Speaker Biographies

Courtney Altemus, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Advance, CEO & Founder of TeamAltemus, LLC Courtney is an unbiased consultant and educator to athletes. As a former Wall Street executive, she brings decades of expertise and experience in helping athletes reach their financial goals and manage their money. Now, as an objective and independent consultant, instead of managing assets, she educates athletes about all things financial, helps clients vet and monitor their advisors and prepares them for their future. During her investment career, Courtney worked at Barclays, Lehman Brothers, Credit Suisse and DLJ. She began her career at Wells Fargo in commercial and investment banking. She has served on the Alumni and Business Advisory Boards at La Salle University and as an advisor to the World Series of Entrepreneurship. Courtney currently serves on the Board of the Philadelphia Youth Organization/Marian Anderson Recreation Center, and the Jean and Raymont Harris Foundation.

Serving as the ninth dean of the University of Houston Law Center, Leonard M. Baynes is now the longest serving law dean in the State of Texas. He has a national reputation as a communications law scholar with specializations in business and FCC regulation. He manages almost 60 full-time faculty and oversees 11 centers and institutes, including the No. 7 ranked Health Law & Policy Institute and the No. 8 ranked Institute for Intellectual Property & Information Law as well as the No. 8 ranked Part-Time Program.

Baynes initiated an award-winning Pre-Law Pipeline Program designed to create more opportunities for first-generation, economically challenged, and under-resourced college students who are considering law school. He instituted a voluntary “Community Service Day” during which incoming first-year students, faculty, and staff fan out across the city to work on public service projects. He also has increased the number of scholarships and opportunities for students to serve in school-funded, public service internships at home and abroad.

Baynes was inducted into the Minority Media & Telecommunications Council Hall of Fame. Before becoming Dean at UH Law, Baynes previously served as the inaugural director of the Ronald H. Brown Center for Civil Rights and Economic Development at St. John’s University School of Law.

In 2010, Baynes received the Diversity Trailblazer Award from the New York State Bar Association, and in 2019 he accepted the American Bar Association Alexander Award on behalf of the UH Law Center Pre-Law Pipeline Program.

In 2019, Baynes was the recipient of the Council on Legal Education Opportunity, Inc.'s Edge Award, the John Mercer Legal Education Leadership Award from the National Black Pre-Law Conference and Law Fair and was named a Diversity Champion by the National Diversity Council. In 2020, Baynes was named to the Lawyers of Color Power List by the Lawyers of Color Foundation. In 2022, he was recognized by the Association of American Law School’s Clyde Ferguson Award and the Columbia University School of Law Paul Robeson Award.

During his deanship, he was named one of the nation's top 100 most influential lawyers of color, and he was awarded The Houston Lawyer Association’s Robert L. King Excellence in Education Award.

Since 2020, Dean Baynes organized and convened virtual dialogues among corporate counsel and law firm managing partners designed to discuss innovative practices in hiring, recruitment and retention of talent of all backgrounds.

Baynes has written more than 35 law review articles on corporate law, communications law, and diversity and in 2020 published a casebook entitled “Communication Law in the Public Interest” with Hammond and Sandoval published by Wolters Kluwer.

Mark A. Chinn of Jackson, MS., has practiced law for 46 years and operates a Mississippi statewide practice, specializing in family law. Mark has been the husband of Cathy for 46 years and they have four daughters and five grandchildren. Mark has been Chair of the Mississippi Bar Family Law Section twice, served on the ABA Family Law Section Council, and has enjoyed long time service on the ABA Family Law Section Publications Board. He is the author of four ABA books on family law: The Divorce Paralegal Guide, How to Build and Manage a Family Law Practice, The Constructive Divorce, and Forms, Checklists and Procedures for the Family Lawyer. He is also the author of Dumping the Billable Hour. He has been a frequent speaker for the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, American Bar Association Family Law Section, State Bar Associations, Mississippi College School of Law, Ole Miss Law School and the Mississippi Bar.

