Deborah Simon-Abbott has been a certified family law mediator in Jacksonville for a year.
WHERE ELSE HAS SHE PRACTICED?
A licensed California attorney, Simon-Abbott’s legal career began in corporate law. After 10 years, she branched out on her own in the family law field for another decade. Her first stepping-stone was representing several members of the Jenkins family, which started the Publix grocery store chain.
“California went into a recession and the corporate work dried up. In times of recession there tend to be more divorces. I had some clients come to me and ask, ‘Could you mediate this divorce for me?’ From that came my entire practice.”
TINSLE TOWN
In addition to representing abused children as a child advocate, Simon-Abbott has handled some star-studded cases. Her brushes with fame include handling the personal assistant of Julia Roberts in her employment termination case. Currently, she is reading a script for Universal Studios to comment on whether it’s a realistic representation of divorce lawyers under the current law. “The entertainment industry is the largest industry in Southern California so a lot of my clients came from that industry.”
WHY GO INTO MEDIATION?
“I found it to be so much more helpful to people’s lives, more so than the adversarial role of a lawyer representing parties.”
GREW UP
Miami.
EDUCATION
University of Florida.
WHY GO INTO LAW?
“I always wanted to be a lawyer. I always thought lawyers knew the most about what was going on. They were always quoted as to why [something did or did not happen]. The law was everywhere. It seemed like an important thing to know.”
WHAT’S REWARDING ABOUT YOUR WORK?
“The true victims of divorce are the children who are trapped, potentially forever, between two people who no longer love each other. The Florida system of divorce is no-fault, meaning we no longer file based on infidelity or fault. Mediation can help people recognize that the responsibility for the end of a marriage lies somewhere in the middle and recognize they have a choice: they can be adversaries with their ex for the rest of their life or learn there is something to be gained from compromise. At mediation, people have the opportunity to make lawful agreements. It creates cooperation that empowers them in the future so the next time there is a disagreement, even though they don’t love each other anymore, they can still be respectful.”
WHAT’S MOST CHALLENGING?
“Meeting lawyers in the community and getting to know them and having them get to know me so they would feel comfortable coming to mediation with me.”
BEFORE SHE WAS AN ATTORNEY
Simon-Abbott worked as a clothing designer, antique dealer and legal secretary.
FAMILY
Husband Fred is also an attorney. They reside in Switzerland. Simon-Abbott has one daughter, Rebecca and three teenage stepchildren, Forrest, Megan and Mandy, who are all over 5-feet-10 inches tall.
FAVORITES
“When Bad Things Happen to Good People” tops her bookshelf and bb’s is her favorite restaurant. Her ideal morning would be boating down the St. John’s River on a calm, clear day.
WHO’S YOUR HERO?
“Amelia Earhart because she pursued what was her passion in the face of enormous discrimination without standing on a soapbox, and succeeded.”
— by Monica Chamness