News & Announcements
Best Lawyers in America: Four lawyers at Momjian Anderer LLC have again been included in the 2024 U.S. News & World Report edition of The Best Lawyers in America, which highlights the top five percent of private practice attorneys in the United States. The lawyers who received 2024 Best Lawyers designations are: Meredith Brennan, Catherine M. McFadden, Mark A. Momjian and Carolyn Moran Zack. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.” Momjian Anderer LLC was designated as Tier 1 in family law by U.S. News & World Report in 2023, ranking Momjian Anderer LLC among the highest-scoring firms in metropolitan Philadelphia, with the 2024 firm rankings due to be announced in November 2023.
Carolyn Moran Zack has also been recognized by her peers as the 2023 “Lawyer of the Year” in Family Law in Philadelphia for her high caliber work in Family Law. Only one lawyer in each practice area and community is honored with the “Lawyer of the Year Award.” Carolyn was recently elected the Treasurer of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Family Law Section and will be ascending the leadership ladder toward becoming the Section’s anticipated Chair in July 2027.
Super Lawyers: Meredith Brennan, Catherine McFadden, Mark Momjian and Carolyn Moran Zack have been named Pennsylvania “Super Lawyers 2023.” Super Lawyers are designated by a process that takes into consideration peer recognition and professional achievement.
Carolyn Moran Zack was named Chair of the Domestic Relations Procedural Rules Committee of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, effective April 1, 2024. The Committee makes recommendations to the Court on rules governing family court matters.
Alexa Terribilini was a co-presenter at the Case Law Updates Panel, Pennsylvania Bar Association, Family Law Section, 2024 winter meeting.
In On April 17, 2024, Meredith Brennan was a presenter at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s 2024 Family Law Institute, speaking on the caselaw updates panel.
On April 8, 2024, Carolyn Moran Zack was a co-presenter to the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Family Law Section, along with Judge Victoria Kristiansson, Judge Tiffany Palmer, Judge Ourania Papademetriou, Lise Fisher, and Emily Vener-Giszter, on the benefits of parenting coordination in high conflict custody matters.
Mark A. Momjian was voted “Adjunct Professor of the Year” in April 2023 by the Student Bar Association at Villanova University School of Law. Mark has been lecturing at Villanova Law School since the 1990s, and has been teaching Family Law there since 2014.
Carolyn Moran Zack was a presenter at the Uniform Law Commission’s Webinar on the Uniform Family Law Arbitration Act on October 18, 2023. Carolyn discussed the benefits of family law arbitration under the model act, along with fellow presenters Barbara Ann Atwood, Professor at the University of Arizona James R. Rogers School of Law, the Chair of the ULC’s UFLAA Committee, and Linda D. Elrod, Professor at Washburn University School of Law, Reporter for the Committee. The UFLAA is gaining interest nationwide, and Carolyn is helping to promote the adoption of the UFLAA in Pennsylvania through her work on behalf of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.
Alexa Terribilini was elected by unanimous vote to the Executive Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Family law Section at its November 2023 meeting.
Meredith Brennan, Mark A. Momjian, and Carolyn Moran Zack each made presentations in April 2023 in Mechanicsburg, PA for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s annual programming on contemporary issues in family law. Meredith was a member of the panel entitled “Alimony and Support Issues: From Simple to Sublime,” Mark moderated a panel entitled, “Gag Orders in Child-Custody Litigation: Social Media and the Privacy Interest of Children,” and Carolyn’s program was entitled “Parenting Coordination.”
Catherine M. McFadden has been recognized as one of the Top Attorneys in Pennsylvania and Delaware for 2023 by Philadelphia Magazine, and as among the Best Lawyers in Pennsylvania by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Leann Luong, a former Momjian Anderer intern, was selected to the Sonia and Celine Sotomayor Judicial Internship for the summer of 2023. A rising college senior at the University of Pennsylvania, Leann is interning with the Honorable Pamela K. Chen of the Eastern District of New York.
