https://www.sorensenpc.com/testimonials-1 daily 0.75 2021-03-03 https://www.sorensenpc.com/testimonials-1/testimonial-3 monthly 0.5 2021-03-03 https://www.sorensenpc.com/testimonials-1/testimonial-1 monthly 0.5 2021-03-15 https://www.sorensenpc.com/testimonials-1/testimonial-2 monthly 0.5 2021-03-15 https://www.sorensenpc.com/post daily 0.75 2021-03-09 https://www.sorensenpc.com/post/themaritalhome monthly 0.5 2021-03-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1616039034833-TNMJ1BQ4SWKNCYZ6V5Z7/IMG_7303.JPG Blog - The Marital Home https://www.sorensenpc.com/post/parentingplans monthly 0.5 2021-03-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1616037747619-MOMZM0IYU7INJJ7KAN4N/IMG_9231.jpg Blog - Parenting Plans https://www.sorensenpc.com/post/tellingyourchildren monthly 0.5 2021-03-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1616031186279-UUE9Y0GATKYCIK92D1UA/D940F304-2B87-48FB-9156-C09376698EFA.JPG Blog - Telling Your Children https://www.sorensenpc.com/post/how-long-will-it-take monthly 0.5 2021-03-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1616028826199-KDQO4QUXS13SIA9PZQ6V/A5F001A1-EE7E-42AD-9E66-2ADF1D5C84E6.JPG Blog - How Long Will it Take? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1616028932572-XIZLYN91ZE9XD9ACSCZ5/IMG_3792.JPG Blog - How Long Will it Take? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1616028951910-HWQ7LPN5VM71ZM9C2E2M/IMG_7074.JPG Blog - How Long Will it Take? https://www.sorensenpc.com/post/reflect-speak-listen-repeat monthly 0.5 2021-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1616029751268-A70DNYQNT6IW28IV5ATE/IMG_5341.JPG Blog - Reflect Speak Listen Repeat https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1615466738817-TM2F3MAHLMWAPF7ZMQLZ/16blog_banner.jpg Blog - Reflect Speak Listen Repeat https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1616029832395-5EO0QGFL87TMPI6J5GAW/731B4A4A-05CB-4CE6-B5B6-AA165C0C2558.JPG Blog - Reflect Speak Listen Repeat https://www.sorensenpc.com/post/the-path-to-resolution monthly 0.5 2021-03-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1616030127556-HRGCGDF62NTOVSEJWXF2/tempImageA94BVg.gif Blog - The Path to Resolution https://www.sorensenpc.com/new-gallery daily 0.75 2021-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1612967685662-OCAXTI020YU5KH8DI1S4/2.4.JPEG New Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1612967685662-OCAXTI020YU5KH8DI1S4/2.4.JPEG New Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1612967673533-KOVGGCWP4V0K4GAQIQNK/2.2.jpg New Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1612967673133-V1TEO460LUZ7VZ6WNKKX/2.1.JPG New Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1612967681633-W1VF6BHWFQH803VKUB4I/2.3.JPG New Gallery https://www.sorensenpc.com/about daily 0.75 2021-03-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1613062094823-V17ZM8OYTEDXZIHZBUT8/2.1.JPG About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1613062089789-HEX0C6L9K4HG661JYE4X/2.2.jpg About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1613062098392-9ER6E2DZFZE9YAG84MC0/2.3.JPG About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1613062107319-MN1PJMKVY96D7LYAR1GP/2.4.JPEG About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1614784019379-U2BDK99B04ML81PMG66D/IMG_8058.jpg About - CHRIS SORENSEN p.c. I was born in New York City and raised in Riverdale, Bronx and Westchester County. I graduated from Tufts University with a B.A., summa cum laude in international relations (1985) and then obtained my J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School (1989). I then spent five years as a transactional lawyer at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton (NYC). Although work at the firm was rewarding in many respects, and provided excellent legal training, I felt that something was missing for me professionally. I followed my heart and left the firm to pursue a masters’ in social work at New York University (1997), followed by four years of post-graduate training as a relational psychoanalyst at the National Institute for the Psychotherapies (NIP). During this time, I discovered mediation and was thrilled (and still am) that I could combine my head and heart, as a lawyer and a therapist, to navigate people through very challenging and painful circumstances with integrity and hope. