$ 400-400 per hour
Margaret Klaw
About Margaret
Biography
I love our practice because I care so deeply about my clients and their families. I handle all types of family law matters, and my approach to each case varies greatly, depending on my client’s needs and preferences. The range goes from playing a supportive role for those clients who wish to negotiate their own agreements to serving as a zealous advocate in the courtroom for those who need to submit their disputes to a judge for resolution. In addition to practicing law, I speak and write about family law issues. My first book, KEEPING IT CIVIL: The Case of the Pre-Nup and the Porsche & Other True Accounts from the Files of a Family Lawyer, was published by Algonquin Books in 2013, and I blog regularly for Huffington Post, Daily Worth, and my own blog: .
Practice Areas
4
Practice Areas
Divorce and Separation
30%
41 years
Domestic Violence
30%
41 years
Mediation
30%
41 years
Family
10%
41 years
Fees and Rates
Cost
Hourly Rates
Payment Methods
- Cash
- Check
- Credit Card
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Chat withLicenses
Licensed in Pennsylvania for 37 years
State: Pennsylvania
Acquired: 1988
No misconduct found
Licensed in New York for 40 years
State: New York
Acquired: 1985
No misconduct found
Location
Berner Klaw & Watson LLP
1528 Walnut St Ste 1100, Philadelphia, PA, 19102-3621
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Experience
Honors
2020
Best Lawyers in America 2017-2020 (Family Law Mediation), Best Lawyers®
2020
Best Lawyers in America 2016-2020 (Collaborative & Family Law), Best Lawyers®
2020
Lawyer of the Year 2017;2020 (Family Law Mediation), Best Lawyers®
2019
Best Law Firms 2017-2019 (Berner Klaw & Watson LLP), U.S. News & World Report-Best Lawyers®
2019
PA Super Lawyer 2006 – 2019, Super Lawyers®, part of Thomson Reuters
2018
AV Preeminent® 2018, Martindale-Hubbell®
2018
Lifetime Achievement Award, The Legal Intelligencer
2018
Pro Bono Roll of Honor 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018, First Judicial District of Pennsylvania
2017
Business Integrity Award (Berner Klaw & Watson LLP), Independence Business Alliance
2017
Top 50 Women PA Super Lawyers, Super Lawyers®, part of Thomson Reuters
2017
Top 50 Women-Owned Businesses 2016-2017 (Berner Klaw & Watson), Philadelphia Business Journal
2017
Brennan Award 2013-2015; 2017 (Berner Klaw & Watson LLP), Philadelphia Volunteers for the Indigent Program
2017
Top 25 Law Firms by Pro Bono Hours 2016-2017, Philadelphia Business Journal
2016
Client Choice – Boutique Family Law Firm of the Year in PA, CorporateINTL
2015
Top 100 Women-Owned Business 2013-2015, Philadelphia Business Journal
2015
Super Lawyer, PA Super Lawyers®, part of Thomson Reuters
2011
Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers, Martindale-Hubbell
2010
Pro Bono Publico Award 2010 (Berner Klaw & Watson LLP), Court of Common Pleas – Family Division, Domestic Relations First Judicial District of PA
2009
Citizens Bank Pro Bono Award, Philadelphia Bar Foundation
2005
Brennan Award 2004, 2005 (Berner & Klaw), Philadelphia Volunteers for the Indigent Program
2002
Chancellor's Award, Philadelphia Volunteers for the Indigent Program
2000
Philadelphia Family-Friendly Award, Philadelphia Bar Association
Work Experience
1994 - Present
Partner, Berner Klaw & Watson LLP/Berner & Klaw
1991 - 1993
Attorney, Law Offices of Joni J. Berner
1988 - 1991
Litigation Coordinator, Women Against Abuse Legal Center
1986 - 1988
Assistant General Counsel, Victim Services Agency
1984 - 1986
Attorney, Law Offices of Phyllis Gelman
Associations
Commission of Judicial Selection (Philadelphia Bar Association)
Member
Settlement Music School, Germantown Branch
Former Board Member
National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women
Former Board Member
First Person Arts
Former Board Member
Equality Advocates Pennsylvania
Former Board Member
The Midwife Collective
Board Member
Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas
Arbitrator
Philadelphia Volunteers for the Indigent Program
Volunteer
Mazzoni Center
Legal Advisory Board Member
Pennsylvania Bar Association, Family Law Section
Member
Family Law Section Domestic Violence Committee (Philadelphia Bar Association)
Co-Chair
Women's Rights Committee (Philadelphia Bar Association)
Co-Chair
Family Law Section (Philadelphia Bar Association)
Officer
Family Law Section (Philadelphia Bar Association)
Chair
Board of Governors Committee (Philadelphia Bar Association)
Member/Family Law Section representative
Family Law Section Committee on the Legal Rights of Unmarried Cohabitants (Philadelphia Bar Association)
Co-Chair
Philadelphia Bar Association, Family Law Section
Member
Education
1984
Northeastern University
JD - Juris Doctor
1980
Boston University
BA - Bachelor of Arts
1979
London School of Economics
Study Abroad Program
Speaking Engagements
2018
Field Notes From a Family Lawyer
Presenter, Field Notes From a Family Lawyer
2017
Who Gets the Dog? Prenups 101
Co-Presenter, Who Gets the Dog? Prenups 101
2015
Innovations in Family Dispute Resolution
Keynote Speaker, Innovations in Family Dispute Resolution
Publications
2018
The Legal Intelligencer
2018 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner
2017
Philadelphia Bar Association
Advice From Those Who Know Small Firms
2016
University of Maryland, Francis King Carey School of Law
Reflections on “Innovations in Family Law Dispute Resolution”
2016
Pennsylvania Bar Institute Press (2010, 2012, 2016)
Relationship Between Distribution of Assets and Award of Alimony Slicing Up the Pie: Property Distribution in Pennsylvania
2014
WHYY Public Media
Family Law: Human Nature
2014
The Legal Intelligencer
Perspectives on Building a Women-Owned Law Firm
2014
Los Angeles Times
Same-sex couples in Pennsylvania now cheering ability to divorce too
2014
The Wall Street Journal
Three Ways to Protect Yourself in a Divorce
2013
ABA Journal, American Bar Association
Should you count on Prince Charming? Divorce lawyer offers six reasons to keep working
2013
New York Public Radio, WNYC
Family Law, featuring Keeping It Civil
2013
2013
The New York Times
Keeping a Foot in the Office Door Can Ease Mothers’ Anxiety
2013
2013
2013
The Washington Post
Gay divorce, the next frontier
2012
2011
Philadelphia Lawyer Magazine
Technology: Family Law Unraveled (One Lawyer’s Dive into the Blogosphere for Fun and (Maybe) Profit)
2011
The Philadelphia Lawyer Magazine
Family Law Unraveled
2009
Philadelphia Bar Association
Two Philadelphia Law Firms . . . to Receive Prestigious Philadelphia Bar Foundation Awards
2008
Upon Further Review
A New Direction for Private Contracts Regarding Child Support and Care?
2004
American Bar Association (1996, 2004)
Prenuptial Agreements (Chapter) The Impact of Domestic Violence on Your Legal Practice: A Lawyer’s Handbook,
2001
The Philadelphia Lawyer Magazine
Whose Child is This? Second-Parent Adoption in Pennsylvania,”
2000
The Philadelphia Lawyer Magazine
Grandparent Custody Rights: Best Interest of the Child or Interference with a Parent’s Prerogative
1993
University of Pennsylvania Law School
Feminist Advocacy: The Evolution of Pennsylvania’s Protection from Abuse Act
Languages
English