With more than 25 years of experience, David is skilled at the negotiation, settlement, and litigation of complex domestic matters. He has experience navigating difficult and high-profile matters that present significant legal, business, and reputational risks. His deep and vast experience includes complex asset and property distribution, complex separation agreements, alimony, and child custody and access issues.  David represents clients in Baltimore City and Baltimore, Howard, Prince George's, Anne Arundel, and Montgomery counties in Maryland as well as the District of Columbia. In addition to his family law practice, David also serves as legal counsel and trusted advisor to clients who are owners of business and corporate entities. David's experience includes handling multifaceted business disputes and litigation matters, including high profile defamation claims, employment disputes, and contract claims.  David's excellent reputation in the Maryland legal community has resulted in the recent appointment as a Commissioner to the Maryland Attorney Grievance Commission. He served on the board of directors for the Maryland Pro Bono Resource Center from 2010 to 2016 and is also a former board member to HopeWorks, Howard County’s sexual assault and domestic violence center that provides critical services to families affected by domestic violence.  From 2009 to 2017, David served as treasurer to the Prince George’s County Political Committee to Re-Elect Sitting Judges and served as political committee treasurer to other Judges in campaigns to retain judicial seats in Howard County.

Nadine Dabaja is an attorney in her third year of practice and a graduate of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, class of 2021. Prior to that, Nadine graduated from Wayne State University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Philosophy. After graduating from law school, Nadine was an associate attorney at Clark Hill, where she counseled employers regarding compliant policies and procedures, handled charges before the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, and administered sexual harassment, discrimination, and ethics trainings to Michigan municipalities.  Nadine currently serves as a Sports Marketing Agent and Attorney at Valiant Management Group, a sports marketing agency based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In her role at Valiant, she represents student athletes at the University of Michigan as well as professional athletes in the NFL. During her time at Valiant, Nadine has spearheaded NIL efforts within the agency, participated in complex negotiations on behalf of athletes, and facilitated organic relationships between her clients and nationwide brand partners.

Helen R. Davis is a Senior Member and the past President and Chair of The Cavanagh Law Firm in Phoenix, Arizona, where she has practiced exclusively in the area of family law for over 25 years.  Helen is Adjunct Faculty at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.  Helen is certified as a Family Law Specialist by the State Bar of Arizona, is a Fellow of The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, is a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers, and is a Diplomate of The American College of Family Law Trial Lawyers.  Helen has been AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell since 2007, is listed in Best Lawyers in America and Best Lawyers in Arizona (since 2013), is a Southwest SuperLawyer (since 2015), was named by SuperLawyers as one of the top 25 women attorneys in Arizona (since 2021) and one of the top 50 lawyers in Arizona (since 2022), has been honored as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Arizona by AZBusiness (since 2021), and is named as one of Arizona’s Finest Lawyers among other honors.  Helen has given back to the community by writing and publishing articles on family law topics; to the Bar by lecturing on all manner of complex financial, custody and ethical topics; and serving now and in the past on numerous Bar and Supreme Court Committees, including through appointment by former Governor Janet Napolitano to a legislative committee.  Helen also served the Chandler community by serving as a Board Member on the Community Board of the East Valley Dignity Health Hospitals from 2012 through 2022 during that time period, as liaison to the St. Joseph’s Hospital Board for a number of years and has just been reappointed to the Board for a new term in 2024.

Kiilu Davis is an experienced trial lawyer with a broad background.  Kiilu’s practice is exclusively focused in family law and primarily involves complex matrimonial litigation, trial work and appeals.  Kiilu also devotes a portion of his practice to mediation, special master work and as a court appointed Parenting Coordinator. Kiilu is recognized as one of the leading family law attorneys in the state and is a frequent speaker and contributor at Continuing Legal Education seminars.  While being very business minded, Kiilu has a thoughtful understanding of the complexities of legal decision making and parenting time and how those issues weigh heavily on his clients.  Kiilu prides himself on being able to help guide his clients through the various issues encountered during litigation with the understanding that his job is to help craft or obtain a resolution which is not only beneficial today but in the future as well.

