legal
ATTORNEY
SPECIALIZING IN
Writing the Next Chapter After Divorce
FAMILY LAW NORTH JERSEY WOMAN
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By Deborah Schapiro, photography by Dan Epstein
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ivorce can be financially and emotionally devastating, but it doesn’t have to be. Here, Karolina Dehnhard, an attorney with the Law Firm of Budd Larner in Short Hills, explains how she helps women (and men) become empowered during the divorce process. What made you decide to focus on matrimonial law? My practice is based on my own experience. At age of 30, I found out that my “happily ever after” was indeed a fairy tale. After a few tumultuous months, and feeling unprepared to make any of the difficult decisions integral to the process, I found myself divorced. Regardless of the reasons, it was a sobering event in my life. Determined, undaunted and driven harder than ever, I decided to turn my divorce into a law degree. Recalling the fear of the unknown and my inability at the time to fully understand financial documents or tax returns, despite the fact that I had a Master’s Degree, I wanted to do something to alleviate the knot in the stomach that so many of my female client’s experience. Having come through the process of learning self-sufficiency, I was determined to help other women. Naturally, some of my clients are men, but it is usually my female clients who have left the workforce to raise children during the marriage that is now ending or simply have deferred to their spouses to be gatekeepers of the family finances.
What is Divorce Dynasty? Divorce Dynasty is a concept I launched in September but had been thinking about for a long time before that. It’s a way of bringing together professionals from different fields to guide women through the divorce process. I’ve assembled a team of financial planners, insurance experts, accountants, mortgage brokers, career coaches, even doctors and therapists. Being able to access a network of vetted professionals makes my client feel less scared and more empowered to rebuild her life. And these are all female professionals; I believe in women helping women.
Karolina Dehnhard, Esq. Budd Larner, P.C.,
150 John F. Kennedy Parkway, Short Hills, NJ 07078 973-379-4800 • kdehnhard@buddlarner.com
What is the most important thing you would tell a woman considering a divorce? A smart woman always knows how to protect her ass-ets. This has become my trademark line; I use it in radio interviews, magazine articles and when I participate in panel discussions. Women need to take control of their own lives, and having knowledge of their financial situation is the key.
Fall 2017
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