Tamara A. Mitchel
Tamara A. Mitchel practices matrimonial and family law. She graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School, after receiving a B.A. magna cum laude from Harvard College, where she was elected a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She also graduated from the Family Law Trial Advocacy Institute of the American Bar Association, Family Law Section. Ms. Mitchel has been selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America for Family Law every year from 2018 through 2023, Marquis Who's Who in American Law 2017-2018 and in the New York Metro Super Lawyers list every year from 2013 through 2022.
Ms. Mitchel is a founding partner at Kristensen Law Group P.C. She was previously a partner at BodnarMilone, LLP, and Berman Frucco Gouz Mitchel & Schub p.c., having practiced exclusively in matrimonial and family law in private practice since 2002. Previously at the Pace Women’s Justice Center, she was one of the original supervising attorneys of the Family Court Legal Program, in which she represented, and taught law students to represent, domestic violence victims in the Westchester County Family Courts.
Ms. Mitchel is a prior chair of the Westchester County Bar Association Domestic Relations and Family Law Section, and serves on its Executive Committee. She was Editor-in-Chief of the Domestic Law Review, published by that Section. She serves by appointment as Co-Chair of the Custody Committee, and on the Executive Committee of the New York State Bar Association Family Law Section. She is an elected Fellow of the New York Bar Foundation. Ms. Mitchel is certified to practice collaborative law. She is admitted to practice law in the State of New York.
Ms. Mitchel has frequently lectured for Continuing Legal Education programs for attorneys on matrimonial and family law. Among the organizations for whom she has lectured are the New York State Bar Association, Pace Law School Center for Continuing Legal Education, the Westchester Women’s Bar Association and the Ninth Judicial District Committee to Promote Gender Fairness in the Courts. Ms. Mitchel has authored numerous accredited continuing legal education materials on matrimonial and family law, co-authored a law review article on the constitutional rights of domestic violence victims, and written an in-service police training manual on domestic violence published by Westchester County.
Ms. Mitchel has twice been awarded a Certificate of Distinguished Service, by the Westchester County Office of the County Executive, for her legal service to the citizens of Westchester County. She has received the Legal Services of the Hudson Valley Pro Bono Volunteer Award and the Diane White Legal Advocacy Award by the Pace Women’s Justice Center.
Ms. Mitchel serves on the Executive Committee of the Friends of Gail Advisory Board of the Pace Women’s Justice Center. She is a founding, current board member of New Dawn Family Resource Centers, Inc., a not-for-profit providing support in Northern Westchester to victims of domestic violence, human trafficking, elder abuse, sexual assault and teen violence. She previously served as a board member of Hope’s Door and on the Resource Committee of the Summer Justice Academy for Young Women, co-sponsored by the New York Chapter of the National Association of Women Judges and Pace Law School. Ms. Mitchel is a lifetime member of the Harvard-Radcliffe Club of Westchester, and is a former member of its Schools and Scholarships Committee and its Board of Governors.
Ms. Mitchel also studied at the Juilliard School and for several years was a professional opera soloist, primarily in Europe. She lives with her husband in Westchester County, where they raised their two children, one of whom is a musician, the other a mechanical engineer.
Below is a representative list of some of Ms. Mitchel’s lectures and publications.
ACCREDITED CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION PRESENTATIONS
New York State Bar Association:
· Critical Areas in Matrimonial Law II Drafting Pendente Lite, Modification and In Limine Motions: Ethics and Motions, April 2018
· Family Court Trial Institute II: Support Hearings, Enforcement and Downward Modification, May 2017
· Family Court Trial Institute: Orders of Protection, October 2016
· Practical Skills: Family Court Practice, "Ethics in Matrimonial and Family Law," April 2015
· Practical Skills: Basic Matrimonial Practice, "Introduction to Equitable Distribution and Maintenance," October 2013
· Chair, Practical Skills: Basic Matrimonial Practice, October 2012
· Practical Skills, Family Court Practice, "Family Offense Proceedings – Article 8," April 2012
· Chair, Practical Skills: Basic Matrimonial Practice, October 2011
· Chair, Family Court Practice: Custody, Child Protective Proceedings and Ethics, April 2011
The Ninth Judicial District Committee to Promote Gender Fairness in the Courts, Westchester Women’s Bar Association, Westchester County Bar Association and Pace Women’s Justice Center:
· "Representing Victims of Domestic Violence: How to Navigate When A Family Court Matter Becomes A Supreme Court Divorce," March 2016
The Fifteenth Annual Domestic Violence Conference, Sponsored by the Appellate Division, First Department; Fordham Law School; Lawyers Committee Against Domestic Violence; New York State Judicial Committee on Women and the Courts
· ·Legislative Update: Divorce and Child Support Reform Laws, March 2011
New York Association of Collaborative Professionals and the Pace Women’s Justice Center:
· Domestic Violence and the Collaborative Practitioner: The Complexity of Power in Relationships, 2009
The Ninth Judicial District Committee to Promote Gender Fairness in the Courts, Westchester Women’s Bar Association, Pace Law School and Pace Women’s Justice Center:
· Domestic Violence and Financial Exploitation in Matrimonial Cases, Fall 2007
PUBLICATIONS
Editor-in-Chief, Domestic Law Review, Westchester County Bar Association Family Law Section, 2008 - 2014.
“Jurisprudence: Due Process Concerns for the Underrepesented Domestic Violence Victim,” Buffalo Women’s Law Journal, Vol. XIII, p. 173, Fall 2006, co-authored with Rebecca Fialk, Esq.
- Selected to New York Metro Super Lawyers list every year from 2013 through 2022
- Included in Marquis Who’s Who for Professional Excellence in Law, 2017-2018
- Pro Bono Volunteer Award, Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, October 2017
- The Diane White Legal Advocacy Award from Pace Women’s Justice Center, 2011
- Certificate of Distinguished Service, Westchester County, Office of the County Executive, 2011
- Certificate of Distinguished Service, Westchester County, Office of the County Executive, 2002
White Plains, New York 10604
