Amy Shimalla

Attorney Amy Zylman Shimalla has been practicing law since 1986. She practices exclusively in the area of family law. She is certified by the New Jersey Supreme Court as a matrimonial attorney and is an accredited divorce and family mediator and trained arbitrator. She is also a collaboratively trained practitioner. Ms. Shimalla lectures and presents at the New Jersey State Bar Association as well as the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education.

Seton Hall University School of Law, Newark, New Jersey
Juris Doctor – May, 1986
Rutgers University, University College
B.S. with Highest Honors – 1980
Rutgers University – Divorce Mediation Course – 1994
Jersey Shore Collaborative Law Group
Collaborative Law Training – 2008
American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Chicago, Illinois
Arbitration Training, 2013
Mediation Training in Domestic Violence Cases, 2015

New Jersey, 1986
U.S. District Court District of New Jersey, 1986
U.S. Supreme Court, 1996

Certified Matrimonial Law Attorney, Supreme Court of New Jersey

Advanced Matrimonial Mediation Mediation Workshop, New Jersey State Bar Association Webcast, December 8, 2022.
Family Law Summer Institute 2022, New Jersey State Bar Association, July 26-27, 2022.
“Putting Lawyers First”, New Jersey State Bar Association Annual Meeting, May 18, 2022.
Advanced Matrimonial Mediation Workshop, New Jersey State Bar Association, May 4, 2022.
Domestic Violence 2022: Emerging Issues in Handling Domestic Violence Cases, New Jersey State Bar Association, April 27, 2022.
Family Law Summer Institute, New Jersey State Bar Association, July 27-28, 2021.
Faculty, 40 Hour Mediation Training, Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE), 2010 – 2020
Trending Custody Panel, NJ Bar Association Annual Meeting, May 2019
Alimony panel, NJ State Bar Association Annual Meeting, May 2016
Speaker, Getting to Yes in Divorce: Using and Understanding ADR in Family Law Cases, NJICLE, 2015, 2016
Speaker, Professionalism in Family Law – Steering Your Client in the Right Direction, SCBA, 2015
Speaker, How to Be a Better Advocate for Your Client in an ADR Process, SCBA, 2015
Speaker, Privileges, Confidences and Their Ethical Implications in Family Law Litigation, NJICLE, 2015
Panelist, Hot Tips for Handling Domestic Violence Matters, SCBA, 2015
Economic Mediation with Domestic Violence Final Restraining Orders, NJICLE, 2015
Speaker, Alternative Dispute Resolution in Family Law, 2015, Rutgers School of Law (Newark)
Speaker, Vicinage XIII Family Law Bench Bar Conference, 2015, SCBA
Speaker, Domestic Violence Seminar , NJSBA Midyear Meeting, 2015
Faculty, Family Law Summer Institute, 2010 – Present
Speaker, Family Law Symposium – 2006, 2015, 2018, 2020,
Speaker, Collaborative Divorce, Rutgers School of Law (Newark), 2011 – 2015
Faculty, Collaborative Divorce Law Training, NJ ICLE, 2011-2015
Speaker, Hot Tips Seminar , ICLE, 2007-present
Speaker, Alimony: Termination & Modification, NJAJ, 2014
Equitable Distribution Panel, NJ State Bar Association Annual Meeting, May 15, 2014
Speaker, NJ Collaborative Law Act, NJSBA, 2014
Faculty, Advanced Mediation Training, ICLE, 2012 – present
Parent Coordination Workshop, ICLE, 2013
Bench Bar Panel, 2013 NJSBA Annual Meeting
Speaker, The Workings of the Ethics Committee, Somerset County Bar Association – October, 2012
Speaker, Joint Custody – A Fiction, NJAJ, 2012
Alimony Panel, NJ State Bar Association Annual Meeting – May, 2012
Custody Panel – Boardwalk Seminars, NJAJ – April, 2012
Speaker, How to Settle a Case, Family Law Retreat – 2012
Speaker, Beyond the Best Interests Evaluation, SCBA, 2011
Collaborative Law Seminar, ICLE, 2010
Speaker, Divorce in Tough Economic Times, SCBA, 2010
Speaker, Collaborative Divorce and Arbitration in Family Law Matters, SCBA, 2010
Speaker, Hot Tips, Family Law Retreat, 2009
Judicial College Bar Representative to Teach Recent Developments in Case Law, 2007

Co-Author, New Jersey Family Law ADR Handbook, NJICLE, 2015
“The Passage of the New Jersey Family Collaborative Law Act and the Impact on Collaborative Practice,” New Jersey Family Lawyer, November, 2015
“Collaborative Divorce: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions,” New Jersey Family Lawyer, Vol. 35, No. 1, September, 2014
“Collaborative Divorce Explained,” New Jersey Family Lawyer, Vol. 31 February, 2011
“The Do’s and Don’ts of Mediation and Arbitration,” Co-Author with Amy Wechsler, Esq., New Jersey Family Lawyer, Vol. 27 No. 2 October, 2006

Professor James B. Boskey ADR Practitioner of the Year Award 2015 – 2016
Chosen as Top 100 Lawyers in NJ by NJ Monthly Magazine, 2016, 2019, 2022
Chosen as Top 50 Women Lawyers in NJ by NJ Monthly Magazine, 2008 – 2019, 2020, 2022
Best Lawyers of America for Arbitration, Family Law, Family Law Mediation, Mediation, 2005 – 2022
Ranked in Super Lawyers by NJ Monthly Magazine, 2005 – 2022
Ranked in Super Lawyers, 2005- 2022
Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Rating, 2022
Somerset County Women of Distinction Award, 2001
New Jersey Commission on Professionalism Lawyer of the Year Award for Somerset County, 2000

The Super Lawyers List is issued by Thompson Reuters. A description of the selection methodology can be found here.  A description of the selection methodology for Best Lawyers® Lawyer of The Year list can be found here.  has earned the Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent® status. A description of the selection methodology can be found here. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.