Lara A. Duda represents individuals, families, financial and healthcare institutions, and professional guardians and fiduciaries throughout the Chicagoland area.  Lara is also frequently appointed by judges in the Probate Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County to serve as a Guardian ad Litem in disabled adult estates and as counsel for persons with disabilities.  Lara is a council member of the Illinois State Bar Association’s Mental Health Law Section.  Additionally, Lara is a member of the Chicago Bar Association’s committees on Probate Practice, Elder Law, and Mental Health & Disability Law (Chair 2018-19; 2011-12), and she is a graduate of the 2016 Chicago Bar Association Leadership Institute.  Lara is also a member of the Lake County Bar Association’s Wills, Trusts & Probate Section.  And she is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, since 2010, and served as Education Committee Co-Chair of the Illinois Chapter of NAELA in 2020.  Lara has presented at and moderated seminars on guardianship, mental health law, estate and special needs planning, and probate matters for bar associations and community and professional organizations.  Prior to opening Duda Law Group LLC, Lara was a partner at a probate and estate planning law firm in Cook County, an associate attorney at an elder law firm in Chicago, and a summer associate and associate attorney in the healthcare group of an international law firm in Chicago. Prior to practicing law, Lara was communications director and associate director at two Chicago-area nonprofit organizations that provide housing and supportive services for seniors and people with special needs, including those with chronic mental illness.  Lara earned a Juris Doctor and certificate in Health Law from DePaul University College of Law in 2007. Lara’s academic honors included serving as a member of the DePaul Law Review, Executive Text Editor of the DePaul Journal of Healthcare Law, and the 2005 American Medical Association & DePaul Law Medical Ethics Scholar.

Marie Ebersbacher is the CBIZ Forensic Consulting Group Senior Managing  Director and has served as the firm’s Forensic & Financial Services National Practice Leader since 2010. Marie’s practice primarily involves high net worth marital estate dissolutions, including multi-year and multi-account complex tracings, apportionment analyses, and business valuations. Marie holds CPA licenses in California, New York, and Tennessee. She has also earned the designations of ABV (Accredited in Business Valuation) and CFF (Certified in Financial Forensics), presented by the AICPA; and CFE (Certified Fraud Examiner), presented by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Marie is a member of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Foundation Business & Valuation Division and a former Chair of CalCPA’s Forensic Services Section State Steering Committee. Marie speaks frequently on forensic accounting topics at state and national accounting and valuation conferences and has presented to the California Judicial College and at California Family Law Report© Advanced Family Law Courses.

Rod Firoozye has been a certified specialist by the State Bar of California in family law since 2004. Before specializing in family law, Mr. Firoozye was involved in complex business litigation cases against multinational corporations, such as Microsoft and EarthLink.  Mr. Firoozye regularly handles litigation in complex family law cases, especially matters involving international property or custody issues. He also regularly serves as co-counsel or consultant with various other family law firms, assisting clients in assembling an experienced team of experts.  Mr. Firoozye is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) and is presently serving as the Editor for the AAML National Newsletter. He is also a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL) and serves on the membership committee.  Mr. Firoozye has previously testified in legal proceedings as an expert witness in the area of California family law. Since 2008, Mr. Firoozye has been regularly selected by San Francisco Magazine as a “Super Lawyer" (given to the top 5% of lawyers in Northern California). In 2022, Mr. Firoozye was also selected by The Los Angeles & San Francisco Daily Journal as one of the 20 Top Family Lawyers in the State of California.

Ms. Frye is a Certified Family Law Specialist, and a Fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Since 1998 Ms. Frye’s practice focus has been dedicated to the needs of families within the legal system focusing on complex family law disputes centering on high conflict custody litigation as well as other intricate litigation matters.  Ms. Frye has been supporting the family law legal community by representing children who are the subject matter of family disputes for the past 23 years and more recently, has tailored the focus of this work on families where the children are engaged in a refuse/resist dynamic with one of their parents. This practice area has evolved to include families with neurodiverse children and the unique needs and issues that surround supporting children within this sub-category who are resisting contact with a parent. Though her practice is focused mainly in the Greater Bay Area, her advocacy involving domestic violence and coercive control have expanded throughout the State of California.