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1613049204298-7I3Y6MMXHTLIGUR5JK8G/20.jpg About - professional journey For many years, I sat on the Boards of the Family and Divorce Council of Greater New York, where I was President from 2007-2009, and the New York State Council on Divorce Mediation. I’m an accredited member of both organizations, as well as a Founding Member of the Association of Professional Family Mediators. I now devote myself full time to the practice of mediation and collaborative law. I am licensed to practice law and clinical social work in New York State. I am also a Certified Divorce Financial Planner. I have also been active in social justice and other non-profit organizations including the Equal Justice Initiative and City Harvest, and sit on the Board of a family philanthropic foundation. I live with my family on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and my office is in the neighborhood as well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1613048701911-TBULJF0GCOE3OKJ5RSAC/blue.jpg About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1615290816136-VVJ7GKFCL2PJX9BPEYX7/Banner+about+copia.jpg About https://www.sorensenpc.com/home daily 1.0 2021-03-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1614784539940-2C2YRTSBT0TPMMV7CG3T/IMG_7757.jpg Home - Chris Sorensen p.c. Hi and thanks for visiting my website. I’m a native New Yorker who brings over thirty years’ experience as a lawyer, social worker and psychoanalyst to my mediation and collaborative law practice on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. I am Past President of the Board of Directors of the Family and Divorce Mediation Council of Greater New York, and a graduate of Tufts University, New York University’s School of Social Work and Harvard Law School. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1612965854867-2WATKOG7P6YUNN02I2GC/13.jpg Home - Consulting Attorney I am here to provide one-on-one legal advice and strategic support to help you mediate more effectively. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1614695833168-4RVEMV3QPI5WJEA0K0RR/IMG_1620.jpg Home - Collaborative Law I am your advisor and advocate within a non-adversarial process committed to helping you and your spouse or partner resolve all matters without court. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1612369909049-V9HS7RVX03F6TFB1DUDF/5.jpg Home - Mediation I am your neutral navigator, demystifying the process and substance of divorce in an educational and emotionally supportive environment. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1612369664370-I9WY0AXZ3D0OOW5M1W61/blue.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1612965001444-6F9ASY7AYMKMDDK3FE6V/IMG_1930.JPG Home https://www.sorensenpc.com/mediation daily 0.75 2021-03-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1614090337710-EVKIAK0A2VDOEJHGTDZ1/6.jpg Mediation Meanwhile, I will strive at all times to be attuned to your feelings, not for the therapeutic goal of self-actualization (although that’s always a good thing!) but for the mediation goal of reaching fair, thoughtful resolution. You may feel a wide range of emotions during a mediation, in varying degrees, sometimes very intensely. I don’t brush these feelings under the rug, I see them as an opportunity. Often when people simply feel heard, and understood, barriers to reaching agreement dissolve. An impasse – where two people may be rigidly locked into seemingly irreconcilable positions – is not the end of a conversation, it’s the beginning of a calm and empathic inquiry, out of which ideas eventually emerge. Sometimes we have to sit in the darkness for a while before light can emerge and with it, hope. As a photographer, sometimes I only notice something I captured in the frame hours after I take the shot. The point is that emotions don’t have to be an impediment to agreement – sometimes they are the very path to reaching agreement. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1614779041233-AHWAXIBIQRN8Y7UTLZVQ/IMG_4999.jpg Mediation - THE PROCESS I will be your neutral navigator, in a structured but informal environment, through the process of separation/divorce.I’ll want to understand each of your goals and concerns -- what’s at stake for you -- and you’ll both commit to a transparent, full sharing of relevant information with each other. My goal is to empower you by demystifying the issues – I’ll answer your questions as clearly as possible, provide you with general legal information, share what people in similar circumstances have done, let you know your options, and facilitate your discussion of solutions. Sometimes we bring in other professionals– consulting attorneys, divorce financial professionals, valuators, retirement experts, child specialists – to ensure that each of you has the right amount of support and information that you need to make good decisions. