorce Law Training, NJ ICLE, 2011-2015
- Speaker, Hot Tips Seminar , ICLE, 2007-2015
- Speaker, Alimony: Termination & Modification, NJAJ, 2014
- Equitable Distribution Panel, NJ State Bar Association Annual Meeting, May 15, 2014
- Speaker, NJ Collaborative Law Act, NJSBA, 2014
- Faculty, Advanced Mediation Training, ICLE, 2012 – 2016
- Parent Coordination Workshop, ICLE, 2013
- Bench Bar Panel, 2013 NJSBA Annual Meeting
- Speaker, The Workings of the Ethics Committee, Somerset County Bar Association – October, 2012
- Speaker, Joint Custody – A Fiction, NJAJ, 2012
- Alimony Panel, NJ State Bar Association Annual Meeting – May, 2012
- Custody Panel – Boardwalk Seminars, NJAJ – April, 2012
- Speaker, How to Settle a Case, Family Law Retreat – 2012
- Speaker, Beyond the Best Interests Evaluation, SCBA, 2011
- Collaborative Law Seminar, ICLE, 2010
- Speaker, Divorce in Tough Economic Times, SCBA, 2010
- Speaker, Collaborative Divorce and Arbitration in Family Law Matters, SCBA, 2010
- Speaker, Hot Tips, Family Law Retreat, 2009
- Judicial College Bar Representative to Teach Recent Developments in Case Law, 2007
Honors & Awards
- Professor James B. Boskey ADR Practitioner of the Year Award 2015 – 2016
- Chosen as Top 100 Lawyers in NJ by NJ Monthly Magazine, 2016, 2019
- Chosen as Top 50 Women Lawyers in NJ by NJ Monthly Magazine, 2008 – 2019
- Best Lawyers of America for Arbitration, Family Law, Family Law Mediation, Mediation, 2005 – 2019
- Ranked in Super Lawyers by NJ Monthly Magazine, 2005 – 2019
- Somerset County Women of Distinction Award, 2001
- New Jersey Commission on Professionalism Lawyer of the Year Award for Somerset County, 2000
Professional Associations & Memberships
- Somerset County Bar Association, Family Practice Committee Member, Co-Chair 2013-2019
- Statewide Counsel of Collaborative Professionals, 2011 – 2014
- New Jersey Supreme Court Matrimonial Certification Committee, Chair
- NJSBA Family Law Executive Committee
- Association for the Advancement of Collaborative Practice, Co-President
- New Jersey Divorce Arbitrators Association, Board Member
- New Jersey Collaborative Law Group, President – 2012
- Somerset County Bar Association, Member; President 1995-1996; State Bar Trustee 1997-2003
- District XIII Ethics Committee, Immediate Past Chair
- NJSBA Women in the Profession Section, Member & Former Chair
- NJSBA Task Force on Diversity, Former Chair
- New Jersey Association of Professional Mediators
- Matrimonial Early Settlement Panelist, 1991-Present
Past Employment Positions
- Law Offices of Pamela Copeland Kaufelt, Associate, 1989 – 1992
- Thiele & Hermes, Associate, 1987 – 1989
- Hon. Paul T. Murphy, Superior Court of New Jersey, Judicial Clerkship, 1986 – 1987
Family Law Practice Areas
Firm News & Helpful Information
- Two SWLD Partners Installed as SCBA Officers
- Shimalla Selected for Best Lawyers List 2018
- SWLD Partners Speak at ICLE Sponsored Programs
- Amy Shimalla, Esq., Part of Panel Discussion of NJSBA Annual Meeting- 2019
- Shimalla, Weshsler, Lepp & D'Onofrio, LLP featured in "Women of Influence" article
- Shimalla, Wechsler, Lepp & D'Onofrio's Partners Honored as Super Lawyers
