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Jonathan E. Fields

Attorney Jonathan Fields has more than 17 years experience representing clients with a high level of personal care and professionalism. His approach to the complex area of family law is innovative, compassionate and geared to the best interests of his clients. Mr. Fields serves on the executive board of the Massachusetts Council of Family Mediation. In addition, he co-chairs the Nominating Committee for the Massachusetts Council of Family Mediation.

Mr. Fields is a member of the Massachusetts and American Bar Associations, the Collaborative Law Council, and the Massachusetts Association for Guardian Ad Litem. Mr. Fields regularly accepts appointments as Guardian Ad Litem in the Probate and Family Courts to represent the interests for minors and those declared incompetent by the Court. He is also certified for the Children and Family Law Trial Panel of the Committee for Public Counsel Services. As a member of the Senior Partners for Justice of the Volunteer Lawyers Project, Mr. Fields represents indigent litigants pro bono in matters before the Family and Probate Court.

Mr. Fields has significant experience as a neutral. He has successfully mediated many family law disputes between couples. Additionally, as a panel member who serves on the Fee Arbitration Board of the Massachusetts Bar Association, he arbitrates fee disputes between attorneys and clients. Mr. Fields has been appointed as a member of the Hearing Committee of the Board of Bar Overseers of the Supreme Judicial Court.

He has been a panelist for the Divorce Center where he has spoken about certain aspects of divorce law such as property division, alimony and custody and has spoken to numerous other groups on various divorce-related issues. He was an Institute Faculty Member and featured speaker at the most recent 2007 Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation Fall Conference.

In addition, he was a featured speaker at the annual 2007 Fall Conference of the Massachusetts Council for Family Mediation on the subject of "Prenuptial Agreements: Prohibited Subjects, Enforceability and Mediation" along with partner Sheryl Dennis. At the 2007 Fall Conference, he also presented his new article, "A Brief History of the Enforcement of Prenuptial Agreements in Massachusetts."

Mr. Fields was the director of labor relations for a large New York City municipal agency. His legal expertise has also been employed as a script consultant for a major television network program dealing with family law issues.

Appointments
Hearing Committee member of the Board of Bar Overseers Panel member of the Fee Arbitration Board of the Massachusetts Bar Association
Recent Publications
Prohibited Subject Matter in Prenuptial Agreements, 2006 Family Law Update (Aspen Publishers 2006)

Family Team Decision Making, Family Mediation Quarterly (Fall 2005) (co-author with Hugh F. Ferguson, Ph.D., Esq.)

A Brief History of the Enforcement of Prenuptial Agreements in Massachusetts, submitted at 2007 MCFM Fall Conference (October 2007)

Prenuptial Waivers: A Practitioner's Guide, Journal of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (expected early 2008)

2007 — Family Law Year in Review, Family Mediation Quarterly (Winter 2008)

Forbidden Provisions in Prenuptial Agreements: Legal and Practical Considerations for the Matrimonial Lawyer, Journal of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (expected mid-2008)

Mediating Prenuptial Agreements in Massachusetts and the Problem of the 23C Disqualification, Family Mediation Quarterly (expected Spring 2008)

Education
Mr. Fields received a J.D. from Boston University School of Law and holds a B.A.,cum laude, from Amherst College.