Carolyn Moran Zack and Rochelle B. (“Shelly”) Grossman led the Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) 2023 Arbitration Training Institute in Chicago on June 1 and 2, 2023. The two day in-person training provided 13 hours of CLE credits, including one hour of ethics. The attendees included more than 30 attorneys from across the country, who engaged in discussion about the benefits of family law arbitration, shared information about their local family law experience, and offered perspectives on best practices for family law arbitrators. An overwhelming theme of the Institute is the need for a more uniform approach to family law arbitration and the adoption of the Uniform Family Law Arbitration Act (UFLAA) throughout the country. Carolyn is helping to promote the Pennsylvania Family Law Arbitration Act (2023 HB 917) through the Pennsylvania Bar Association.
Carolyn Moran Zack has been admitted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), a prestigious association of family lawyers that provides continuing education, publications, and training. Ms. Zack will be co-teaching the AAML Family Law Arbitration Training Seminar with Rochelle B. Grossman, Esquire on June 1 and 2, 2023 in Chicago, Ill.
Mark A. Momjian’s article, Bone of Legal Contention: A Reappraisal of DeSanctis v. Pritchard, was published in the March/April 2023 edition of The Pennsylvania Lawyer. Mark’s article about the treatment of pets in divorce proceedings can be accessed at: https://bt.e-ditionsbyfry.com/publication/?i=784322&article_id=4523232&view=articleBrowser
Mark A. Momjian was interviewed on the Law in the Family podcast produced by the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Family Law Section. The podcast Lamps Don’t Play Fetch: Re-examining the “Pet Case” of DeSanctis v. Pritchard can be accessed at: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-30-lamps-dont-play-fetch-re-examining-the-pet/id1588267654?i=1000612627401
At the 2022 Summer Meeting of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Family Law Section (held in Newport, RI), Mark A. Momjian moderated a plenary session on “Gag Orders in Child-Custody Litigation: Social Media and the Privacy Interests of Children.” Mr. Momjian was assisted by Angela Boyer, a rising 3L at Villanova University School of Law, where she is an articles editor on the Law Review. Angela is externing with Momjian Anderer this summer. Meredith Brennan was a presenter and Carolyn Moran Zack was a moderator for the program entitled “High Conflict Family Law Cases: Methods to Help Reduce Conflict” Ms. Zack also moderated the Family Law Section’s debut of its new video, Tips and Tools for Better Co-Parenting, featuring Ms. Brennan as one of the actors. A link to the video is here: https://www.pabar.org/site/For-Lawyers/Sections/Family-Law-Section/Resources/FLS-Videos (click on the rectangular box).
Carolyn Moran. Zack was a co-presenter in April 2022 on “ADR and Family Law Disputes: Advances and Setbacks in Using Cutting-Edge Techniques in International Family Law” at the American Bar Association International Law Section Conference in Washington, D.C. Also in April 2022, Ms. Zack was a co-presenter on “Latest Developments in Family Law ADR in Pennsylvania” at the annual conference of the Pennsylvania Council of Mediators. Ms. Zack was a co-author of “Family Lawyers as ADR Facilitators,” published in The Pennsylvania Lawyer January/February 2022 edition. Ms. Zack co-authored “Why Pennsylvania Needs to Adopt the Uniform Family Law Arbitration Act” for the Winter 2021 PBA Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee Newsletter.
Meredith Brennan was a presenter for the National Bar Institute’s program, “Marital Settlement Agreements in Pennsylvania: a Step-by-Step Guide,” in April 2022, and she served as the moderator for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s program, “Alimony and Support Issues: From Simple to Sublime,” in May 2022. Ms. Brennan was a presenter at the Pennsylvania Bar Association Family Law Section July 2021 meeting on the topic of “How to Avoid Disaster: Drafting with an Eye for the Future.”
Mark A. Momjian’s article, “On the Road to Extinction? Child Custody Evaluations in Contemporary Family Law Practice” was published in the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s magazine, The Pennsylvania Lawyer, January/February 2021 issue.
