FDS EMERITUS MEMBERS

We pay tribute to the members who have believed in and have helped Family Divorce Solutions' goal to restructure the family and transform the relationship through respectful, peaceful and confidential solutions.

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Jerry Cohen

Jerry has been licensed as a CPA for over 40 years, is a Chartered Financial Consultant and a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst™. He has completed advanced meditation and Collaborative Divorce training, advanced Family and Divorce Conflict Resolution training and has served on the faculty for the Los Angeles Collaborative Family Law Association’s Collaborative Law Interdisciplinary Training.

Jerry began his career as a divorce financial advisor a few years after his own experience of divorce. It was apparent to him that the traditional divorce process was inefficient, costly and did not address what he considered to be essential financial issues, such as income tax consequences, the long-term effect of alternative settlement options, and a more need-based approach.

He was a charter member and served on the board of the San Fernando Valley chapter of the International Association of Financial Planning, he served on the California Senate Rules Committee Task Force on Financial Planning, was Past President of the American Association of Personal Financial Planners, Past Chairman of the Los Angeles Chapter of the California Society of CPAs Personal Financial Planning Committee, served on the board for the Los Angeles Collaborative Family Law Association, the board of the California Divorce Planners Network, currently serves a delegate on the California statewide Collaborative Practice organization, served as a volunteer settlement officer for the family law division of the Los Angeles Superior Court, was the 2011 Chair for the Association of Divorce Financial Planners national conference and is currently a Director of the California chapter and serves on the national board of the Association of Divorce Financial Planners.

EDUCATION
CPA, ChFC, CDFA™

MEMBERSHIPS & HONORS
Jerry is a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, the Los Angeles Collaborative Family Law Association, the Collaborative Divorce Advisers of Southern California, the Coalition for Collaborative Divorce, the Association of Divorce Financial Planners, the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts, and a founding member of the Divorce Financial Mediation Group.

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Steven B. Garelick

I have had an ongoing commitment to the legal community for over 30 years, serving as a pro bono court mediator in downtown Los Angeles Central District for the Los Angeles Superior Court Family Law CPA Mediation Program and the Court’s VAST Program (Voluntary Attorney Settlement Team).  I have been a guest speaker for the Los Angeles County Bar Association Family Law Section, the Los Angeles Collaborative Family Law Association, and the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals.  On radio, I have been a panelist to discuss financial issues found in family law matters.

I have worked with family law attorneys, fellow mediators, and collaborators as a financial accountant for more than three decades.

As a financial neutral, I ask questions to promote discussion and develop practical solutions for settlement.  As a forensic accountant, I analyze personal and business tax returns and financial data and prepare financial schedules and summaries that convey information for:

  • Income available for support (analysis of business income)
  • Income and expense disclosure statements (assist with FL-150)
  • Assets and debts disclosure statements (assist with FL-142)
  • Business valuations (calculation of CP/SP ownership interest)
  • Moore/Marsden calculations (CP/SP ownership interest)
  • Stock options/units analysis (CP/SP division of property)
  • The marital standard of living (lifestyle analysis)
  • Tracing and/or reimbursements (source of SP funds from an inheritance and/or SP asset; use of SP funds for a down payment and/or pay CP expenses and/or expenses of the spouse)

Other financial matters include investigation accounting (alleged misappropriation of assets, employee dishonesty, and embezzlement calculations.

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Warren R. Sacks

Warren Sacks joined Family Divorce Solutions in 2011.  In 2015 he held the position of vice president and in 2016 he led FDS as president.  On multiple occasions he was the FDS Treasurer as well.  He was an active and integral member of our organization.  He was an active participant in every aspect of our group.  He was a true leader.

Warren believed in friendly and personal attention to his clients. His goal was to prepare fair and unbiased reports to provide his clients with options to reach the best solution for their family as easily and effectively as possible.  Warren always worked closely with all team members and provided the tools necessary for the clients to proceed through the process by utilizing his hands-on approach.

He was also a member of A Better Divorce and Los Angeles Westside Collaborative Divorce Professionals.

He attended his collaborative training in 2004 and had since attended numerous additional basic and advanced collaborative trainings.  Warren was the president of Los Angeles Collaborative Family Law Association in 2013 and has been on the board since 2005. He was a board member of Collaborative Practice California from 2008 through 2013.  He was the treasurer of collaborative practice California in 2014.  Warren was a permanent presence at the LACFLA collaborative basic training since 2010, as well as a seminal presenter at the CPCAL annual collaborative conferences.

As a partner with the accounting and consulting firm of White, Zuckerman, Warsavsky, Luna and Hunt, LLP.  He was a certified public accountant in financial forensics with over 35 years’ experience in the preparation of business valuations, perquisite analysis, standard of living reports, community property balance sheets, reports on gross cash flow available for support, needs analysis, tracing, and the analysis of financial statements and tax returns.

Warren received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting Theory and Practice from California State University, Northridge. He was a member in good standing at the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and California Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Warren was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by CPCal in 2022.

Fred Glassman

Fred Glassman

George Bryant, III

George Bryant II was a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 13 years experience working with families and couples in distress.    As a divorce coach, he specialized in helping high-conflict couples to resolve their differences.  George graduated from Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama, with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and later earned his Master of Social Work degree from Andrews University in Berrien Springs Michigan.

