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With 28 years of legal experience, Tanya Helfand focuses her practice on Family Law and Divorce. She is a Certified Matrimonial Attorney and, prior to joining Schenck Price in 2022, had her own practice for 25 years.
Tanya has successfully represented both men and women with complex custody and financial matters through negotiation as well as trial through conclusion. She believes that settlement is best but recognizes that sometimes pursuing the matter in Court is necessary. Tanya handles all areas of family law, including but not limited to custody, alimony, child support, complex financial cases, prenuptial agreements and domestic violence matters. She is a qualified mediator and certified collaborative divorce lawyer.
Tanya serves on the Superior Court’s Matrimonial Early Settlement Panel in Morris and Essex Counties. In this capacity, she has successfully provided settlement recommendations to couples who have been litigating for an extended period of time, often over a year. She is also referred by the Courts as an economic mediator. She was a member of the Matrimonial Inn of Court in Northern New Jersey.
Tanya is direct and practical and will always try to negotiate or mediate a matter first to resolve the case amicably; however, if she cannot obtain a fair and reasonable settlement outside of Court, Tanya and her team are prepared to properly defend the matter through the conclusion of the matter.
Tanya handles bankruptcy matters, including Chapter 7 and 13. She handles adversary proceedings in Bankruptcy Court relative to divorce matters. She was a member of the Bankruptcy Inn of Court in Northern New Jersey. Tanya also handles guardianships. For several years, the Morris County Surrogate has appointed Tanya as independent counsel in guardianship matters, performing investigations and representing incompetent individuals.
Tanya has an extensive business background, which is extremely helpful with all the areas of her practice. Prior to opening her office, she owned retail businesses and has helped many professionals with their practices.
Tanya is an active supporter of Jewish Family Services and the Rachel Coalition. She is an author and speaks about divorce and bankruptcy throughout New Jersey.
*Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.
- March 25, 2024Twenty-Seven Schenck Price Attorneys Named to 2024 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
- May 11, 20232023 Edition of New Jersey Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists Include 30 Schenck Price Attorneys
- April 4, 2023Tanya N. Helfand and Jacqueline F. Pivawer Featured in the New Jersey Law Journal
- March 28, 2023Schenck Price Attends 15th WILL Platinum Gala Hosted by the NJWLA
- December 5, 2022Tanya Helfand's Family Law Practice Joins Schenck Price
- January 22, 2024The Rules and Risks of Dividing Retirement Assets in Divorce
- August 31, 2023An Accountant's Vital Role in Resolving a Divorce
- April 4, 2023Assets Exempt From Equitable Distribution Upon Divorce
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- Selected to Morris County's Top Lawyers list (2024)
- Selected to the 2017-2024 New Jersey Super Lawyers® list, published by Thomson Reuters
- 25 Leading Women in Business in New Jersey, 2020
- Brava Award for Top Female CEOs, 2016
- NJBIZ Top 50 Women in Business, 2014
No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the New Jersey Supreme Court. Click here for awards information and methodology.
Tanya N. HelfandRated by Super Lawyers
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- Author, "The Rules and Risks of Dividing Retirement Assets in Divorce," New Jersey Law Journal, January 22, 2024
- Author, "An Accountant's Vital Role in Resolving a Divorce," August 31, 2023
- Co-Author, "Assets Exempt From Equitable Distribution Upon Divorce," New Jersey Law Journal, April 3, 2023
- Author, “20 Great Tips for a Successful Divorce”
- Presenter, “Divorce and College Expenses” webinar, with CBRG, Inc. and Judge David Issenman JSC (ret.), NJICLE
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Essex County District VC Fee Arbitration Committee
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Morris and Essex County Early Settlement Panelist for 20+ years
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Court-Appointed Mediator, State of New Jersey
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Jewish Family Services, former board member
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Jewish Law Symposium, Board
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Morris County Bar Association
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Essex County Bar Association
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New Jersey State Bar Association
- New Jersey Business & Industry Association
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Successfully helped spouses overcome significant obstacles in disagreements over parenting plans as well as the division of valuable property, including real estate, investments, and business assets.
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Represented a professional entertainer with a fixed alimony agreement who lost one of his main contracts. Succeeded in getting ex-wife’s alimony modified to a percentage of his income, which was primarily derived from multiple short-term contracts.
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Represented former professional football player who moved to New Jersey with his wife and child. The wife, who was also pregnant, visited her mother in another state and refused to return to New Jersey with the child. The wife was ordered by the court to return to New Jersey.
