Newman graduated from a BA in sociology from the University of Delaware in 1996 and a JD from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 1999. While in law school she was recruited by Barry Berkman, who taught her in a matrimonial law class and Newman joined Berkman’s firm in 1998. She became a partner in the matrimonial law and divorce law firm in 2005 at the age of 31, and eventually a marquee partner, resulting in the firm’s renaming as Berkman Bottger Newman & Schein. She has worked as the hiring manager for the firm and is currently the Managing Partner. She has also taught seminars at The Center for Understanding Conflict in New York City, the Redwoods Initiative, as well as classes in matrimonial law at Fordham University School of Law.

Among legal pros, January has earned a reputation as Divorce Month. If you’re contemplating calling it quits on the heels of the holidays, take a moment to slow down and ask yourself these key questions—provided by divorce attorneys, therapists and life coaches—before filing the paperwork.

One of the most common complaints my clients voice is disappointment with their matrimonial attorneys.  After suffering a breach of trust and having a central relationship deteriorate, divorcees many times find themselves in an unhealthy relationship with one of the most important people in their present life, their attorney.  There are often  issues of miscommunication, mistrust and misunderstanding.  When you are struggling to put your life back together and navigate a world that seems foreign to you, you want to insure that your ‘partner’, your attorney is a good fit.

During a divorce, no good can come from bad-mouthing your spouse on Twitter or Facebook.
Lawyers.com journalist Ed Alpern reports on how the tools of discovery in matrimonial cases have evolved. In the past, divorce attorneys gathered information using subpoenas for witnesses and documents. But now attorneys do a lot of investigation online.

Ending a marriage is one of the most difficult decisions you can make. But sometimes, taking the in-between step of separation before a full-on split could be the right move for you and your family. Here, real women and divorce experts share which questions to ask yourself before you call it quits for good.

Most people spend their lives hoping to never talk to a divorce lawyer. But when you think about it, who better to dish out relationship-extending advice? They know exactly what brings couples to the breaking point and into their offices; in fact, the six young female divorce lawyers Glamour interviewed for this story have all had a front-row seat at some major marital battles. But guess what; They’re all happily married themselves, and they’d like you to get —and stay— that way too. Listen in on their horror stories, love stories, and strategies for keeping a ring on it.

One recent study suggested divorce filings rose by as much as 40 per cent right after the holiday, while anecdotal evidence collected by Yahoo! Shine from divorce lawyers painted Valentine’s Day as time of reckoning more than romance.

Hindsight’s 20/20, so there’s no one better than ex-wives to tell you what to do (and not to do) if you’re going through—or just contemplating—a divorce. Here, real women share what they wish they’d known when they split from their husbands and divorce professionals weigh in on how to combat the most unexpected, yet most common, mistakes they’ve seen clients make. Rest assured, these 10 lessons can get you through the end of your marriage, both financially and emotionally.

Jacqueline Newman managing partner of Berkman Bottger Newman & Schein, a matrimonial law firm in Manhattan that practices exclusively in divorce law and prenuptial agreements

Sara Yood is doubly fortunate.

With the legal industry in a long hiring slump, she’s not only landed a job, but she’s also found a way around the entry-level law-firm drudgery that law grads have traditionally had to endure.

“I got to skip the law-firm part,” said Ms. Yood, who in January landed an assistant general counsel position at a nonprofit trade group. “I was put on incredibly important projects immediately.”