Of Counsel
Jo (she/they) has practiced law in New Jersey for 22 years and her practice is focused on work involving LGBTQIA2S+ families and children, non-nuclear family structures, families with special needs, and complex parentage situations. Jo is also qualified by the State of NJ as a Family Law Mediator and obtained her Master of Science in Child & Adolescent Developmental Psychology to further support her work.
Jo received her JD from Syracuse University College of Law in 2002, where she also received a Certification of Specialization in Family Law and Social Policy and was a Teaching Assistant for The Children’s Rights and Family Law Clinical Program. She was also an Editor of The Digest (Journal of the Italian-American Bar Association). She was a Judicial Law Clerk for Hon. Deanne M. Wilson, JSC.
Jo is an active volunteer in the legal community. She is a member of The National LGBTQ Bar Association (including as an admitted member of the Family Law Institute of the National LGBT Bar Association) and a member of the New Jersey Bar Association (NJSBA). Jo was a recipient of the National LGBT Bar Association’s 2015 40 Under 40 Award.
Jo is also the 2017-2018 Chair of the NJSBA LGBT Rights Section and a current Trustee, a member of the NJSBA Family Law Executive Committee, a member of the Essex County Bar Association and former Trustee, among others. Jo has also served with the District X Fee Arbitration Committee of the NJ Office of Attorney Ethics and is an appointed member of the NJSBA CLE Advisory Committee.
Jo has written extensively on the subject of Family Law and LGBTQIA2S+ issues and is published in NJ Psychology, NJ Family Lawyer and Law Journal, and various ABA publications, and has been a speaker for various organizations including NJICLE, the LGBTQ Bar Association, AFCC, Gender Conference East, and for the New Jersey Administrative Office of the Courts.
Jo is a member of BiLaw, a national organization promoting the voice of bisexuals, and assisted with the production of BiLaw’s Amicus Brief in support of Obergefell v. Hodges before the U.S. Supreme Court. Jo also has two published Appellate Division cases: In re T.I.C.-C and W.M. v D.G., which have helped shape law in NJ in her niche practice areas.
Jo is also the founder of Bitter2Sweet, LLC, a nationwide coaching and consulting business providing support for individuals seeking to make positive change in their personal, family and professional lives.