Carolyn Moran Zack was a course planner and moderator for “Parenting Coordination Boot Camp 2022” sponsored by the Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI), and was a course planner and presenter in March 2021 for “Parenting Coordination During the Pandemic and Beyond,” also sponsored by PBI.
Catherine M. McFadden’s article, “Alimony in Pennsylvania: The Constancy of Change,” was published in the April 2021 edition of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Quarterly, and a podcast featuring her discussion of alimony in Pennsylvania can be accessed at https://anchor.fm/lawinthefamily.
Alexa Terribilini was a presenter for the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Family Law Section lunch and learn program on November 10, 2023 giving case law updates on recent developments in family law.
On April 13, 2024, Meredith Brennan was inducted into the Collingswood High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Meredith was named to the Women’s Lacrosse League Club South Jersey’s 1st Team All-South Jersey in 1994, as well as to the Delaware Valley Lacrosse League’s 1st Team Mohawk Division that same year, with Collingswood winning the Delaware Valley Lacrosse League’s Mohawk Division championship that year as well.
On March 28, 2024, Meredith Brennan was a guest lecturer at Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law on the topic of “Expert Witnesses in Family Law.”
On February 28, 2024, Mark Momjian spoke at a virtual CLE organized by the Externship Director at Drexel University School of Law. The program was titled, “Making a Mentor: How to Effectively Mentor and Supervise Externship Students.” The CLE was organized by the Mid-Atlantic Area Consortium of Law School Externship Programs. Mark was invited to participate at the invitation of Matthew McGovern, the Director of Experiential Learning at Villanova University School of Law.
Meredith Brennan was a presenter, along with numerous judges and court personnel, at the Philadelphia County Domestic Relations Practice seminar sponsored Pennsylvania Bar Institute, December 2023.
Carolyn Moran Zack was a course planner and moderator for the annual Parenting Coordination (“PC”) Update program on March 14, 2024, sponsored by PBI (Pennsylvania Bar Institute) and PPA (Pennsylvania Psychological Association). This program featured judges, mental health professionals, and attorneys discussing issues that relate to the PC process such as: Updates on Procedure and Effectiveness of PCs; PC Perspective on Practice Success and Pitfalls; Practice Pointers from the Bench; Domestic Violence (“DV”) Overview of Effects of DV on the PC Relationship and Negotiation; Emotions and Conflict: Power and Identity Issues; Special Needs Children; and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Carolyn Moran Zack was the moderator for the AAML program titled, “Unsettled Issues In Equitable Distribution and Support,” for the winter PBA Family Law Section meeting on January 11, 2024. The program included a family court judge, family court hearing officers, financial experts, and family lawyers who spoke about different ways to analyze and present complicated financial issues in divorce and support cases.
Eileen Murphy was recognized as a “2023 Bar Star” by the Philadelphia Bar Association Family Law Section at the Associations annual gathering on November 14, 2023. Ms. Murphy was recognized for her work leading the section’s Programming Committee, which develops topics and brings in monthly speakers to address the section.
On November 10, 2023, Alexa Terribilini was a presenter for the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Family Law Section lunch and learn program. Alexa provided updates on recent developments in Pennsylvania family law and information about new appellate court decisions.
Carolyn Moran Zack was a panelist for the AAML webinar program, “The Untapped Potential of Arbitration” on November 29, 2023, which addressed how arbitration offers an efficient, cost-effective, and tailored approach to resolution of family law disputes, and provided insights about drafting effective arbitration agreements, managing client expectations, and best practices for arbitrators and participants.
Carolyn Moran Zack was the moderator for the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Pennsylvania Chapter’s lunch and learn program on October 19, 2023, titled, “Adverse Consequences: Substance Abuse Across Lifetimes,” presented by Dr. Aaron Robb, a nationally recognized expert on mental health, who has worked extensively with children and families involved in the legal system. The program addressed the interaction between Alcohol Use Disorder and Adverse Childhood Experiences that can have a lifelong negative impact on children and ways to avoid or minimize this trauma.
