Licensed for 38 years

State MA

Acquired 1985

Status
Active No misconduct found

We have not found any instances of professional misconduct for this lawyer.

David A Hoffman

Mediation Attorney at Boston, MA

About
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Reviews
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Resume

The Best

Very Capable Counselor

About David

Learn David’s areas of practice.

Practice areas

Mediation

30%

I have mediated a wide variety of cases: Business, Computer and high tech, Construction, Defamation, Discrimination (disabilities, race, gender, age), Divorce, Domestic Partnership, Education, Employment, Environmental, Family, Family Business, Health Care, Housing, Insurance, Intellectual Property, Landlord-Tenant, Partnership, Personal injury, Prenuptial and post-nuptial agreements, Probate, Product liability, Professional liability, Real estate, Securities, Tax, Tort, Trusts & Estates
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31 years, 850 cases
Arbitration

25%

I have arbitrated the following types of cases: employment, construction, insurance and re-insurance, real estate, personal injury, divorce, business, intellectual property, discrimination, partnership, and securities.
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32 years, 250 cases
Divorce and separation

20%

38 years, 350 cases
Family

15%

I represent clients -- using collaborative processes as a preferred mode of practice, but in other cases going to court if necessary -- and also serve as a mediator or arbitrator in all types of family and matrimonial cases. I have also worked with a number of families on family trusts and inter-generational wealth transfers.
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38 years, 350 cases
Employment and labor

10%

I work with employees and management on severance agreements, employment termination claims, dispute resolution, and agreements for improving internal working relationships

38 years, 150 cases

EXPERIENCED MEDIATOR, ARBITRATOR AND COLLABORATIVE LAW ATTORNEY - CIVILIZED COST-EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS

I am very pleased to work with a team of thoughtful, compassionate and skilled professionals in a multi-disciplinary practice at Boston Law Collaborative, LLC. Our affiliates include a psychologist and a financial planner/tax expert. Our team includes mediators and arbitrators, and we now have a panel of employment mediators, arbtrators, and consultants. Our lawyers are all trained in Collaborative Law, and most are training in mediation. The issues that our clients bring to us often have not only legal components but also challenging financial and interpersonal issues. One of our mottos, borrowed from Abraham Maslow, is "If your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail." The wide variety of tools that we use are posted on our firm's web site:

Contact David

Boston Law Collaborative, LLC

(617) 379-0501 Office

(617) 379-0501 Mobile

101 Arch Street

8th Floor

Boston, MA, 02110

bostonlawcollaborative.com/blc/index.html

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Reviews

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5.0 / 5.0

3 customer reviews

5 Star

100%

4 Star

3 Star

2 Star

1 Star

Posted by anonymous | March 17, 2013

The Best

I can't say enough good about David. He helped me through a very complicated divorce and was so compassionate. I felt very advocated for, and he was skilled at communicating with the other side. Made for a less painful process. He had a great way to explain complicated things, and was always on top of his game. He caught errors, was creative in reframing things, and skilled in negotiations. David is just a fine, fine person and super smart. I'm so glad I had his help through this process.

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Posted by anonymous | September 7, 2012

Very Capable Counselor

David represented us in mediation 13 years ago. He showed genuine concern for both parties and helped complete our agreement without acrimony. He took the time to understand us. I still maintain a relationship with David.

Posted by anonymous | March 4, 2009

I enjoyed my collaborative divorce

Oh my god; I was getting divorced again. The first time I went to a mediator and got killed. In both marriages I had been dumped, and the first time my former best friend felt enormously victimized by having married such a dysfunctional human. I just wanted to get away, and I paid her to go away. This was expensive, and hard on my children, who were punished via money issues. When I worked with David Hoffman I needed someone who was smart, fair, but aware of my potential for settling instead of negotiating. David is not only brilliant, but he can see the field emotionally and make the right play under the particular circumstances of both partners and the other collaborating attorney. Given the amount of money at stake, his fees are worth it. When you add in the priceless issue of your children living under whatever rules come out of the divorce negotiation, there is no one else you would want to entrust with a process that will powerfully impact yourself and your children.

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Cost

Resume

AVVO RATING 10.0 (Superb)

Work Experience

John H. Watson, Jr. Lecturer on Law (Mediation Course)
Harvard Law School
2008 - Present

Founding Member
Boston Law Collaborative, LLC
2003 - Present

Partner
Hill & Barlow, P.C.
1985 - 2002

Education

Harvard University Law School
JD - Juris Doctor
1984

Cornell University
MA - Masters
1974

Princeton University
BA - Bachelor of Arts
1970

Legal Cases

Family Business Dispute
Settlement of $1.25 million and each brother is free to pursue business even if they are in competition

Mediating Postnuptial Agreement
Settlement

Mediation - Employment Issues and Non-Compete
Settlement

View all legal cases

Associations

American Bar Association, Dispute Resolution Section, Collaborative Law Committee
Co-chair
2007 - Present

International Academy of Mediators
Distinguished Fellow
2006 - Present

Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council
Founding Member
N/A

Kerem Shalom Congregation, Concord, Massachusetts
President
2007 - 2009

American Bar Association, Dispute Resolution Section
Chair
2004 - 2005

Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council
Board Member
2000 - 2008

Association for Conflict Resolution (New England chapter)
President
1998 - 2000

Boston Bar Association, Litigation Section, Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee
Chair
1993 - 1995

