Judge Jane Gallina-Mecca is the Presiding Judge of the Family Division in Bergen County. She was appointed to the bench in 2015 and assigned to the Family Division, where she has continuously served as the lead judge to the Children and Court (abuse and neglect) docket. She also handles the FM Docket in pre- and post-dissolution matters, as well as all conflict cases.

Judge Gallina-Mecca is a member of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and is President-elect to the Executive Board of the New Jersey Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. She is a member of the Children in Court Improvement Committee and the chair of the Children in Court Race Equity Leadership Team for the northern region. As Lead CIC Judge in Bergen Vicinage, she chairs the Bergen County Children in Court Advisory Committee as well as the Race Equity, Guardianship Backlog, 3+ Placements, and Mental Health Services Subcommittees. She is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association, the Bergen County Bar Association, and the Women Lawyers in Bergen County.

Judge Gallina-Mecca is a graduate of Montclair State University and Seton Hall Law School. Upon graduation from law school, she served as the law clerk to the late Honorable Isabel Stark. Prior to her appointment to the bench, she was a partner at the law firm of Fogarty and Hara, where she specialized in education law.

Appointed as a Superior Court Judge in Bergen County in 2002, Judge Carroll initially presided
over domestic violence, divorce, and child support matters in the Family Division. Later, he
served as Presiding Judge of the Criminal Division, and then General Equity Judge in the
Chancery Division. During his last five years on the bench, Judge Carroll was assigned to the
Appellate Division, where he reviewed hundreds of decisions by lower courts and administrative
bodies and authored numerous published opinions.

Prior to his appointment to the Superior Court bench, Judge Carroll maintained an active general
practice in the areas of residential and commercial real estate, commercial transactions, wills and
estates, family law, personal injury and commercial litigation, and land use and development.
Judge Carroll earned his J.D. from Fordham University Law School (cum laude) and his B.A.
degree from Fordham University (summa cum laude). He presently serves as counsel to the law
firm of Meyerson, Fox & Conte, P.A.

Adam J. Berner, Esq., M.A., is the founder of the Berner Law & Mediation Group, a boutique firm specializing in Mediation and Collaborative Divorce based in the Metropolitan New York and New Jersey area. The firm offers a unique focus on family law and alternative processes for resolving disputes. Adam's practice of mediation and collaborative law is based on the principles of facilitating understanding, enabling parties to work out their agreements according to their family values, priorities, and schedules while being informed of the law.

Adam is a past president of the Family and Divorce Mediation Council of Greater New York, where he chaired the Continuing Education Committee and sat on the Board of Directors for 7 years. He served as the Matrimonial Committee liaison on the ADR Committee of the New York Bar Association. He has been on the Training Committee while serving as an Advanced Practitioner Member for the Association of Conflict Resolution. For over 20 years, Adam has been an Accredited Practitioner Member of the New York State Council on Divorce Mediation and the New Jersey Association of Professional Mediators.

Adam has an active Collaborative Law Practice and has played a leading role in bringing Collaborative Practice to New York and New Jersey. He is a founding member of the New York Association of Collaborative Professionals and has served as the co-chair of its Continuing Education Committee and Curriculum Committee, commissioned to establish best practices of Collaborative Training. Adam was the Founding President of the North Jersey Collaborative Law Group from 2005-2011, based in Bergen County, New Jersey and a founding member of the New Jersey Council of Collaborative Practice Groups.

In addition to his private practice of over 25 years, Adam is an Adjunct Professor at Cardozo Law School where, for over two decades, he has taught Divorce Mediation and Collaborative Law. Adam is an experienced trainer in mediation and A.D.R., having trained attorneys, court personnel, law students, and other professionals throughout the New York City area. He is also certified by the New York State Office of Court Administration to provide basic and family mediation training.

Adam has founded his practice on the belief that preserving relationships while resolving conflicts is a prioritized goal. Adam understands that divorce is not the end of a relationship, as couples often have many years of co-parenting together. Divorce is a restructuring and reorganization of the family, and he is mindful of the relationships both during the divorce process as well as for the many years to come. It is the goal of Berner Law & Mediation Group to facilitate this transition in the best way possible.

Of greatest importance, as a husband and father of 4, Adam realizes that our conflict resolution skills remain a work in progress and practices his skills at home on a daily basis.

Carleen Gaskin, CPA, CFF, ABV, Has over 20 years of experience in public accounting in industries including Retail, Distribution, Professional and Legal Services, Medical Services, Dental Services,
Real Estate Management, Contractors, Construction, Printing, and Apparel.
▪ Provides forensic accounting and business valuation services to Federal and New Jersey courts, attorneys, corporations and individuals in civil and family court matters.

William J. Heimbuch, Esq., has been practicing family law for 40 years, primarily in the area of divorce and related issues. In addition to having significant experience trying cases to conclusion, his matters today are resolved primarily via mediation and arbitration. He has also served as a mediator and is a long-time Early Settlement Panel member. He is active in bar association activities, including serving as a co-chair of the Bergen County Bar Association Family Law Committee. He has been appointed to the District Ethics Committee and District Fee Arbitration Committee.

Ira C. Kaplan, Esq. maintains a general practice in Hackensack, New Jersey concentrated in all aspects of family law, guardianships, domestic violence, elder law, probate, estate planning, and litigation. Mr. Kaplan often serves as court-appointed Parenting Coordinator and Guardian ad litem in family court matters and counsel and Guardian ad litem to minors and alleged incapacitated individuals in guardianship and family court matters in the Superior Courts of Bergen, Essex, and Hudson County. Since 1998 Mr. Kaplan has provided pro bono counsel to clients of Alternatives to Domestic Violence (ADV), having represented over 150 pro bono litigants. Mr. Kaplan was recently honored by the Judiciary for his commitment to providing pro bono services. Since 1997 Mr. Kaplan has served as Chair and Panelist for the Bergen County Matrimonial Early Settlement Panel. Mr. Kaplan served on the District Il-B Ethics Committee, and District 11-B Fee Arbitration Committee, as Chair and Panelist. Since 2015 Mr. Kaplan has served as Trustee of the Bergen County Bar Association. Mr. Kaplan was Certified as a Family Law Mediator in 2002. Mr. Kaplan received his Collaborative Law Training and Certification in 2019. He has lectured on child support and enforcement, domestic violence, the role of guardian ad litem, and custody issues concerning the representation of traumatized clients.

Matthew represents clients in the area of estate litigation, with an emphasis in litigation involving will contests, disputes between fiduciaries and beneficiaries, guardianship matters, accountings, trust interpretation and reformation, and businesses.

Prior to joining Archer, Matthew was an attorney with Meyerson, Fox, Mancinelli & Conte, P.A. in New Jersey, where he handled a variety of civil matters, including commercial litigation, fiduciary litigation, estate and trust contests, contested guardianships, and appeals.

Following law school, Matthew served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Menelaos W. Toskos (Ret.) in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division, General Equity and Probate Part in Hackensack, NJ.

Matthew received his J.D. from Villanova University School of Law. During law school, he was an intern with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission as part of its Student Honors Program, where he assisted in enforcement actions related to insider trading, market manipulation, and accounting fraud.