James M. Godbout, ASA, CVA, CDFA, CFE, CFP® is a Partner with Marcum LLP. Mr. Godbout specializes in matrimonial disputes involving business valuation, forensic accounting, income determination, asset tracing, and other litigation support services.    Mr. Godbout has provided valuation, dispute advisory, financial consulting and forensic accounting services for numerous purposes, including marital dissolutions, shareholder disputes, estate and gift taxation, business succession planning, commercial litigation, economic damage analysis, breach of contract, property tax appeals, Employee Stock Ownership Plans, class action suits, reasonable compensation, financing, purchase and sale advisement, executive stock options, and other tax, corporate and litigation related matters.   He has testified in federal court, state court and at American Arbitration Association proceedings.  Additionally, Mr. Godbout has been trained in mediation and collaborative law.  Mr. Godbout’s experience encompasses a wide range of industries, including but not limited to automotive, banking, physician practices, dental practices, insurance, manufacturing, law firms, healthcare, financial services, private equity funds, hotels, assisted living, retailing, wholesale distribution, consulting, trucking, brokerage, construction, restaurants, software, and consumer products.  He has lectured, published articles and presented continuing education seminars for organizations such as the American Bar Association (ABA), American Association of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA), Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (IICLE), the Northwestern University School of Law, the John Marshall Law School, the Illinois CPA Society, National Family Law Trial Institute (NFLTI) and several local bar associations.   Mr. Godbout previously served as the Business Valuation Chairperson for the Chicago Chapter of the American Society of Appraisers.  He is a current member of the American Society of Appraisers (ASA), the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts (NACVA), the Institute of Divorce Financial Analysts (IDFA), the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), the Financial Planning Association, the Chicago Estate Planning Council and a Charter Member of the AAML Foundation – Forensic and Business Valuation Division.

Amy Herman, a lawyer and art historian, uses works of art to sharpen observation, analysis, and communication skills. By showing people how to look closely at painting, sculpture, and photography, she helps them hone their visual intelligence to recognize the most pertinent and useful information as well as recognize biases that impede decision making.

She developed her Art of Perception seminar in 2000 to improve medical students’ observation and communication skills with their patients when she was the Head of Education at The Frick Collection in New York City. She subsequently adapted the program for a wide range of professionals and leads sessions internationally for the New York City Police Department, the FBI, the French National Police, the Department of Defense, Interpol, the State Department, Fortune 500 companies, first responders, retailers, and the military.

In her highly participatory presentation, she demonstrates the necessity for astute visual literacy and how the analysis of works of art affords participants an innovative way to refresh their sense of critical inquiry and skills necessary for sharper performance and effective leadership. The program has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The CBS Evening News, and Smithsonian Magazine, among others. Her TED talk, A Lesson on Looking, went live in December 2018. Ms. Herman holds an A.B., a J.D., and an M.A. in art history. Her book, Visual Intelligence: Sharpen Your Perception, Change Your Life, was published in May 2016 and was on both the New York Times and Washington Post best sellers’ lists. Her second book, Fixed: How to Perfect the Fine Art of Problem- Solving was published in December 2021. Her third book, smART: Use Your Eyes to Boost Your Brain, was published in October 2022.

Bob has extensive experience in representing start-up and existing businesses in complex litigation matters encompassing contract, trade secret, business tort and shareholder litigation, intellectual property and securities, arbitration and enforcement actions. His representation of clients has included matters before the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and the Arizona Corporation Commission. Bob’s practice also focuses on the representation of healthcare organizations, physicians and other providers in a wide range of matters, including healthcare fraud and abuse, compliance and regulatory investigations, licensing, medical staff matters, risk management, physician employment, contract matters and related litigation and arbitration proceedings.

Alexandra is a California Bar Certified Family Law Specialist, Fellow of the AAML and of the IAFL, and was admitted to the bar in 1972. Her practice involves resolutions of high conflict custody cases, complex asset division and support issues, and extensive domestic violence hearings. She serves as a consultant and mediator, she volunteers as a Temporary Judge, and as an LA County Bar arbitrator in fee disputes.  She is a highly sought expert in malpractice cases, and has lectured extensively on religious issues affecting divorce and custody, tax laws, alternate dispute resolutions, and various other areas of the law.  She has authored numerous articles on custody, private trials, Islamic law, Jewish divorce and holiday guides.