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1614090043114-ZBV12R0O9XYPQD92MI0E/blue.jpg Mediation https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1615290741118-FTBMPHAHPZ4ZT690TEXI/Banner+Mediation+copia.jpg Mediation https://www.sorensenpc.com/collaborative-law daily 0.75 2021-03-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1614779180215-5O8D64LV46GANDNBSJZ1/IMG_1620.jpg Collaborative law - THE PROCESS The collaborative law process is driven by the four-way meeting, where there is no mediator but rather two clients and their respective collaborative lawyers. Sometimes other professionals such as child specialists or financial advisors will also participate in these meetings. There are also one-on-one meetings between each lawyer and his or her client, and meetings between the lawyers. As in mediation, issues are discussed in a low-conflict, supportive, problem-solving environment. Adversarial posturing, threats of litigation, and litigation itself are all off the table, so the clients and attorneys can spend all their time and energy focusing on the real issues. Both collaborative lawyers must withdraw if a resolution isn’t possible. This presents a risk, as the clients would need to start over with new litigating attorneys; but more importantly, the no-litigation pledge is the glue that keeps everyone highly invested in reaching a civilized out-of-court agreement that reflects the needs and interests of all family members. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1614158641089-538AFKF3Y0TBXHFTFDWB/10.jpg Collaborative law - ABOUT About 25 years ago a group of mediators realized that not all clients could successfully resolve their issues in mediation, and the only alternative at the time was to send them into the adversarial legal system. Usually the mediation ended because there was a power imbalance, or a perception of a power imbalance, between the two participants; or one or both people didn’t feel that they could speak up in mediation and advocate for themselves; or perhaps one or both people felt overwhelmed and disorganized by the financial discussions. Put simply, they needed more support than what the neutral mediator could provide, but didn’t want to go to court. Collaborative law filled this void. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1614158366930-QD230ROMOYDP5VTKTBYO/15.jpg Collaborative law https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1614090043114-ZBV12R0O9XYPQD92MI0E/blue.jpg Collaborative law https://www.sorensenpc.com/consulting-attorney daily 0.75 2021-03-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1615808191597-HVNE6Q91D6XQF2MRFIDJ/IMG_2442.jpg Consulting Attorney - THE PROCESS Sometimes I meet with a client once, at the outset of a mediation or at a critical juncture, to provide an overview of the law, strategic advice, and answer specific questions. I may not see that person again until the mediator has drafted the Settlement Agreement and I am asked to review and comment on it. Other people need much more support during their mediation process. In that case, I work on a retainer and can be available on an as-needed basis for in-person or Zoom meetings, telephone calls and email correspondence. Again, you decide how much you wish me to be involved. This limited representation is a great way to use a lawyer efficiently and keep control over legal fees. Mediation remains the primary process, and you call on me to the extent that YOU deem necessary https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1614090043114-ZBV12R0O9XYPQD92MI0E/blue.jpg Consulting Attorney https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1615808383396-8KNLAB9P1BQCWJOVU6NX/banner+new+copia.jpg Consulting Attorney https://www.sorensenpc.com/our-services daily 0.75 2021-03-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1614695833168-4RVEMV3QPI5WJEA0K0RR/IMG_1620.jpg Our Services - Collaborative Law I am your advisor and advocate within a non-adversarial process committed to helping you and your spouse or partner resolve all matters without court. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1612965854867-2WATKOG7P6YUNN02I2GC/13.jpg Our Services - Consulting Attorney I am here to provide one-on-one legal advice and strategic support to help you mediate more effectively. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1612369909049-V9HS7RVX03F6TFB1DUDF/5.jpg Our Services - Mediation I am your neutral navigator, demystifying the process and substance of divorce in an educational and emotionally supportive environment. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1614089971033-NLXBB7M9KXHTHW0W1J60/14.jpg Our Services https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1614090043114-ZBV12R0O9XYPQD92MI0E/blue.jpg Our Services https://www.sorensenpc.com/contact daily 0.75 2025-07-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1615290680800-1SD7MBAJDL4LMM5BCYHJ/banner+contact.jpg Contact https://www.sorensenpc.com/blog daily 0.75 2021-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/601948b163f068434d5e27e3/1613576686429-K3RTBJVUOE8GT66LW0UU/16.jpg Blog https://www.sorensenpc.com/disclaimer daily 0.75 2021-03-02