Compassionate Attorney. Divorce Mediator. Family Law Educator.
Joy S. Rosenthal, Esq. founded Rosenthal Law & Mediation in 2006 to serve New York City families via divorce mediation and collaborative law. She teaches family law at the City University of New York School of Law, and developed Landing On Your Feet – A Compassionate Lawyer’s Guide to Divorce, for people who are experiencing divorce.
Joy has been recognized as a 2022 Super Lawyer and is respected by her colleagues. The child support and maintenance calculator on this website, developed by Andrew Boehmke, is used widely by New York State family law attorneys and court personnel.
Before opening her own practice, Joy spent ten years representing children, youth and parents in New York City’s Family Courts through her work with the Legal Aid Society’s Juvenile Rights Practice on the trial and appellate levels. She has supervised law students throughout her career and spent a year as a fellow at NYU School of Law’s Family Defense Clinic. She has extensive experience doing second parent adoptions and doing Guardian Ad Litem work in the Surrogates’ Court. Joy spent 10 years as the Trustee of the William J. (Count) Basie Trust and has served as an Article 17A guardian. Joy has trained colleagues and students in diversity and inclusion as well as all aspects of family law.
Joy received her BA in Women’s Studies University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and obtained her law degree from the City University of New York School of Law. She also attended Smith College, New York University (NYU) and Harvard Divinity School. She is a past president of the Family & Divorce Mediation Council of Greater New York and served on its Board of Directors from 2007-2014.
Joy is a member of the following professional organizations:
- Family and Divorce Mediation Council of Greater New York
- International Academy of Collaborative Professionals
- New York State Council on Divorce Mediation
Joy’s vision is to live in a world where people know how to voice their feelings and perspectives, and to treat each other with dignity. Joy’s goals are to help people get through divorce peaceably and honorably and to inspire her students to do the same. Joy’s values are to honor the dignity and self-worth in each of her clients and her students.