Lawyer Earns Rare Certification From Supreme Court

One Wayne lawyer works hard to ensure that individuals going through a divorce make smart decisions regarding their future.

Robert Kornitzer, a family law attorney, received certification as a matrimonial law attorney, a rare achievement within the legal community. Only six individuals in the state received the certification this year. The certification is administered by the New Jersey Supreme Court. Thousands of individuals apply for the certification annually.

Matrimonial law mostly covers divorces but it also includes custody rights, domestic violence, and situations involving the Division of Youth and Family Services, the state's child welfare agency. 

“For me the goal is to get my clients ready for the next stage in their lives,” Kornitzer said. “It hurts me when I see suffering families but I’m there to help them, the parents and their kids, move on to something they think is better.”

Kornitzer works for Pashman Stein in Hackensack. He said that part of the challenge of being a family law attorney is the different roles you might have to play while representing a client. In addition to being a lawyer, Kornitzer said he must also be psychologist and a strategist.

“You have to be able to help these people on multiple levels,” he said. “You really have an impact on their lives.”

The certification is not easy to obtain. Applicants must be in good standing with the New Jersey Bar for at least five years, submit a list of attorneys and judges who will attest to their character, and pass a written examination.

Kornitzer regularly researches case law and reads on recent decisions to better prepare himself for court.

“The more knowledge you have, the more experience you have that will help you,” Kornitzer said. “Each day I’m picking up new knowledge and that can only help me and my clients in the long run.”

Kornitzer said his clients often don’t realize what divorce actually means for them, their lifestyle, and their children.

“You’re coming home to a very different reality,” Korntizer said. “For the mom who was used to picking up her kids from school everyday she might be working and have to find child care or for a dad who took his kids for granted and now only gets to see them twice a month, it can be a big adjustment and most people aren’t prepared for that.”

Kornitzer, a 27-year resident, began practicing law full time in the mid 1990s. He transitioned into family law in 1999. Previously he owned the biggest manufacturing plant of artificial trees, flowers, and plants in the United States.

Kornitzer has served in the community as a youth athletic coach. He coached soccer, basketball, and baseball at the Police Athletic League.

Korntizer said being a family law lawyer has helped him grow and learn about his own life.

“I’ve learned to appreciate everything I have, especially my family, and have been able to keep,” Korntizer said.