Lara Traum, Esq., is a lawyer, mediator, and parenting coordinator with Roytberg Traum Law and Mediation, P.C., offering assistance in prenuptial, postnuptial, matrimonial, and trust and estate matters. She is also an author and frequent lecturer on conflict resolution topics. A native New Yorker, Lara also is fluent in Russian.
Lara is the current President of the New York State Council on Divorce Mediation, an officer on the Board of the Zamir Choral Foundation, and a past director of the Boards of COJECO (Council of Jewish Emigre Community Organizations) and the Townsend Harris Alumni Association. Lara is a current member of the NYS Bar Association’s Dispute Resolution Section and Publication Review Editorial Team, as well as the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals and Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. She is a a past member of the NYC Bar Association’s Children and the Law Committee and ADR Committee.
In law school, Lara was the Editor-in-Chief of the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution. She won first place at national and international Cyberweek eMediation competitions, as well as second place in the Northeast Regional ABA Representation in Mediation Competition.
Before pursuing her mediation career, Lara worked with the Zamir Choral Foundation. In addition to conducting a HaZamir chapter, Lara sang as a soprano and soloist with the Zamir Chorale, performing in venues such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.
Areas of Practice
- Family Court Cases – Child Support, Custody, Orders of Protection, Adoption, Guardianship
- Marital Agreements – Prenuptial Agreements, Post-Nuptial Agreements
- Divorce and Separation – Contested and Uncontested Divorces, Separation Agreements, Collaborative Divorce
- Domestic Partnership Agreements and Cohabitation Agreements
- Complex International Divorce Cases
- High Net Worth family Divorce Cases
- Cross-Cultural and Culturally Sensitive Mediation and Litigation
- Divorce and Family Mediation – Mediation of Divorces, Separations, Non-traditional family disputes
- Real Estate Closings – representations of buyers and sellers of houses, cooperative apartments and condominiums
- General Mediation – Mediation of Business Formation and Business Disputes, Elder and Surrogate Court related Mediation
- Legal Support for Clients who Represent Themselves in Court – Consultation and Legal Coaching Services
Education and Training
- Juris Doctorate from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 2016
– Cum laude
– Concentration in Family and Matrimonial Law
– Jacob Burns Medal for Scholastic Achievement - Bachelor of Arts from New York University
- Completed training with the New York Center for Interpersonal Development (Berner/Stadler)
- Completed Cardozo Divorce Mediation Clinic (Collins)
- Completed Mosten Mediation Training (where she served as an Assistant Trainer with Forrest S. Mosten)
- Is an AFCC trained Parenting Coordinator
- Completed Society for Human Resource Management training on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Training
- Completed NYC Commission on Human Rights training on Confronting Harassment
Published Works
Lara’s writing on mediation and family law has appeared in numerous publications, including the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution and the Family Court Review. Noted publications include:
- Involved, Empowered and Inspired: How Mediating Halakhic Prenuptial Agreements Honors Jewish and American Law and Builds Happy Families, 17 CARDOZO J. OF CONFLICT RESOL. 179 (2015)
- It Takes a Village: Using Seniors to Help Divorcing Families, (coauthored with Forrest S. Mosten) 17 CARDOZO J. OF CONFLICT RESOL. 767 (2016)
- The Family Lawyer’s Role in Preventive Legal and Conflict Wellness (coauthored with Forrest S. Mosten) 55 FAM. COURT REV. 26 (2017)
- The History and Legacy of the Pound Conferences (coauthored with Brian Farkas) 18 CARDOZO J. OF CONFLICT RESOL. 677 (2017)
- Interdisciplinary Teamwork in Family Law, (coauthored with Forrest S. Mosten), 56 FAM. COURT REV. (2018)
- Fine Tuning Your Collaborative Team, in BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL COLLABORATIVE LAW PRACTICE (2018)
- Hearing Harmony in Hard Times in FAMILY CONFLICT IN A PANDEMIC: STORIES OF STRUGGLE AND HOPE (2021)
- EFFECTIVELY REPRESENTING CLIENTS IN FAMILY MEDIATION (ABA Book, coauthored with Forrest S. Mosten and Hon. Elizabeth Potter Scully)
Professional Associations and Memberships
- New York State Council on Divorce Mediation, President
- Board of the Zamir Choral Foundation, Officer
- COJECO (Council of Jewish Emigre Community Organizations), Past Director
- Townsend Harris Alumni Association, Past Director
- New York State Bar Association’s Dispute Resolution Section and Publication Review Editorial Team, Member
- International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, Member
- Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Member
- NYC Bar Association’s Children and the Law Committee and ADR Committee, Past Member
Bar Admissions
- New York
- New Jersey
- Connecticut
