Zanita Ann Zacks-Gabriel

For over 40 years I have dedicated my practice to ably and effectively representing families in conflict and/or in crisis. My goal has always been to provide effective, thorough, caring, and creative divorce and family law solutions. My primary aim is to resolve cases favorably for clients without the costly necessity for Court intervention, and thus a full range of collaborative and mediation services are provided. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) methods are now the wave of the future, as they provide both a respectful and dignified way to resolve emotionally charged family issues without court intervention.

The collaborative model allows the parties to advocate their needs and interests, and allows them to participate directly in the restructuring of their families. The process is extremely child centered and is a healthier more holistic method of resolving parenting issues. I am passionately committed to the collaborative process, since I believe that this ADR model best supports families and keeps children'sneeds and concerns paramount.

I also provide collaborative and mediation services in other civil areas, including labor disputes, employment disputes, estate disputes and the like.

I graduated from Brandeis University, magna cum laude, and from Temple Law School in 1975. I began practicing under rule 11 in 1974 and was the first woman to practice law in Erie. I founded the Collaborative Professionals of Northwest PA (CPNWPA) and was its President for a number of years. I am now chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) Collaborative Law Committee and the chair of the subcommittee on Legislation, including the Pennsylvania Collaborative Law Act (PCLA). I have also searved for several years on the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP) UCLA Advisory Panel. I am a member of the PBA Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee and drafter of the Pennsylvania Collaborative Law Act. I have also been published and train widely in collaborative practice matters as well as mediation matters.