By Rod Bacon
An area law firm has expanded to better serve its clients.
Whitson Law PLLC, headquartered in Elizabethtown with a satellite location in Saratoga Springs, recently opened offices in Plattsburgh and Albany.
Founded in 2009 by Debra Whitson, Esq., the firm specializes in all aspects of family law.
“We believe every individual and family should have options to avoid the acrimony, uncertainty, and cost of letting courts determine their fate and their children’s future,” said Whitson. “What we offer our clients is unique, and we want to reach as many people as possible who would benefit from our services.”
All members of the team, from the attorneys to support staff, are trained to assist clients navigate the often choppy waters of a family in distress. Practice areas include divorce, family offense, child custody, child support, separation agreements, grandparents’ rights, prenuptial agreements, and protective orders. At the other end of the spectrum is adoption advice for couples wishing to add to their families.
According to Director of Sales & Marketing Karlien Haese, the firm operates on an appointment-only basis. When a consultation is requested an attorney and appropriate support staff travel to the office most convenient for the client.
“That is why we opened the two new offices,” she said. “We were getting a lot of inquiries from those areas so we knew the demand was there.”
Before a negative approach is undertaken, Whitson always recommends mediation, which can keep the litigants out of the courtroom. This can be done either through personal consultation with a mediation specialist or by utilizing Mediated Online Solutions, LLC, an arm of the firm operated by Whitson and John J. Haverlick, LCSWR.
The firm offers what is termed client concierge service, where clients are assigned a dedicated staff member who helps them with paperwork and provides regular updates on the status of their case. This allows the attorney assigned to the client to concentrate on providing the best possible representation.
Most of the staff are Certified Divorce Specialists (CDS), a designation earned through the National Association of Divorce Professionals (NADP).
Whitson is a 1986 summa cum laude graduate of Cornell University with a bachelor of science degree in human development and family studies. She earned her Juris Doctor magna cum laude in 1994 from Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University.
She was chief special victims prosecutor for the Essex County District Attorney from 1994-2005; staff attorney at the New York Prosecutors Training Institute from 2006-2007; and during the 1999-2000 academic year was an associate professor of criminal justice at Clinton Community College.
She is also the author of “Divorce Like A Pro: A Better Way To Break Up,” which she terms “a practical guide to navigating divorce with dignity.”
She introduced collaborative divorce, a method for couples to dissolve their marriage outside of court, to the Adirondack region. This emphasizes cooperation and negotiation to reach agreements on all aspects of divorce, such as property division, child custody, and support.
In a partnership with Whitson Law, Maria Natapov offers BeH20, a service designed to help couples in crisis effectively co-parent. The goal is to not only ensure the well being of the child but also that of the parents.
In addition to Whitson, the staff includes Partner Martin Cohen, Associate Attorney Alessandra Carpini, and Of Council Attorney Amanda Dysart. At the end of the month Will Donovan, an attorney with experience in the family law division of the public defender’s office, will come on board.
Support staff includes Senior Paralegal Jessica Oteney, Law Clerk Katie Short, Sales & Marketing Director Karlien Haese, Marketing Assistant Jasha Cuezon, Client Support Specialist Lucia Galdos, and Executive Assistant Marenique Van Der Westhuizen
With the opening of the new offices the firm now serves clients from the Capital District through the Upper Hudson Valley to the Canadian border.
According to Whitson, future plans include expanding into Western New York state and the greater New York City area.
For further information go to whitsonlawfirm.com.