Gabrielle Hartley

I have been a divorce mediator and attorney for nearly 25 years.  My decision to keep my practice exclusively out of court stems from my professional experiences both in the private and public sector and from my personal experience growing up with parents who divorced well. While court is the right answer for some, many cases can be kept at the negotiating table --even when there are lots of high stakes and complicated fact patterns.

When clerking for Judge Jeffrey Sunshine in New York State Supreme Court I resolved hundreds of trial ready cases and helped people keep their fate in their own hands.  In my private practice, I have a non-toxic approach to divorce.  I have developed my methods over two decades in practice. I keep 99% of her cases out of the courtroom and at the negotiating table, as I effectively support my clients to create a healthy, uplifted post-divorce life for themselves and their children.  Divorce is typically messy but it does not have to ruin your life.  Together I will help you press-reset and figure out how to move forward with as few bumps in the road as possible.

I mediate in Hampshire County, MA and part time in NYC.  I also offer mediation services on an online platform where I assist couples in bringing their marriage to a sensible reconfiguration and close, regardless of location. Sometimes,  (especially in snowy weather)even local people sometimes wish to meet online! Learn more at

I wrote Better Apart; The Radically Positive Way to Separate (Harper Collins) with the mission and vision of smashing the shame and stigma surrounding divorce. People Magazine called my book the conscious uncoupling "how-to" and The New York Post compared it to Marie Kondo's Tidying.  While breaking-up doesn't typically "spark joy" it can be the launchpad to the rest of your beautiful future.  

After growing up in New York City, I attended Cornell University and Brooklyn Law School. I serve as the co-chair of the Dispute Resolution Committee of the American Bar Association, I am member of the Hamsphire Bar Association, The New York State Bar Association, The Association of the Bar of the City of New York and Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation. I reside in Northampton, MA with my husband and three sons.