Amy Smith co-founded Weinberg, Kaplan & Smith, P.A. (WKS) with the vision of practicing family law with family values. Amy, along with her partner Dawn Kaplan, and Joseph Weinberg opened the firm 13 years ago. Following Weinberg’s retirement, his son Michael joined the firm as a partner. Over the past 13 years, WKS has grown from three attorneys to a team of 10, all of whom bring a sense of familial warmth to both their colleagues and their clients.
“We take a team approach to every case. We all lean on each other,” says Smith. “It’s great to have a whole network of colleagues to turn to for support. Everyone is contributing to the success of a case from our attorneys to our support staff, to our receptionist; everybody's part of the team.”
WKS assists, acts and provides legal counsel for everything within family law. An inherently emotional and sometimes contentious area of law, the team takes an approach that is empathetic to their clients and logical in official proceedings. The firm handles cases throughout the state of New Jersey.
“Anything that impacts a family we are prepared to handle,” Smith affirms. “We focus on providing clients with practical solutions and avoid getting caught up in the emotions of a case.”
The most common situations that WKS works with are divorce, custody, adoption, parenting time, college contribution and prenuptial agreements. A major element of the firm’s commitment to their clients’ well-being is handling matters outside of court—which can be a lengthy, contentious process.
“The majority of matrimonial cases do not go all the way to trial. Clients are generally surprised that only about 2% will go to trial,” Smith says. “Fortunately, the law is very black and white. When practical we will steer our clients to a mediation or an arbitration, because we think that there's a little more leeway in how you resolve the case.”
Although the court backlog caused by the pandemic has been lessened, many counties still face a shortage of judges. WKS works avoids putting clients through unnecessary stress, time spent, or traumatization, in some cases. However, they are prepared to go to court if necessary, backed by their wide-ranging experience.
Smith additionally brings prosecutorial experience to the team, and a passion for helping victims of domestic violence. She assists families and individuals who are facing domestic violence and volunteers with Project SARAH (Stop Abusive Relationships at Home)—an organization that provides support, counseling, advocacy, education, and other services and resources.
Smith adds that the firm often takes cases that involve the Department of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P). They work with lawyer Ted Baker, who specializes in DCP&P matters. This is a testament to the collaborative team approach offered at WKS, who strive to provide for their clients’ full-service family law counsel.
The practice’s evolution and success can be attributed to maintaining a tight-knit team who can provide personalized service, individualized attention and ongoing resources for support. A client-centered philosophy guides every decision made, because the team looks at each case from varied perspectives to form a full picture of what happiness, stability and freedom can be achieved for each person, or for each family.
WKS’s clients feel supported from the onset, and until after the case is settled. With an entire team on their side to consider the best path forward, everyone can more efficiently reach the light at the end of the tunnel.
“We always want to look at our clients where they are now but also think about what they're going to be like in the future,” says Smith. “Obviously, what they're going through is super difficult, but we want to try to get them to the next part of their life—which hopefully is a new beginning.”
Weinberg, Kaplan & Smith, P.A.
Marlton
(856) 795-9400
WKSNJLaw.com