Andrew C. Mallor is a Senior Partner at Mallor | Grodner LLP, with offices in Bloomington and Indianapolis, Indiana.  Andy received his J.D. in 1974 from the Maurer School of Law at Indiana University and was admitted to the Indiana bar in 1974. He represents clients throughout the state in all areas of family law, including complex, high-asset divorces and the valuation and division of business assets. Andy is a mediator and is committed to serving his fellow practitioners and advancing the practice of family law through continuing legal education and collaborative practice.

Sandra L. Mayberry is an attorney in San Diego, California at Cage & Miles, LLP who has specialized in family law for nearly 30 years.  She has been a Fellow with AAML since 2012 and currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Southern California Chapter.   She is lucky enough to practice with two other Fellows.  She has received a number of awards from the San Diego County Family Law Bar Association where she has been an active member her entire practice.  She has two adult children, both in college.  She is an avid runner (although very slow) and enjoys travel.

Emily’s law practice has been exclusively devoted to Qualified Domestic Relations Orders (“QDROs") and other retirement benefit matters for twenty-four years. Prior to forming Emily W. McBurney, P.C., she was a founding partner of Kegel McBurney LLC and a shareholder at Davis, Matthews, & Quigley, P.C.   Emily is a recognized expert in the field of QDROs and provides QDRO preparation and consultation services for clients across the country.  She is a popular speaker and is frequently invited to lecture on this subject by legal and professional organizations nationwide. Emily has published numerous articles and contributed to various publications about QDROs. She has also written a QDRO blog for the Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/emily-w-mcburney/).    Emily graduated, magna cum laude, from Brown University with a B.A. in 1990 and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.  She received her law degree, cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 1995.

Richard is a partner at Green Kaminer Min & Rockmore, LLP in New York City. His practice focuses exclusively on international family law, child abduction, high conflict custody, and cross-border custody issues.  He has extensive experience in 1980 Hague Abduction Convention cases having been involved in approximately 100 cross border child abduction or custody cases and having acted as lead trial counsel in over 40 Hague abduction cases across more than a dozen states.  Richard has resolved several Hague cases through mediation and has also argued several appeals.  One of his successful appeals (Marks v. Hochhauser) was the subject of an article in the St. John's International Law Review (Vol. 31, No. 2, Fall 2018).  In 2022, Richard argued the Hague case of Golan v. Saada before the U.S. Supreme Court.   Richard has been asked by the U.S. State Department to host foreign delegations from Lebanon and Costa Rica to discuss implementation of the Hague Abduction Convention.  In 2023, Richard was invited to be an Observer at the 8th Meeting of the Special Commission on the Practical Operation of the 1980 Child Abduction Convention and the 1996 Child Protection Convention in the Hague.    He has taught numerous legal education courses and authored articles on the topic of child abduction, including recently in the Journal of the AAML, titled “"To Return or Not to Return - That is the Question: Tensions Between Non-Refoulement and Orders of Return Under the Hague Abduction Convention." He holds leadership positions in the New York State Bar Association and the American Bar Association and is a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers.

Greg Moore is a nationally respected sports executive with a demonstrated ability to recognize emerging legal, technological and business-related sports industry trends and anticipate strategic opportunities. Moore's leadership philosophy was and remains deeply rooted in a high-EQ, inclusive approach, ensuring team cohesion and collaborative success.  A NCAA Conference Commissioner for nearly 14 years, Moore quadrupled league revenue, eliminated all conference debt, negotiated historic corporate sponsorships with partners such as Nike, ESPN, the Coca-Cola Company, GEICO, Academy Sports & Outdoors, Georgia Power, UBS, Toyota, Cricket Wireless, TIAA, Home Depot, NFL, and the NBPA significantly increasing the revenues. Moore also created a multi-million-dollar reserve fund while adding five additional colleges and universities by cultivating and articulating a compelling value proposition to prospective college presidents.  Moore was among the first NCAA commissioners invited by a legislative body (The State Legislature of New Jersey) to provide testimony in connection with the New Jersey Fair Play Act the second Name Image & Likeness law (after California) enacted in the United States.  

