Paul R. Smollar

PRACTICE AREAS:

• Domestic Relations Law;
• General Civil Litigation

ADMITTED:

• District of Columbia, 1969;
• Virginia, 1988;
• U.S. Court of Claims, 1979

EDUCATION:

• Northwestern University (J.D.), 1969;
• Columbia University (A.B.) 1966

COMMITMENT AS A COLLABORATIVE ATTORNEY

My goal is to support spouses in resolving their marital interests and differences civilly, respectfully, with integrity and compassion, and with commitment to the well-being, both emotionally and financially, of their children and their family. The Collaborative Process, I believe, offers the opportunity for a fundamental shift in the way spouses and their children will nurture, support and contribute to each other out into the future.

EXPERIENCE

Mr. Smollar has been practicing law for forty years. A significant portion of his practice is devoted to family law. He practices in both the District of Columbia and Virginia and is an active member of the District of Columbia Bar, the Fairfax County Bar, the Virginia Bar, the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association and the Family Law Sections of the District of Columbia Bar and the Virginia Bar. He has served as a member of the Virginia State Bar Legislative Committee and was the co-chair of the ADR-Case Evaluator of the Family Law Action Group. Mr. Smollar presently serves as an Alternative Dispute Facilitator for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) program.

Mr. Smollar is a trained Arbitrator, Mediator, and Collaborative Divorce practitioner. He currently has an active mediation, Collaborative divorce and litigation practice. Mr. Smollar lectures on family law matters for continuing legal education programs in D.C. and Virginia, including the following presentations: Divorce Taxation (D.C.), How to Trace and Make it Interesting (VA), Valuations of Closely-Held Businesses (VA) and Family Law Around the Beltway (D.C.). Mr. Smollar participated as a panelist on a local television program discussing the role and value of Separation and Property Settlement Agreements.

Mr Smollar has been a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers since 1990. During 1997 and 1998, he served as the President of the D.C. Chapter of the AAML.

Mr. Smollar has been recognized in the February 2009 issue of the Washingtonian as one of the top 25 divorce lawyers in the metropolitan D.C. area and in the annual publications of the Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers since 2008 as one of the top 100 lawyers in the metropolitan D.C. area and for 2 of those years as one of the top 10 lawyers in the metropolitan D.C. area. Mr. Smollar has also been named in the Best Lawyers in America publication for almost 10 years.

Mr. Smollar contributes his services to the legal community. He is a mentor for the D.C. Bar Advice and Referral Clinic and serves as a volunteer referral source for the Vienna Women\\\\\\\'s Center.