Matrimonial Certification Test Prep
Date: Oct 23, 2025 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Location: Online
Member Price: $211.00
Non-Member Price: $264.00
Section Price: $0.00
Areas of Law: Family
Earn up to 7.3 credits! (More Information)
Keynote
Moderator
- Sheryl J. Seiden, Esq.
- SeidenFreed, LLC, Cranfordis the founding Partner of Seiden Family Law, LLC in Cranford, New Jersey. She is a seasoned matrimonial lawyer, having practiced family law exclusively since January 2000. Prior to forming Seiden Family Law, Ms. Seiden was a Partner at a boutique law firm in Summit, where she practiced family law for thirteen years.
Admitted to practice in New Jersey and New York, Ms. Seiden is Past Chair of the Family Law Section Executive Committee (“FLEC”) of the New Jersey State Bar Association and a Trustee of the Association. She is a past Co-Chair of the Young Lawyer Family Law Subcommittee for FLEC, and has been a member of FLEC since 2008. An officer and Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers– New Jersey Chapter (“AAML-NJ”), Ms. Seiden has served on the Board of Managers for several years and is slated to be sworn in as the President of AAML-NJ in June 2024. She is also a member of the Union and Essex County Bar Associations. In November 2014 Ms. Seiden argued as amicus curiae for AAML in Gnall v Gnall before the Supreme Court of New Jersey. She has been an Early Settlement Panelist for the Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division, Family Part, Union County, and has been asked to serve as a blue-ribbon panelist on several occasions by the Early Settlement Panel for the Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division, Family Part, Essex County.
Ms. Seiden has moderated and spoken on many panels for the Family Law Symposium on topics involving creative support awards, child support, emancipation and special needs trusts, alimony issues, legislative issues affecting family law, and reexamining relocation laws. She has also been a speaker at the Friday night program for the Family Law Symposium on several occasions. Ms. Seiden is co-author of Marriage, Divorce and Dissolution (Gann Publishing, 2019, now in its 3rd Edition). She often lectures and educates junior lawyers and paralegals on how to prepare Case Information Statements, and has also lectured on the relocation laws in New Jersey as well as parental alienation.
Ms. Seiden received her B.A., cum laude, from American University and is a magna cum laude graduate of New York Law School, where she served as the Managing Editor of the New York Law School Law Review.
Presenters
- Mary Ann Bauer, Esq.
- Bauer & Karch Law Group, LLC, Lebanon
- Bruce E. Chase, Esq.
- Chase & Chase LLC, Hackensack
- Jerry S. D'Aniello, Esq.
- Sarno Da Costa D'Aniello Maceri LLC, Roseland
- Carolyn N. Daly, Esq.
- Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman, PC, Newark
- Christine Fitzgerald, Esq.
- SeidenFreed, LLC, Cranford
- Bonnie C. Frost, Esq.
- Chair, Ethics Diversionary Program
Einhorn, Barbarito, Frost, Botwinick, Nunn & Musmanno, P.C., Denville - Sean Gaynor, Esq.
- Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman, PC, Scotch Plains
- Jeralyn L. Lawrence, Esq.
- Past President, New Jersey State Bar Association
Lawrence Law, LLC, WatchungCertified as a Matrimonial Law Attorney by the Supreme Court of New Jersey, is the Managing Member and founder of Lawrence Law in Watchung, New Jersey. She practices in all areas of matrimonial and family law including divorce litigation, mediation and arbitration, custody and parenting time issues, alimony and child support, separation and property settlement agreements, adoption and guardianship advice, domestic partnership matters under the Domestic Partnership Act, domestic violence and sexual abuse, and palimony. She is also a trained collaborative lawyer and divorce mediator, and has argued before the New Jersey Supreme Court on behalf of the New Jersey State Bar Association and the New Jersey chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.
A Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), Ms. Lawrence is President of the Academy’s New Jersey Chapter and has been certified by the AAML as a Family Law Arbitrator. She is also a volunteer attorney with the New Jersey State Bar Military Legal Assistance Program, which provides pro bono legal assistance to New Jersey residents who have served overseas or in active duty of the armed forces after September 11, 2001. Past President of the New Jersey State Bar Association, she is Past Chair of the NJSBA Family Law Section, has served as a Trustee of the New Jersey State Bar Foundation and is Past President of the Somerset County Bar Association. Ms. Lawrence has served on the District XIII Attorney Ethics Committee and has been a member of the New Jersey Association for Justice, the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association, the New Jersey Collaborative Law Group, the New Jersey Association of Professional Mediators (NJAPM) and the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals. A Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, she was appointed to the Somerset County Domestic Violence Working Group as a Representative of the Somerset County Family Law Section and has also been a member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts and the American Bar Association. She serves on the Matrimonial Certification Committee that oversees the statewide matrimonial attorney certification process and has been an attorney volunteer at Safe+Sound Somerset.