Prior to working in college sports, served as General Counsel for ABA basketball franchise and served as Deputy Counsel with the State Legislature of New Jersey. Moore holds a B.A. degree in Political Science from the College of New Jersey, and a law degree from the William Knight School of Law at University of Oregon.

Kenneth J. Pia, Jr. is a partner and the leader of the National Matrimonial and Business Valuation groups of Marcum LLP. With more than 30 years of professional business valuation and litigation support experience, Mr. Pia has developed a national reputation working on a wide range of complex valuation engagements. He has performed valuations of businesses and partial business interests for a variety of purposes including, but not limited to, family law matters, employee stock ownership plans, business damages, buy-sell agreements, shareholder litigation, estate and gift tax matters, and buying and selling businesses. Mr. Pia’s experience with matrimonial cases also includes forensic accounting, reasonable compensation analysis, tracing analysis, lifestyle analysis, and other tax and accounting issues related to divorce.   Mr. Pia is heavily involved with the American Society of Appraisers (ASA), the renowned international organization devoted to the appraisal profession. He is a past Chair of the American Society of Appraisers (ASA) Business Valuation Committee and a member of the National Business Valuation Education Sub Committee. Mr. Pia is also a Co-Chair of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Foundation’s Forensic & Business Valuation Division.  Mr. Pia is qualified as an expert witness in Federal District Court and State Courts of Connecticut, Florida, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, New York, Virginia and California as well as various arbitration proceedings. He has also rendered extensive services relating to court testimony.

Judith L. Poller is a partner and Co-Chair of the Family Law Group at Pryor Cashman LLP. She has earned a national reputation as a tireless advocate who combines sensitivity and discretion with intelligent, strategic, sophisticated, and steady counsel for high net worth individuals, executives, entrepreneurs, celebrities, and their spouses. Her practice is focused on providing counsel in a broad range of matrimonial and family law matters including divorce, child custody and access, child support, spousal support, paternity, prenuptial, postnuptial, cohabitation, and separation agreements. She is a frequent lecturer and family law expert with extensive trial and appellate experience in addition to settlement resolutions and mediation. Judy is known for her deft approach to negotiating and litigating favorable outcomes for her roster of clients.  The 2023 Chambers High Net Worth guide ranked Judy in Band 1 for Family/Matrimonial: High Net Worth: New York, and Forbes included her in its inaugural Top 200 Lawyers list in 2024. The Hollywood Reporter has recognized her as a top “Hollywood Troubleshooter" for her work in family law, The New York Law Journal named her a “trailblazer" in family law, Super Lawyers included her on its list of the “top 50 women lawyers" in New York City, and Spear’s has included her on its Family Lawyers Index, among many accolades for her exceptional client work.   Judy is a fellow and the President-Elect of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers’ New York chapter, is on the Executive Committee of the New York State Bar Association’s Family Law Section and is a member of the International Academy of Family Law Lawyers. She frequently writes and lectures on legal issues impacting divorce and child custody cases.

Ronique Bastine Robinson has been licensed for more than 30 years, she is board certified in family law and is a Fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, a member of the Texas Academy of Family Law Specialist, A Board member in Gulf Coast Family Law Specialist, A Board member and prior team leader in the Burta Rhoads Raborn Inn of Court and a multi-year member in the Texas State Bar College. Ronique is a board member of the Texas Family Law Foundation where they advocate for family law matters across the state.  She is a proud graduate of Howard University, in Washington, D.C, Thurgood Marshall School of Law, on the campus of Texas Southern University, and additionally she received an LL.M. from the Bates Law Center, at the University of Houston. Ronique is the founding member of the Bastine Law Group, PLLC where she is grooming young lawyers to be fierce advocates who share her same passion for family law. In addition to practicing law she has been an adjunct professor at TMSL and a municipal judge with the City of Stafford where she served for over 20 years. Ronique has been featured on her local ABC news channel in the community awareness program, Crossroads and was a legal consultant with the local affiliate for Fox News regarding parenting and family law concerns.  She has been a frequent Continuing Legal Education presenter for the State Bar of Texas, local bar associations, and local law schools, on topics concerning family law trial related topics.   Ronique is very active in AAML, serving as Chair of the Race Ethnic and Religious Considerations in Family Law Committee, as well as being a member of a host of committees, including the fund raising committee of the AAML Foundation, where she is also a lifetime member.  Ronique is a wife, a mother of three and an author having written a book entitled From Divorce to Deliverance, during her time on the bench.