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Languages Spoken

English

Honors and Awards

AV Rating
Martindale-Hubbell
2016

Super Lawyer
Super Lawyers
2016

Super Lawyer
Super Lawyers
2015

Super Lawyer
Super Lawyers
2014

Super Lawyer
Super Lawyers
2013

Recognition
Best Lawyers in America
2012

Recognition
Who's Who in American Law -Marquis
2012

Super Lawyer
Boston Magazine
2012

John Adams Fiske Award for Excellence in Mediation
Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation
2011

Top 100 Lawyers
Boston Magazine
2004

View all awards

Publications

Negotiation Journal
Mediation and the Art of Shuttle Diplomacy
2011

Harvard Negotiation Law Review
Mediation, Multiple Minds, and the Negotiation Within
2011

Harvard Negotiation Law Review
Mediation, Multiple Minds, and the Negotiation Within
2011

Christian Science Monitor
Op-ed: Mediators Can Break Political Impasse in Washington
2011

Missouri Journal of Dispute Resolution
Colliding Worlds of Dispute Resolution: Toward a Unified Field Theory of ADR
2008

Dispute Resolution Magazine
Exploring the Boundaries and Terrain of ADR Practice: Mediation, Arbitration, and Collaborative Law
2007

Collaborative Law Journal
Communicating Collaboratively in Cyberspace: What Couples Counselors Can Teach Us about Email
2007

Innovations in Family Law Practice
Cooperative Negotiation Agreements: Using Contracts to Make a Safe Place for a Difficult Conversation
2007

Negotiation Journal
The Future of ADR Practice: Three Hopes, Three Fears, and Three Predictions
2006

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Speaking Engagements

Members Meeting
The Psychology of Collaborative Negotiations
2012

Annual Conference
Fighting for the Moral High Ground: How Conflict Resolvers Can Help Parties Manage Issues of Principle and "Do the Right Thing"
2012

Mediating Disputes
The Use of Mediation in Law Practice
2012

Attorney endorsements

Received (9)

Given (4)

Endorse David

Derek Jacques

Family Attorney | Oct 12
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"David is a great family law attorney. I had the distinct pleasure of seeing his legal expertise in action and I would not hesitate to recommend this lawyer to any client in need."

Judith McKinnon

Family Attorney | Jan 24
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I highly endorse David as a mediator. I have used him as a family law mediator on several occasions, always with terrific results. He is the consummate professional and has exceptional mediation skills."

Daniel Kron

Family Attorney | Aug 17
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Simply said, David is an outstanding family law attorney. Highly recommended!"

Rackham Karlsson

Mediation Attorney | Jan 22
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"David Hoffman's contributions to the fields of mediation and Collaborative Law are recognized not only in Massachusetts, but nationally. We are very fortunate to have the benefit of his leadership and guidance in our practices."

Jonathan Fields

Family Attorney | Dec 04
Relationship: Opposing Counsel on matter

"I have worked with David on several matters and have known him as a colleague for many years. He is a terrific advocate, a wonderful colleague, and an asset to any matter in which he is involved. Without hesitation, I endorse this lawyer."

Steven Ballard

Mediation Attorney | Aug 07
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I highly endorse this lawyer and the Boston Law Collaborative he has founded. I have referred many clients to him and his group over the years. He is a prominent expert in mediation, collaborative law and negotiation, not just in Massachusetts, but throughout the nation."

Kim Ray

Mediation Attorney | Nov 21
Relationship: Other

"David Hoffman and his colleagues at the Boston Law Collaborative in conjunction with the ABA Section of Family Law conducted a 40 hour Family Mediation Training November 9 -13, 2009 at their offices in Boston, MA. The program provided an overview of the mediation process, including the various types of mediation and mediators, as well as strategies and skills. We learned how mediation is used to address a variety of family law issues, including divorce, post-divorce modification, asset division, and custody and parenting arrangements. David was a tremendous lead trainer, motivator, and host. For attorneys and other professionals looking for mediation training, David and his staff are excellent instructors. The materials provided are clear, concise, and user friendly. I definitely recommend David as a mediation trainer."

Steven Seeche

Mediation Attorney | Mar 23
Relationship: Other

"I met David at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School lecturing on Mediation. He provided me a summer internship. I assisted him in several mediations and arbitrations. David blends superb lawyering skills with deep compassion and an ability to help people find meaningful solutions. He is also very respectful of the lawyer-client relationship. David blends his impartiality with a commitment to the parties with a humility that instills far more than confidence--he instills trust. I hope my endorsement helps both sophisticated and unsophisticated consumers to appreciate that in choosing David as a Mediator or Arbitrator or Collaborative Lawyer or as Counsel, what they get is a thoughtful, compassionate lawyer who demonstrates an extraordinary gift of wisdom. In my 30 years of practice as a tax consultant, before I retired, I found that the few gifted lawyers like David, are capable of expanding possibilities and achieving enduring solutions. Steven Seeche, CPA, LLM, Mediator, Arbitrator."

Stephen McDonough

Family Attorney | Mar 01
Relationship: Worked together on matter

"David is an excellent attorney and mediator. I worked with him when a divorce involving substantial assets was close to settling, but my client could not reach an agreement with the spouse. The parties did not want to go to court. David's input in the case was very valuable and helped bring the case to a conclusion."

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Jonathan Fields

Family