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In an appellate division matter, modified a “non-modifiable” alimony agreement when husband lost his job after age 60. Client was depleting his retirement assets to meet his obligation. Successfully had the alimony significantly reduced.
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Prevented an intrastate move whereby the mother tried to remove her young children from school and relocate 60 miles away against the father’s wishes.
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Represented wife whose husband refused to reasonably contribute to college costs for their three daughters. Husband was well positioned to do so; he possessed a graduate degree and earned $400,000 annually. The court set aside his retirement account which was ultimately used to pay for the children’s education.
- Successfully maintained child custody for wife and instituted supervised time for husband with a substance abuse issue.
- Represented a police officer whose wife charged him with domestic violence. Her claims were determined to be false, designed to manipulate custody of the children. We were able to resolve the issue with civil restraints, a common method of helping parties move forward. Parenting time was not affected, nor was his job, which would have been in jeopardy due to the domestic violence charges.
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Represented a woman, a successful executive, whose husband was a chronic alcoholic and physically harmed her repeatedly. Although she was embarrassed, due to her status, to bring the case before the court, we tried it to a successful conclusion and obtained for her a final restraining order.
*Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.
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"I could not be happier with the service and care I received. I would definitely recommend Tanya Helfand for all your legal needs!"
- Nancy L.
“Without Tanya and her time, the really unpleasant experience of getting divorced would have been even worse. They were able to settle the matter very quickly and helped me fit this into my tight schedule allowing me to leave to move abroad for my dissertation research on time without having to delay the trip because of the divorce. They also did all of it within my very tight budget. Thank you so much for your help and dedication to my legal matter!"- A.G.
“Tanya and her Associates are outstanding! What I admire most about Tanya is her knowledge of the law with her keen negotiation skills to foster mediation. Her strategies efficiently resolve conflict leading to the resolution of cases. She and her team have an outstanding work ethic, know what data are needed, and get the job done. It is a pleasure to work with such wonderful professionals.”- Tara A.
“I found Ms. Helfand’s knowledge and tenacity most reassuring during the ordeal of my divorce. She was steadfast in her guidance and was very effective in her negotiations on my behalf. I would recommend her without a second thought.”- Jonathan M.
“Tanya and her team were very professional handling my divorce proceedings. She was very proactive in making the other attorney finally get the process moving forward. I would recommend her to anyone looking for legal services."- Scott K.
“Ms. Helfand strategized & processed, both, my Divorce & Chapter 13 Bankruptcy. As both cases were emotionally and legally challenging, Ms. Helfand proved to be an empowering Mentor along the path to clarity for which I am truly grateful.I highly recommend her legal expertise to anyone who is seeking a confident, savvy & caring attorney to become at peace with self and any legal matters.”- Vas S.
“Tanya and her staff provided a level of expertise, advisement and services that were above my expectations. She was honest and forthcoming even when it was not what I wanted to hear. The office staff and other attorneys were all professional and responsive.”- Michael A.
“I worked with Tanya and her associates to resolve a billing dispute I had with a physician. They answered all my questions, researched my options, negotiated on my behalf and worked through a negotiation that was amicable. Tanya and her staff were very professional and pleasant to deal with. My only wish was that I had contacted Tanya earlier with my issue to save myself the stress!”- Susan M.
“We found Tanya when our lawyer kept missing appointments and would not return phone calls. She was very responsive and understanding and she provided outstanding service at a reasonable price.”- Robert S.
“I would highly recommend Tanya and her firm for legal representation in divorce matters. Tanya exhibits compassion and concern during what is a tumultuous time and she remains steadfast in her desire to achieve the best outcome for her client. Her honesty and trustworthiness combined with her knowledge of divorce law is what propels her beyond the “average” divorce attorney. Should the need arise again, I would contact her immediately for legal consultation.”- Sharon B.
“I went through two attorneys in over a year trying to get a divorce in a somewhat complicated situation involving someone institutionalized in New Jersey. Though we were originally married in New York, when I realized that the NY judge was unable or unwilling to help with the matter, I decided to see about pursuing the matter in NJ. Tanya and her team spoke with me initially, then took on the research of my situation to see if it looked like they could help. A divorce that looked to me like it would never happen was finalized in months. The team was very communicative, straightforward, knowledgeable and professional during the entire process. Additionally, when it came time to meet with the judge, the judge knew and respected my attorney. Their rapport certainly went a long way in helping the finalization of the divorce that day. I would highly recommend this group.”- A.E.
“I would recommend Tanya to anyone who asked me if i knew a good lawyer. She helped me through two of my most stressful problems with ease. Very proficient.”- Kevin B.
