Experienced mediator, arbitrator and Collaborative Law attorney - civilized cost-effective solutionsSeveral hundred arbitrations in business, family, employment, and many other types of cases.Experienced mediator, arbitrator and Collaborative Law attorney - civilized cost-effective solutionsRepresenting employees and employers in negotiations of severance and many other disputes.Experienced mediator, arbitrator and Collaborative Law attorney - civilized cost-effective solutionsMore than 1,000 mediations in business, family, employment, and many other types of cases.
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: www.BostonLawCollaborative.com
Practice areas
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
30 years, 850 cases
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.
31 years, 250 cases
37 years, 350 cases
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.
37 years, 350 cases
I work with employees and management on severance agreements, employment termination claims, dispute resolution, and agreements for improving internal working relationships
37 years, 150 cases
Languages spoken
English
Boston Law Collaborative, LLC
101 Arch Street
8th Floor
Boston, MA, 02110
State | Status | Acquired | Updated |
---|---|---|---|
MA | Active | 1985 | 05/30/2022 |
Legal answers | 0 |
Legal guides | 0 |
Award name | Grantor | Date Granted |
---|---|---|
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 |
Super Lawyer | Boston Magazine | 2012 |
Recognition | Who's Who in American Law -Marquis | 2012 |
Recognition | Best Lawyers in America | 2012 |
John Adams Fiske Award for Excellence in Mediation | Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation | 2011 |
Top 100 Lawyers | Boston Magazine | 2004 |
Title | Company name | Duration |
---|---|---|
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 |
Association name | Position name | Duration |
---|---|---|
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 |
Publication name | Title | Date |
---|---|---|
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 |
School name | Degree | Graduated |
---|---|---|
Harvard University Law School | JD - Juris Doctor | 1984 |
Cornell University | MA - Masters | 1974 |
Princeton University | BA - Bachelor of Arts | 1970 |
Conference name | Title | Date |
---|---|---|
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 |
Case name | Outcome |
---|---|
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 |
Family Trust Dispute | Settlement in which one group of family members received primarily real estate while the other group received most of the financial assets |
John Hancock Insurance v CNA | Settlement of $250 million |
Posted by anonymous
March 17, 2013
Posted by anonymous
September 7, 2012
Posted by anonymous
March 4, 2009
Derek Jacques, Family Attorney on Oct 12, 2018
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 on Jan 24, 2018
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 on Aug 17, 2017
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
Simply said, David is an outstanding family law attorney. Highly recommended!
Rackham Karlsson, Mediation Attorney on Jan 22, 2014
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 on Dec 4, 2013
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 on Aug 7, 2011
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 on Nov 21, 2009
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 on Mar 23, 2009
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 on Mar 1, 2009
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.