Education:
Law School:
Boston University School of Law, Boston, Massachusetts, Juris Doctor with honors, 1988
Honors: American Jurisprudence Award for Excellence in the Study of Constitutional Law; Paul J. Liacos Scholar; Member, J. Braxton Craven National Constitutional Law Moot Court Team
Graduate School (Psychology):
The Wright Institute, Berkeley, California, Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology, GPA 3.74, 2019
Undergraduate:
University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, B.A., cum laude, 1985, Major: Psychology
Relevant Certifications:
University of Pennsylvania, Carey Law School, Specialization in Healthcare Law, 2023, Coursework included U.S. Health Law Fundamentals, Privacy Law and HIPAA, Intellectual Property in the Healthcare Industry, and Comparative Health Systems
Bar Admission and Professional Licenses:
- Licensed Attorney, State Bar of California, Bar No. 214060
- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, State of California, No. 129382
Professional Experience:
Attorney and Mediator, Berkeley/Oakland, CA, 2001-present. Represent individuals in matters primarily involving divorce and family law in addition to representation of licensed psychologist before attorney general in response to formal ethics accusations. My practice integrates mindfulness into law practice to facilitate optimal decision-making. Approved Mediator, Alameda County Superior Court, 2015-present.
Psychotherapist, Oakland/Berkeley, CA, 2019-present. Offer unique Reality Attunement Therapy to individuals and couples that integrates cognitive-behavioral, rational emotive, Gestalt, and existential approaches. To learn more, please visit www.lexthera.com.
Attorney, Schatz & Schatz, Ribicoff & Kotkin, Hartford, CT, 1988-1991. Associate Attorney in Commercial Litigation Department of 100+ attorney national law firm.
Manager, Legal Cost Containment Unit, Fireman’s Fund, Novato, CA, 1995-1997. Created, developed and managed 5-person unit charged with reigning in escalating outside counsel expenses associated with the defense of insureds in large-scale environmental claims litigation.
Legal Cost Coordinator/Senior Litigation Auditor, Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, Boston, MA, 1993-1995. Interfaced with outside counsel throughout the United States in corporate-wide effort to control legal costs associated with the defense of multi-district asbestos claims and toxic tort litigation. Primary responsibility for negotiating and resolving legal fee disputes and requests for reimbursement with outside counsel resulting in the recovery of hundreds of thousands of dollars of excessively billed legal fees.
Director, Wallace Law Registry (now Kelly Law Registry), Boston, MA, 1991-1993. Opened and help expand fledgling satellite office of national legal placement firm focused on the recruitment and placement of highly credentialed attorneys in corporate legal departments.
Mediation Training:
Pepperdine University, Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Malibu, CA, Certificate in Family Law Mediation, 2017
SEEDS Community Resolution Center, Berkeley, CA, 6-month Practicum, 2015
Rosenberg Mediation Training, Corte Madera, CA, 40-hour Program, Certificated, 2014
Mindfulness and Meditation Training:
Mindfulness in Law Teacher Training, Certificated, 2015-2016. Provided by Warrior One, this year-long program provided a foundation for teaching mindfulness specifically within the legal industry. 300-hour curriculum included several residential retreats at San Francisco Zen Center’s Green Gulch Farm with 25-person cohort comprised of experienced attorneys from throughout North America.
Benson-Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine, Boston, MA. 1991-1992. Program Assistant. Provided eight-week mindfulness training to group of adults based on the Relaxation Response developed by Dr. Herbert Benson in the 1970’s.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Woodacre, CA. Participant in training classes on mindfulness meditation, 1995-present.
East Bay Meditation Center, Oakland, CA. Participant in training classes on mindfulness meditation, 2010-present.
Pacific Zen Institute, Oakland, CA. Participant in training classes on zen meditation, 2013-present.
Community Involvement:
Advisory Board, Next Step Learning Center, Oakland, CA. 2011- 2017.
Volunteer, St. Vincent de Paul Society of Alameda County, Oakland, CA, 2019.
President, West Grand Lofts Homeowners’ Association, Oakland, CA, 2015-2018.
Mediator, SEEDS Community Resolution Center, Berkeley, CA.