New Jersey Family Law and Divorce Lawyer

A graduate of the Washington College of Law at The American University in Washington, DC, Jennifer Cornelius has been practicing family law for over twenty years.  Admitted to practice in New Jersey in 1998, she is also a member of the New York Bar, as well as the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Following law school,  she served as law clerk to the Honorable Maureen P. Sogluizzo, J.S.C. from 1998-1999 and has ever since been in the private practice of law.  She has served as a Matrimonial Early Settlement Panelist since 2002 and practiced exclusively in the area of family law since 2004.

Her memberships include the Hudson County (2000-2004) and the Barry Croland Family Law (2004-2013) Inns of Court, the New Jersey State Bar Association and the Morris County Bar Association.  

In addition to extensive experience in the litigation of complex and high net worth family cases,  she is a trained Mediator and assists parties to resolve their cases prior to or instead of pursuing a trial in Court. Ms. Cornelius is on the Superior Court’s list of approved R.1:40-12 Family Law Mediators and she is frequently appointed by the Court to represent the interests of vulnerable individuals in Chancery Court matters. 

Jennifer Cornelius, has been added to the New Jersey Superior Court Roster of Parenting Coordinators, a list of only 44 attorneys statewide (as of August 2024), who have completed extensive training (40+ hours) and been approved under R. 5:8D for appointment by Judges to assist in Family Court matters.

In this role, Jennifer will support parties in high-conflict  situations to navigate their (sometimes difficult) new relationship as co-parents, while keeping the joint focus on how to best meet the needs of their child(ren). 

Areas of focus include assistance in implementing their parenting time plan, as well as developing the essential skills needed for effective co-parent communication and problem-solving.  The hope is that after working with both parents to develop these skills, they can learn how to work cooperatively together on their own to manage these responsibilities without the need for ongoing professional involvement or guidance.

Parents and/or their attorneys involved in high-conflict custody matters may find it worthwhile to consider the benefits of parenting coordination, which include:

• Improved communication with a focus on the child’s best interest.
• Reduced misunderstandings and a process for parents to reach a mutual compromise.
• Reduced conflict and stress for both parents and child(ren).
• Reduced need for ongoing litigation in Court.
• Lower costs and shorter timeframes to resolve future disputes