George demonstrated a commitment to making a difference in the lives of families of diverse backgrounds.  His work history has afforded him the opportunity to work with severely emotionally disturbed children and their estranged parents; welfare-dependent families transitioning into the workforce; alcohol and substance abusers learning to live a lifestyle of sobriety; victims of violence overcoming their trauma, etc.  He applied his craft in the settings of level-12 group homes, elementary, high school and college campuses; and community mental health centers within South Central Los Angeles.

Since 2003, George extended his counseling services to the greater Los Angeles area via his private practice in Pasadena CA.  He specialized in marriage counseling, separation and divorce, mood disorders, and divorce mediation.  His primary modalities of treatment were Solution Focused, Cognitive Behavioral, and Family Systems.

George also took great pride in using his experience to supervise Marriage and Family Therapy students for the San Gabriel Valley Unified School District.  He viewed his clinical supervision work as a broader means of instituting social change on a macro level.

George was a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, the Los Angeles Family Law Association, and the National Association of Social Workers.  George completed the 40-hour Mediation Certification in 2007 with the Inland Valley Justice Center.  He had also completed the three-day Basic Collaborative Law training by LACFLA, and the three-day Mediation Skills & Strategies in Collaborative & Unbundled Practices by Forrest Mosten.

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Diane M. Goodman, Ph.D.

After over 20 years as a litigator, Ms. Goodman realized that mediation is a better way for people to solve disputes. In 2004, she decided to change the nature of her practice from litigation to mediation and collaborative law. As a part of making this change, she attended classes on mediation with the Strauss institute at Pepperdine College of Law, with the Southern California Mediation Association, and the Los Angeles County Bar Association. In 2007, she attended training for collaborative lawyers through the Los Angeles Collaborative Family Law Association, of which she is a member.

As a part of this transformation, she also went back to school and obtained a MA in Depth Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute in 2014. She is currently a PhD Candidate working on her dissertation.

Ms. Goodman’s practice focuses on family law, including mediation, collaborative dissolution, paternity, adoption and guardianship matters. Ms. Goodman has handled many complex parentage issues including acting as co-counsel in a California Supreme Court decision regarding the rights of lesbian parents. Ms. Goodman is the author of the parentage chapter in CEB’s Practice Under the CA Family Code.

Ms. Goodman was appointed as a member of the California State Bar Family Law Executive Committee from 2010 to 2013. She is the Past Chair of the Adoption Committee of the California State Bar Family Law Section Executive Committee. Ms. Goodman is the Past President of the Academy of California Adoption Lawyers and its subsidiary, the Academy of California Family Formation Lawyers. She served as a commissioner on the Los Angeles City Commission on the Status of Women from 1980 – 1990. Ms. Goodman is also a member of the Southern California Mediation Association, Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, the Los Angeles County Bar Association and San Fernando Valley Bar Association.

Ms. Goodman has lectured at the Southwestern Law School, UCLA, Whittier Law School, Los Angeles County Bar Association, California State Bar annual conferences, Association of Family Conciliation Courts and California Psychological Association Conferences.  She was also a featured speaker at the Hawaii Bar Association annual conference. Ms. Goodman has been a guest on many news programs including the CNN programs, Larry King and Anderson Cooper 360 discussing family law, parentage and adoption issues.

Ms. Goodman has been selected as a Southern California Super Lawyer from 2009-2016. In 2011, she received the Los Angeles Superior Court Alternative Dispute Resolution Program Outstanding Volunteer-Family law award and the Irwin and Agnes Herman Humanitarian Award from Congregation Beth Chayim Chadashim. In 2004, she received the Difference Maker Award from the American Bar Association- General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Section. In 1997, she received the Community Service Award from the Valley Business Alliance. She has an AV® rating by Martindale-Hubbell.

Diane M. Goodman attended University of La Verne Law School in the San Fernando Valley, graduating with a Juris Doctorate in May, 1984. She was admitted to the California State Bar in  1984.

In 2023, Ms. Goodman was appointed as a Judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

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Nancy Satenberg, Ph.D.

For almost 25 years, Dr. Nancy Satenberg worked for Family Court Services in the Los Angeles County Superior Court providing child custody mediation for parents going through a divorce or separation. During her time with the Court, Nancy did training for new hires, worked on the domestic violence task force and helped to plan Divorce Seminars. Dr. Satenberg was instrumental in bringing the Parents and Children Together (PACT) program to the San Fernando Valley which she co-facilitated from 1993 to 2008.

She retired from the Court in 2008 to go into private practice where she works exclusively with parents and children of separating and divorcing families. She has presented at conferences, Bar meetings and attorneys’ study groups on the subject of mediation and divorce.

Dr. Satenberg received a Masters in Social Work from the University of Southern California and her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the California Graduate Institute. She has California State licenses in Clinical Social Work and Marriage, Family and Child Counseling. In 2010, Nancy underwent training in the practice and philosophy of Collaborative Law. She immediately recognized the unique opportunities that this particular process gave to families in crisis and identified how compatible it was with her own professional experience and philosophy. Dr. Satenberg has long espoused the idea of taking all the necessary steps to keep families out of the court system and to help parents make their own decisions in this process. She believes that the practice of Collaborative Law provides families with the perfect alternative to traditional litigation. Nancy is a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, Los Angeles Collaborative Family Law Association and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts.

Nancy’s goal is to assist families in the process of healing. She strives to provide education, guidance and support with an understanding of emotions and concerns. As a mediator, parenting and divorce coach, reunification counselor and co-parenting facilitator, Dr. Satenberg offers compassionate advice and creative solutions to the common problems of divorce and separation.

In 2023, Nancy retired.  We wish her all the best and are grateful she was a member of FDS!