Elizabeth A. Rosenbaum obtained her Juris Doctorate from the University of South Dakota School of Law in 1988.  She is a partner at the Heidman Law Firm of Sioux City, Iowa. She specializes in the areas of divorce, dissolution of marriage, custody, adoption and the Indian Child Welfare Act.  Elizabeth also provides mediation, parenting coordination and family law arbitration services.  She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and a Diplomate of the American College of Family Trial Lawyers.  Elizabeth is licensed to practice law in Iowa and South Dakota.

Elisha D. Roy is a Board Certified Marital & Family Law attorney and a Fellow of both the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) and the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL) as well as certified by the National Board of Trial Advocates.  Ms. Roy is a partner at the prestigious West Palm Beach law firm Sasser, Cestero & Roy, P.A., specializing in complex financial and child-related case work.  She is well known for her active involvement in legislation, participating in the authorship of statutes pertaining to alimony, relocation, and timesharing, including intimate involvement with the recent changes to Florida law.  She is known to be a rule follower and creative problem solver with a no-nonsense approach to the practice of law.  Ms. Roy provides her clients with easy-to-understand guidance throughout the legal process and works steadfastly to arrive at outside-the-box resolutions when possible, but is a reputed fierce litigator, when necessary.  Meticulous preparation and conscientious representation are the keys to Ms. Roy’s success both in and out of the courtroom.  Having led various legal and philanthropic organizations throughout her career, Ms. Roy is certainly known as part of the 20% who gets things done.  She has an active international practice, not just with abduction and service cases, but also in drafting multijurisdictional Agreements with teams of lawyers and advisors from around the country and around the world.    Ms. Roy has been awarded for her hard work both in and out of the courtroom, recently receiving the 2022 Visionary Award from the Florida Bar Family Law Section and the 2018 Trailblazer Award from the Florida Bar Family Law Section.  In her spare time, Ms. Roy loves spending time with her children and her husband; she is an avid Crossfitter and loves hiking and outdoor activities.

Praised by Masha Gessen of the New Yorker as a “writer of uncommon talent and confidence,” Snyder is the author of the deeply-reported No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us, and the memoir Women We Buried, Women We Burned. A deeply-reported investigation of the true scope of domestic violence, No Visible Bruises reveals how the roots of America’s most pressing social crises—from mass shootings to mass incarceration, to housing insecurity, to #MeToo—are grounded in abuse happening behind closed doors. It won the Hillman Prize and the New York Public Library Helen Bernstein Book Award, and was chosen by The New York Times as one of the Top 10 Books of 2019. Snyder's latest is the memoir Women We Buried, Women We Burned, which chronicles her tumultuous journey from teenage runaway to global reporter. The Washington Post calls it a “superb memoir, a bracing piece of prose, a glittering testimony to endurance and the power of writing itself to offer a lifeline to the struggling." Snyder is also the author of Fugitive Denim: A Moving Story of People and Pants in the Borderless World of Global Trade and the novel What We’ve Lost is Nothing. A contributing writer for The New York Times, her print work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Slate, The Washington Post among others. Previously, Snyder reported for public radio programs including This American Life, Marketplace and All Things Considered. She teaches creative writing and journalism at American University.

Arlene is a Board Certified Family Law Specialist from North Carolina. Practicing in High Point, NC since 2001, she has served as a past chair for the Equitable Distribution Committee for the NCBA, the Chair and Co-Chair for the Family Law Section Board of Legal Specialization for the NC State Bar, served in various roles in the NC Chapter of the AAML to include past President and is a frequent presenter at CLE. Arlene authored multiple chapters in the first and second editions of the NC Family Law Marital Claims and edited a chapter in the Third Edition in 2012. Arlene graduated from Wake Forest University School of Law in 2001 and from Long Island University in 1998 with an MA and BA in political science. Martial Arts and recharging near bodies of water are Arlene's thing.