Singer, Melinda L.

Photo of attorney Melinda L. Singer
profile
  • Solo Practitioner

Location:

Hackensack, NJ

Phone:

Fax:

(201) 678-9595

vCard:

Email:

profile

Melinda is Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Matrimonial Law Attorney.  Melinda is admitted to practice law in New Jersey, New York, Colorado and the Supreme Court of New Jersey.  She is a solo practitioner in Bergen County practicing for thirty-three years, where her practice is devoted to Family Law.  Melinda is a member of the Supreme Court of New Jersey Family Law Practice Committee, a past member of the Supreme Court of New Jersey Ad Hoc Committee on Trade Names, a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association, New Jersey Association for Justice, Bergen County Bar Association and Women Lawyers in Bergen.  She has been the Chair of a Bergen County Early Settlement Panel since 1988, helping litigants to resolve their cases.  Melinda is also a Special Ethics Master, as the Trier of Fact or Judge, for complex Ethics cases.  Melinda is a Court-Approved Family Law Domestic Violence Economic Mediator.  Melinda is also a court-approved Family Law Mediator.  She is also a Trained Collaborative Law Attorney.

Having litigated for several high profile clients, Melinda is often asked to provide legal commentary for TV stations, such as Tru TV, Fox TV and MSNBC, providing insightful legal analysis.  Melinda has been a guest TV commentator since 1998.

Melinda is accessible to her clients first and foremost.  She is committed to providing insightful and hands-on legal outcomes for her clients, whether it is a negotiated Property Settlement Agreement, a litigated Plenary Hearing or a Domestic Violence Trial.

More than anything, Melinda understands and "gets" the emotional turmoil impacting the client and impending divorce in Family Law.  They are inextricably tied, and must be delicately unwound with sensitivity, so that the client is not lead down a path of "litigation through anger", which leads to excessive counsel fees, frustration and no resolution.  Melinda also vigorously represents litigants that are unmarried, who need to resolve support and parenting issues.  Melinda is accessible to her clients, and is passionate about the practice of law to help clients attain solutions.

Areas Of Practice

  • Family Law
  • Divorce
  • Custody & Parenting Time (Visitation)
  • Child Support
  • Adoption
  • Domestic Violence
  • Pre-Nuptial Agreements
  • Family

Certified Legal Specialties

  • Certified Matrimonial Law Attorney

Bar Admissions

  • New Jersey, 1985
  • U.S. District Court District of New Jersey, 1985
  • Colorado, 1994
  • U.S. District Court District of Colorado, 1994
  • New York, 1995
  • U.S. District Court Southern District of New York, 1997
  • Supreme Court of the United States of America, 2016
  • Supreme Court of New Jersey

Education

  • Hofstra University School of Law, Hempstead, New York
    • J.D.
  • Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
    • B.A. - 1976
    • Honors: cum laude
    • Major: Political Science
  • Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
    • M.A. - 1977
    • Honors: summa cum laude
    • Major: Political Affairs and Policy Analysis

Representative Cases

  • Inserra v. Inserra, 1992, 260 N.J. Super. 71 (App Div.), https://www.leagle.com/decision/1992331260njsuper711322
  • Wine v. Quezada, 2005, 379 N.J. Super. 287 (Ch. Div.), https://caselaw.findlaw.com/nj-superior-court/1442611.html

Classes/Seminars

  • Speaker, The Top Ten Family Law Practice Tips, Continuing Legal Education Seminar, Ramapo College of New Jersey, 2016 to 2016
  • Speaker, Child Support: Setting Child Support in High Wage Earner Cases & Children Over 18 in College, Continuing Legal Education Seminar, New Jersey Association for Justice, 2015 to 2015
  • Speaker, Handling the High Conflict Divorce; Ethics: How to Control High Conflict Client and Stay Within Ethical Boundaries, Continuing Legal Education Seminar, New Jersey Association for Justice, 2013 to 2013
  • Speaker, New Jersey Child Support Guidelines – The Basics and Pitfalls, Continuing Legal Education Seminar, Bergen County Bar Association, 2012 to 2012
  • Speaker, Domestic Violence Law, Continuing Legal Education Seminar, Bergen County Bar Association, 1998 to 1998

Honors and Awards

  • Selected for inclusion in the New Jersey Super Lawyers list, 2017 – 2021
  • Top Lawyers in Bergen County’s 201 Magazine (Matrimonial & Family Law), 2013, 2017 – 2018
  • Winner of Bergen County Legal Services, Richard Semel Probono Award, 1998
  • Winner of Women Lawyer’s in Bergen County, Award for Commitment, Devotion and Dedication, 1994
  • Top Lawyers in Bergen County’s 201 Magazine (Child Custody), 2017

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • Bergen County Bar Association, Member
  • New Jersey State Bar Association, Member
  • New Jersey Association for Justice, Member
  • Supreme Court of New Jersey, Family Law Practice Committee, Member
  • Supreme Court of New Jersey, Ad Hoc Committee on Trade Names, Past Member

Past Employment Positions

  • Borough of Fort Lee, New Jersey, Public Defender, 1986 to 1988

Pro Bono Activities

  • Special Ethics Master, Assigned to be Trier-of-Fact or Judge in complex Ethics matters, 1999 to Present
  • Early Settlement Panel, Chair Panelist, Bergen County, 1998 to Present
  • District IIB-South Ethics Committee, Bergen County, Chair, Vice Chair and Member, 1994 to 1998
  • Alternatives to Domestic Violence, 1990 to 2001
  • Women’s Rights Information Center, Providing Legal Consultation, 1986 to 1996
  • Women Lawyers in Bergen, Member
  • Court-Approved Family Law Domestic Violence Economic Mediator
  • Court-Approved Family Law Mediator

Ancillary Businesses

  • Little Bird Racing, LLC – Owner. Sponsors motocross racers in various motocross races for the Amateur Nationals of the American Motorcycle Association, such as the Loretta Lynn’s AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship

Languages

  • English