Collaboratively-trained Divorce Attorney Mary Ann Bauer has a vast array of experience in all family law matters and all methods of resolution. Her expertise is in the areas of  divorce, custody, and domestic violence.

She has been practicing family law since she graduated from Seton Hall Law School in 1988. Right out of law school, she clerked in family court, then worked in a firm that practiced primarily family law, and has devoted her entire career to the specialty.

She believes that a Collaborative divorce gives individuals the skills that are necessary to resolve both current and future issues without the need for them to resort to litigation.

 “A Collaborative divorce,” she said, “assists in reconfiguring families in a positive way.”

Since COVID, she says, people are exhausted and they have more anxiety about their divorce. “People don’t have mobility right now, “ she said. “They are stuck in the house together.” She said it is incumbent upon an attorney to help ground their clients, and educate them as to how a Collaborative divorce can help them.

Mary Ann understands the importance of  personal and professional service. She is dedicated to assisting her  clients by offering quality legal services in a cost effective manner.

Although she was born in Pennsylvania, she has spent her entire life in New Jersey, primarily in the Hunterdon and Somerset County areas. She has two adult sons. When she is not practicing law, she enjoys cooking, eating, walking, and looks forward to a time when she can get back to travelling.

Her Mantra:  Collaborative gives families the opportunity to be creative, and to craft a solution that will work best for the unique nature of their family.

The Details

• Graduated from Rutgers University with honors and Seton Hall University School of Law Cum Laude.

• Admitted to practice in New Jersey in 1988.

• Also admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, the New Jersey Supreme Court, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

• Served as a law clerk for a Superior Court Judge from 1988 to 1989, during one-half of which time she was assigned to the Family Part.

• She is a certified matrimonial attorney and was elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers in 2009.

• She is a trained Collaborative law attorney as well as a mediator and arbitrator.

• She has spoken at numerous seminars focused on family law topics.

Associations

• Former President of the Somerset County Bar Association.

• Member of the New Jersey Bar Association Family Law Section.

• Served on the Somerset County Family Law Committee and served as co-Chair of the Hunterdon County Family Practice Committee.

• Served on the Hunterdon County Alternate Dispute Resolution Committee and Collaborative Law Committee.

• Member (and Past President) of the New Jersey Collaborative Law Group and International Association of Collaborative  Professionals.

• Former Chair of the District XIII Fee Arbitration Committee.

• Serves on the Somerset and Hunterdon County Early Settlement Panels.

• She was a barrister in the Family Law Inns of Court for Central New Jersey.

• She was also an Associate Professor at Raritan Valley Community College where she taught family law.