Alexa Terribilini was featured with a full-page interview and photograph in the Alumni Spotlight section of the 2023 Annual Report published by the Villanova Law Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation.
On November 15, 2022, Mark A. Momjian was honored by the Philadelphia Bar Association as a 2022 “Bar Star.” At the PBA’s Membership Appreciation Event held at the City Winery in Center City, Mark was recognized for his service as a course planner and moderator for the annual Bench-Bar Conference held in Atlantic City. Mark has served as Programming Co-Chair on behalf of the PBA’s Family Law Section since 2004. Mark’s dedicated co-chair, Julia Swain of Fox Rothschild, was also honored that evening.
Carolyn Moran Zack authored “Family Law Arbitration: An Underutilized ADR Option,” and co-authored “Should the Mediator Draft the Divorce Agreement,” both published in the ABA Family Advocate, Vol. 46, No. 2, Fall 2023.
Carolyn Moran Zack was honored at the Pennsylvania Bar Association Mid-Year Meeting in May 2023 in Philadelphia with a 2023 PBA Special Achievement Award for her work leading the Task Force that produced the Family Law Sections’ educational video entitled, “Tips and Tools for Better Co-Parenting.” The video can be viewed at this site: www.pabar.org/site/FLS.
At the 2022 Bench-Bar & Annual Conference sponsored by the Philadelphia Bar Association, Mark A. Momjian moderated a program titled, “I’ll Talk to the Child Now”: Perspectives on the Child Interview from the Bench and Bar.” Held in Atlantic City on September 16, 2022, the panel was presented by the PBA’s Family Law Section and covered the recent revisions to the Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure governing the child-custody interview. The PowerPoint presentation was prepared by Momjian Anderer associate, Alexa Terribilini, an alumna of Villanova University School of Law. Partner Meredith Brennan and Momjian Anderer intern Luann Luong, a junior at the University of Pennsylvania, attended the Bench-Bar as well.
Jennifer Luong, a Momjian Anderer intern, and a rising Senior at Harvard College, was quoted in an article published by the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women. Titled Students Challenge Academia: “The Sex Trade Is Anything But ‘Work’” and authored by human-rights activist Taina Bien-Aimé, the article was published online on July 1, 2022. Ms. Luong is majoring in Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Harvard, and she is an alumna of the Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School in Center City. The article can be found at Students Challenge Academia: “The Sex Trade Is Anything But ‘Work’” | by Coalition Against Trafficking in Women | Jul, 2022 | Medium
On April 25, 2022, Mark A. Momjian spoke at a CLE panel organized by the Family Law Section of the Delaware County Bar Association. The topic was discovery and motions practice in Family Court. Other speakers included the Hon. Stephanie Klein and the Hon. Kelly Eckel.
On April 6, 2022, Mark A. Momjian was the invited guest lecturer at Temple University Beasley School of Law. Mark addressed students taking the Family Law Litigation Clinic with Professor Sarah Katz. His topic was high net-worth property and support litigation in Pennsylvania.
On April 6, 2022, Meredith Brennan and Mark A. Momjian served as team leaders for the following program sponsored by the Nicholas A. Cipriani Inn of Court: “Section 5329 Crimes, Convictions, and Suspected Mental Health Issues in Child Custody Disputes.” The program focused on child custody cases where a party or party’s household member has pending charges or criminal convictions under 23 Pa. C.S.A. §5329, and/or suspected mental health challenges.
Carolyn Moran Zack received The Honorable Katherine B.L. Platt Award for Mentoring and Volunteerism at the Doris Jonas Freed American Inn of Court dinner on May 10, 2022.
Meredith Brennan was a guest lecturer in March 2022 at the Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law on the topic of “Expert Witnesses in Family Law.”
On October 1, 2021, Mark A. Momjian moderated a panel on professional ethics titled, “Landmines and Pitfalls in Contemporary Family Law Practice,” which featured two Judges of the Family Court Division and one member of the Family Law Section at the 2021 Philadelphia Bench-Bar Conference.