Ms. Lawrence is a frequent lecturer at divorce and family law programs and has been a senior editor of the New Jersey Family Lawyer. She is a graduate of the National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA) and a member and Barrister of the Central New Jersey American Inns of Court. Ms. Lawrence is a recipient of the Young Lawyers Division Professional Achievement Award, the Carol Murphy Award bestowed by the Women’s Political Caucus of New Jersey, and is a 3-time recipient of the Annual Legislative Recognition Award from the New Jersey State Bar Association. She is also the recipient of the 2008 Outstanding Woman in Somerset County from the Somerset County Commission on the Status of Women, the 2009 Kean University Distinguished Alumna award and the Saul Tischler Award from the NJSBA Family Law Section in 2023.
Ms. Lawrence received her B.A. from Kean University and her J.D., summa cum laude, from Seton Hall University School of Law. While in law school, she was awarded the New Jersey Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers’ Award in addition to serving as the Student Director of the Family Law Clinic. - Megan S. Murray, Esq.
- The Family Law Offices of Megan S. Murray, Holmdel
- Francesca O'Cathain, Esq.
- Certified By the Supreme Court of New Jersey As a Matrimonial Attorney
O'Cathain Law Group - Lynne Strober, Esq.
- Mandelbaum Barrett, Roseland
- Amanda S. Trigg, Esq.
- Cohn Lifland Pearlman Herrmann Knopf LLP, Saddle Brook
Presented in collaboration with the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) New Jersey Chapter
Our full-day course is for anyone who wants to improve their knowledge of family law or for anyone who plans to sit for the Matrimonial Certification Exam through the New Jersey Board of Attorney Certification. Our speakers are all fellows of the American Academy of Matrimonial lawyers and will provide an insightful overview of the major areas in family law.
Ideal for:
- Attorneys planning to sit for the New Jersey Matrimonial Certification Exam.
- Past registrants seeking a refresher.
- Family law practitioners aiming to strengthen their legal acumen.
What you'll gain:
- A high-level review of key family law topics tested on the certification exam.
- Practical insights from top matrimonial attorneys with decades of experience.
- A structured day of learning to help you identify knowledge gaps and reinforce strengths.
- Guidance on exam preparation strategies and study resources.
- Networking opportunities with experienced family law practitioners and peers.
Topics include:
- Agreements - Christine Fitzgerald, Esq.
- Equitable Distribution - Lynne Strober, Esq.
- Alimony - Mary Ann Bauer, Esq.
- Cohabitation and its affect on alimony - Jeralyn L. Lawrence, Esq.
- Retirement and its affect on alimony - Jeralyn L. Lawrence, Esq.
- Custody - Megan S. Murray, Esq.
- Parenting coordination - Amanda S. Trigg, Esq.
- Child support - Francesca O’Cathain, Esq.
- GAL - Megan S. Murray, Esq.
- Parent alienation versus estrangement - Amanda S. Trigg, Esq.
- Domestic violence - Sean Gaynor, Esq.
- Evidence rules - Sean Gaynor, Esq.
- UCCJEA, UIFSEA, URESA - Carolyn N. Daly, Esq.
- Ethics - basics of different types of accounts - Bonnie C. Frost, Esq.
- Preparing for random audit - Bonnie C. Frost, Esq.
- Ethics – retainers - Jerry S. D'Aniello, Esq.
- Ethics – conflicts - Christine Fitzgerald, Esq.
- John Paone’s hot tips - Sheryl J. Seiden, Esq.
- Post judgment motion practice - Bruce E. Chase, Esq.
- Pleadings for divorce - Bruce E. Chase, Esq.
- Arbitration - Carolyn N. Daly, Esq.
- SJS tips - Sheryl J. Seiden, Esq.
Important Information About Our Events, Meetings, and More:
To secure your spot and receive important updates about our events, meetings, and other gatherings, such as schedule changes, remember to register in advance.
Digital Materials & Environmental Commitment: As part of our commitment to environmental sustainability, unless otherwise noted, all seminar materials are provided as digital downloads. You can access these materials through:
- The “My Links” section at the top of our website for in-person or online events
- Or, for online programs, the event access link included in your joining instructions
Cancellation and Refund Policy:
If you need to cancel your registration and are not transferring to another program or date, please submit a written request to us at least three business days before the event, meeting, or gathering. You will receive a refund minus a $20.00 cancellation fee. No refunds or registration changes will be issued within three business days of the event, meeting, or gathering.
Stay Informed:
Registered participants will be notified of any schedule changes. For updates regarding inclement weather, please check your email or visit NJSBA.com.
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Scholarship & Financial Assistance Policy:
Read our Scholarship & Financial Assistance Policy and submit an Application here: https://njsba.com/njicle/cle-programs/scholarship/