The Other Side
For nearly 30 years, attorney Jennifer Courtney has been skillfully navigating clients through the tempestuous waters of divorce, child custody and other complex family-law matters.
Jennifer Courtney knows.
When a client going through a divorce first speaks with her, expressing their fears and concerns, Courtney listens, reassures and immediately starts to develop a plan. When a new client discloses their crippling degree of worry regarding child custody issues, Courtney tells them she understands completely. When a client asks if she can help them, Courtney nods confidently.
After all, Courtney has been running her boutique family law practice in Bucks County for nearly 30 years.
Total Commitment
For nearly three decades, Courtney has been blending her impressive legal skills with an understanding of the challenges and emotional tolls of a protracted divorce and/or custody battle to navigate her clients through these turbulent waters. She has built a reputable practice that combines compassionate client care with skilled and aggressive legal advocacy. With every client, she crafts a custom “game plan” of a personalized legal roadmap that focuses on the client’s unique circumstances and specific goals.
“Every case is different,” Courtney says. “Contrary to popular opinion, there is no form book or cookie-cutter solution to divorce cases. I listen to the client, understand their wants and needs, and use my experience to devise the best strategy to achieve that client’s goals. I am totally committed to my clients and my clients know and feel that."
At The Law Offices of Jennifer Courtney, Courtney is committed to providing each client with superior legal counsel designed to help them realize the most favorable outcome possible. Having litigated thousands of Pennsylvania divorce actions, Courtney has built a thriving Bucks County family-law practice with a reputation for superior legal knowledge, skill and ability. She is known to be proactive, pragmatic, direct and ethical. Courtney is a top-rated attorney, having earned each year for more than a decade a BV Distinguished Peer Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, a nationally regarded lawyers rating service, which notes an excellent level of achievement in terms of legal ability and ethical standards. She has also been perennially recognized as a top attorney by many local publications, including Suburban Life.
With the addition of fellow attorney Marianne McGinty, the firm has a combined 40 years of experience in family law. McGinty is native to Bucks County and attended Neshaminy High School, Rider University, and Widener University School of Law. She joined the firm in May 2022, and Courtney describes her as “a perfect fit and ideal addition” to the firm’s ever-growing family law practice.
An active member of the Bucks County Bar Association, the Philadelphia Bar Association, and the Pennsylvania Bar Association, McGinty has devoted more than a decade of her career exclusively to Pennsylvania family law issues. She has helped countless people navigate the complexities of divorce, custody, and support. She has a passion and dedication to helping clients confront the legal issues and challenges brought about by separation and divorce, with advocacy, skill, and compassion.
Strong Advocacy, Sound Advice
When asked what makes her different, she admits it is hard to articulate.
“A person is fortunate to have an attorney with proficient legal skill and knowledge, but that alone isn’t enough,” she explains. “I believe I am an excellent navigator for people going through a divorce. I personally guide and manage every case to resolution, proactively, be it via settlement or litigation. I do not take a position strictly because a client wants me to. I believe I provide advocacy in the truest sense. I will consider the desired result and then take the best approach to achieve that result. And I have 29 years of experience of handling Bucks County divorces to rely upon.”
Courtney earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware, and her law degree from Widener University Law School. She is an active member of the Pennsylvania and Bucks County bar associations and their family-law divisions.
Even though Courtney has enjoyed a long and successful career in family law, she arrived at her destination in this area of the law almost by happenstance.
“When I got my first job as an attorney, nobody wanted to handle the family-law cases, so they were assigned to me and I just kind of fell into it,” Courtney says. “It happened by accident. But I immediately knew I had found my calling, and found I was good at it too.
“Like many people, I picked a profession so I could help people,” she continues. “Somewhere along the way, helping people often gives way to making a living or building a career. Fortunately, as the founder and owner of my own law firm, I have been able to stay true to the core values that drove me to be an attorney, and I continue to help people day after day. I truly feel privileged to get to help people in crisis and provide a much-needed service. No one plans on needing a divorce attorney. But when you do, you need a strong advocate and an attorney who provides sound advice.”
Courtney provides what she has coined as a “holistic” approach to divorce.
“I care about my clients’ entire well-being,” she says, “from their legal and financial issues, to their custody issues to their emotional well-being so they regain peace of mind and spirit when the divorce is over. I am good at communicating with people, be it with clients, other attorneys or before the Court.”
She has found that communication is just one tool in the toolbox, so to speak. She has a hands-on approach and is adept at solving problems and working diligently to protect her clients’ interests. She also made a point of always being available to clients. Having gone through a divorce herself, she knows how important it is to respond promptly and how valuable a few reassuring words can be.
“During times of crisis, like divorce, people might not be thinking rationally,” she adds. “I listen to them and navigate them through it, and it’s something I do very well. I have always been a problem solver. You really need superior problem-solving skills to do this job successfully.”
Life Goes On
When people are going through divorce or a custody battle, it’s imperative to secure the services of a family-law attorney who competently and compassionately guides them through the maze of legal issues that can accompany such a painful situation. Being represented by a lawyer with superior listening, communication and problem-solving skills may be the difference between a good outcome and a bad one.
“The best lawyers need to be problem solvers to get a desired result,” Courtney says. “Some lawyers are good arguers, but the best attorneys don’t just argue or take a position. They listen, hearing exactly what their clients want, communicate and devise and articulate solutions with a roadmap to get that result. Former clients continue to refer friends, relatives and colleagues day after day, year after year. I believe it is a testament to my approach.
“I see people in their times of need,” she adds. “They’re looking for someone to help them through what may be the worst time of their life. I chart a course for each and every client that walks through my office doors. I have crossed paths with thousands of people over the years and helped them navigate from one chapter to the next. It is very rewarding. Truthfully, it’s what I find to be the most rewarding thing about this profession.”
Jennifer Courtney, Esquire
The Law Offices of Jennifer Courtney P.C.
301 Oxford Valley Road, Suite 1902A
Yardley, PA 19067
(215) 493-3360
Photography by Jody Robinson
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life, April 2023.
