Kate Monagle does not point to an “aha moment” when she made the decision to practice Family Law. Rather, growing up with two adopted siblings who had two different sets of parents, her interest in family dynamics was always an intrinsic part of her life. She always knew she wanted to help people who were going through a difficult time in their lives, and being a family law attorney fit the bill completely.

Kate specializes in mediation and Collaborative divorce, alternative dispute processes that acknowledge and embrace the fact that divorce does not have to be litigious and confrontational.

“My goal is helping families transition from being married to not-married with the least damage possible,” she says. “I look at the needs of the whole family system, and act as a problem solver and peacemaker.  In getting to know the parties, I gather information to facilitate their ability to create options for their future.  This gives them the most control over the outcome of their divorce, rather than a judge who has never met the parties.”

That covers damage to both spouses, but, more importantly, it really creates an environment where damage to the children is minimized, she says.

She is the Founder and Managing Attorney at Monagle Law and Mediation, in Maplewood, NJ. She has been a litigator for over 16 years focusing her entire legal career on helping people and entities through the most difficult times in their lives. She has significant experience handling complex and high conflict matters in insurance law, arbitration, family law, and civil courts.

Kate assists clients in mediation, negotiation, arbitration and Collaborative law practice.

An adversarial courtroom experience is the last thing people going through a divorce need, she says. While training as a mediator, she learned about the Collaborative process and became a Collaborative practitioner as well in order to provide her divorce clients with the best team-based option that focuses on goals, interests, and the future in creative ways that satisfy the interests of all parties.

In a Collaborative divorce, she says, people strive to reduce blame from the past and look to a new beginning, which helps them to be healthy co-parents.

Her takeaway: With litigation, a judge who does not know either party is making long-term decisions that impact everyone. There can never be a “winner.” A Collaborative divorce allows people to navigate their own path to a peaceful outcome.

If there are children involved, the end of a marriage is not the end of future relationships and celebrations. Think about those graduations and weddings, she advises. “You want everyone to be on good terms when together,” she says.

Kate attended Cornell University undergrad, and Seton Hall Law. She gained trial experience in the auto insurance industry. After many years spent working within the Court system, she decided it was time to work with her clients to create out-of-court settlements that help the parties maintain future relationships.

When she is not practicing law, Kate enjoys gardening, reading, attending the various sporting events of her three young children, taking yoga classes, and experimenting with new recipes that the whole family is willing to eat.

Her Mantra:  (Borrowed from Sandra Day O’Connor)

 “The courts of this country should not be the places where resolution of disputes begins. They should be the places where the disputes end after alternative methods of resolving disputes have been considered and tried.” 

The Details:

• Area of Practice: family law, civil law

• Member, New Jersey State Bar Association

• Member, New Jersey Collaborative Law Group

• Member, New Jersey Association of Professional Mediators

• Member, International Academy of Collaborative Professionals

• Undergraduate Education, Cornell University, 1998

• Postgraduate Education, Seton Hall University School of Law, 2002

• R. 1:40 qualified family law mediator

• Collaborative lawyer

Training/Volunteer

• R. 1:40 qualified mediator

• Hunterdon County Early Settlement Panelist

• Somerset and Hunterdon County court mediator

• South Orange and Maplewood municipal court mediator