 On the practice of law and litigation . . .
“Clients walk into my office and tell me what they want. It’s my job to tell them what they need.
In my practice, which deals with divorce, and probate litigation, I have come to understand that clients care, not only about the outcomes, but about the process.
I often tell new clients that I specialize in treating sleep disorders. They don’t come to me on happy occasions. It is usually some form of tragedy that brings them to me. So what I do is provide them with counsel, guidance, and legal assistance in keeping them as whole as possible. Often that means working with sensitivity to preserve relationships and avoid the draining expenses of litigation. There is more than one way to a ‘win.’
My job at the firm – and the job of all our attorneys – is to empower clients in a process that shouldn’t be mystical or magical. Getting to a satisfactory resolution is a collaborative effort that incorporates problem solving, providing a candid assessment of risk, and being open to alternatives, including mediation, alternative dispute resolution, and if need be, litigation.
What makes our practice particularly satisfying is the opportunity to offer clients the benefits of in-house expertise in other concentrations. Clients who come to see me about family law issues or litigation, frequently find the need to deal with ancillary issues that revolve around disability and elder law or real estate. Our ability to collaborate closely, across concentrations, provides a powerful advantage for clients.”
Background
Howard I. Goldstein limits his law practice to civil litigation, with special interests in the areas of divorce, probate and trust litigation. He has also received advanced training as a mediator and has extensive experience in a relatively new dispute resolution process called Collaborative Practice.
He has served for more than ten years as an adjunct faculty member at Northeastern University and its Law School, and has been a frequent lecturer at continuing education programs for lawyers under the sponsorship of Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Inc.(MCLE), the Boston Bar Association, the Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation, and the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys on divorce law and topics relating to civil litigation. His most recent teaching assignments included chairing a program by MCLE entitled "Psychology for Lawyers" and continuing education workshops at Boston University and Boston College Graduate Schools of Social Work entitled
"Divorce Law for Mental Health Professionals."
Mr. Goldstein was selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2008 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® (Copyright 2006 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, S.C.) As published in Boston Magazine, he has been named a Massachusetts “Super Lawyer” in family law annually since 2005.
Mr. Goldstein has served as a member of Hearing Committee of the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers, on the Board of Trustees of Cambridge and Somerville Legal Services, the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation, Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council and as a member of the Board of Governors of the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys. His history of community involvement includes service on the boards of directors of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, of Temple Emanuel, Newton, Massachusetts, and of the Divorce Center, Inc., a non-profit organization serving the educational needs of the community in the area of divorce. He is a member of the Democratic City Committee of the City of Newton and currently serves as an elected member of the Judicial Council of the Massachusetts State Democratic Party.
Attorney Goldstein is a 1969 graduate of Brandeis University and a 1973 graduate of Northeastern University School of Law.
For more information on divorce and family law, visit Attorney Goldstein's own web page at http://www.hgoldstein.com
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