About Karen
Karen Kipnes is a New York Attorney who now limits her practice to Collaborative Family Law and Mediation. As an experienced litigator, she now truly believes that most family disputes are best resolved outside the courtroom. Thrilled by her record of outstanding results with divorcing couples, she takes pride in guiding couples with her extensive background in Family Law.
Karen graduated with the highest honors from Cornell University in 1998 with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies. She received her law degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 2002. She has been a Certified Mediator since 2002, a Collaboratively trained Attorney since 2018, and she also serves on the 9th Circuit Roster of Court Appointed Mediators.
Her experience includes working in the Family Violence and Child Abuse Bureau of the Manhattan District Attorney’s office and serving as a Attorney Law Guardian in the Juvenile Rights Division of the Legal Aid Society in New York City. Her work in private practice as an adoption attorney also led to her becoming a four-time published author in “Adoption Quarterly.”
She was the recipient of the New York University School of Law LSPIN scholarship, which enabled her to work as a children’s educational advocate at Advocates for Children and to serve as a representative on the Children and the Law Committee at the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.
Her extensive litigation experience covers all aspects of Family Law, including child protective cases, child adoptions, juvenile delinquency cases, educational law, and matrimonial cases.
While Karen values her years litigating, her experience has shown too clearly that families never win when their cases are decided in an adversarial manner.
Karen genuinely enjoys facilitating positive relationships between couples, and she feels honored to help families during the difficult time surrounding the end of a marriage.
Karen is a proud member of the New York State Council on Divorce Mediation, the Academy of Professional Family Mediators, and the New York Association of Collaborative Professionals.
Divorce is recognized as one of the most stressful life events a person can encounter, and helping to make the process easier remains deeply rewarding for Karen. She takes pride in helping families navigate critical life changes and find peaceful solutions tailored to their specific needs.
Karen's approach successfully steers couples away from negative history and emotions while keeping the focus on the future.