Dear Tanya, “Just a note of thanks for all your help throughout our Prenuptial Agreement process. We’re so glad that’s over. We’ve locked it up and, hopefully, we’ll never have to look at all those documents again.It was August 31st. There was a blue moon that night, and during the day there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Perfect. Thanks again and all the best."- Bonnie S.
“I recently went through the divorce process over a very difficult 2 year period. Without question it was the most difficult and trying times of my life emotionally, physically and of course financially. You spend years building up a life and family together with a person and then the divorce process requires you to pull it all apart and somehow divide it equally. It’s a huge understatement to say it’s a daunting task which is realistically not all that feasible without going through a lot of emotional peaks and valleys. I hired Tanya Helfand from the Helfand Group after working with another lawyer for approximately 6 months. I was dissatisfied with my previous lawyer because I didn’t feel like he and I connected on what we were looking to accomplish. Ms. Helfand was very good at quickly getting up to speed on my case and guiding me through the entire divorce process. Throughout, Ms. Helfand helped keep me balanced and grounded to focus on the outcomes and trying to remove the emotion from the process as much as possible. She had no issue with telling me when she thought I was being unreasonable and helped me understand the options and alternatives I was faced with across all various areas, including financial assets, property, IRA’s, and most importantly custody of our children. Ms. Helfand helped ensure that the interests of our children always kept in high consideration. Although I may not have appreciated her as much at the time, because it was such a painful process, I truly appreciate having Ms. Helfand and her team as my lawyers. I feel like I had a partner who worked to understand what was important for me and my children both short and long term and helped us arrive at a place where we could start the next chapter in our lives.”- Dan G.
“Thank you for helping me with my case of bankruptcy. When I got to your office I was nervous and I wasn’t very sure if I would be able to come out of all the trouble I was in. As a lawyer you guided me, as a person you gave me confidence. I do believe in Earth Angels. Thank you for helping me and guiding me on my difficult times.”- R.S.
“Ms. Helfand received a worried client and a small case and treated both of them with dignity and considered all my issues as her number one priority. She handled my paperwork and all our meetings with compassion and a professionalism that made my situation easier to comprehend and handle. I would definitely ask upon her service again and will refer Ms. Helfand and her staff to all that need an experienced lawyer. Do not hesitate to call upon her expertise in all aspects of law.”- Matthew S.
“I believe that I would not have been able to accomplish the difficult task of my bankruptcy had it not been for the legal knowledge of Ms. Helfand and the support of Ann Marie. Thank you for helping me to re-start our lives.”- C.M.
“I was very happy with the way they handled my divorce. Tanya was very patient and explained everything clearly. Tanya knew my financial situation and worked with me to come to a quick resolution. Her office staff was very courteous and professional and left messages for Tanya who returned calls in a timely manner if they could not help me themselves.”- Colleen D.
“I felt that the professionalism and experience of my lawyer and staff were top-notch. I would refer family and friends to this office.”- K.W.
“The office of Helfand & Associates took care and understanding of my case and approached it with professionalism and with the utmost dignity for the situation. I will refer them with the most trust for results!”- M.S.
“Despite the events that have happened in past weeks and few years, I feel blessed, at peace and extremely grateful. A very large part of that is because of you. Even though we have never met face-to-face I truly believe that God lead me to you and your firm. I don’t know your beliefs or if you are a “Believer” so I hope this does not offend you because it is not my intention. I write this because I did not know anything about you or your firm; I did not find you through recommendations from friends or acquaintances; I was not even in New Jersey when I found your firm and services; I cannot even tell you what your old office looks like never mind what your new one looks like. I found your firm while crying my eyes out in Texas searching lawyers.com. I never heard of this web site and I never needed a lawyer before. From the thousands of firms that are listed on that site for your area your firm literally was and is the first and only firm I called. After speaking with Ms. Helfand there was no need to look any further (pardon the cliché).I guess what I’m trying to say is Thank You. I cannot express to you enough how forever grateful I am to you. You put my mind at ease with everything and always gave me the reassurance I needed. I don’t know if you hear this a lot, but please know that you are a fantastic attorney. Never lose sight of that. As I have always said throughout our correspondence over the years; you are greatly appreciated and I thank you for all you have done and continue to do.”- R.N.
“Thank you and your courteous and compassionate staff. When I first came to your office I was scared, nervous, and unsure if I would be able to overcome the trouble I was in. You put my mind at ease and gave me the reassurance and confidence I so needed. So, thank you again, as well as Anne Marie and Valerie for your support and understanding during a difficult time for me. You are my angels and I would recommend you without a second thought.”- G.G.