Divorce/Domestic Relations Attorney providing Mediation services for Western Massachusetts Families
Practice Details
Practicing since 1998, Attorney McKenna has extensive experience assisting families in their time of need. As a solo practitioner, she enjoys working with each client personally through the entirety of her representation. Since becoming a certified mediator in 2014, Attorney McKenna has expanded her practice to include extensive mediation services, such that approximately 75% of her practice is currently devoted to alternative dispute resolution. Attorney McKenna regularly volunteers as a Conciliator through the Hampden County Court Annexed Conciliation program and takes great pride in helping parties resolve their differences out of court. She is a panel mediator for the Family Resolutions Specialty Court in Hampshire County. She is also a Court-approved attorney for the Children's Law Project, representing the interests of children in custody disputes.
Address
Springfield, MA 01103
4132417906
Degrees and Experience
Attorney Cherie McKenna is a 1998 cum laude graduate of Suffolk University Law School and a 1995 summa cum laude graduate of the University of New Hampshire. Licensed in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and the U.S. District Courts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, Attorney McKenna has been practicing since 1998 with a wide range of experience, including criminal defense, appellate practice, insurance defense litigation and family law, and thoroughly enjoys providing compassionate representation for people during their time of need.
After graduating with honors from Suffolk University Law School and becoming admitted to practice in 1998, Attorney McKenna spent three years in the public service sector by providing criminal defense representation to under-privileged clients in the District Courts of Middlesex County. Attorney McKenna was also accepted to the Post Conviction Relief Panel of public defenders, wherein she represented criminal defendants at the appellate level. She has written several criminal appellate briefs, has presented oral argument before the Appeals Court of Massachusetts, and successfully reversed a criminal conviction on the basis of Fourth Amendment search and seizure violations.
Attorney McKenna entered private practice in 2001, where she began practicing civil litigation with a boutique law firm in Boston, focusing on the investigation of fraudulent insurance claims, personal injury liability defense practice, and insurance coverage issues. In 2011, Attorney McKenna left her law firm to begin the pursuit of her own law practice. Attorney McKenna has established herself in the areas of family law, criminal defense, and personal injury practice, and is also a trained mediator, and a member of the Hampden County Bar Association Mediation Arbitration Panel of Attorneys. She is an active Member of the Hampden County Bar Association, a member of the Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation, and was recently appointed to the panel of attorneys for the Children’s Law Project of Hampden County.
When Attorney McKenna is not working, she is an avid supporter of the arts. She frequents local theater, museum and symphony events with her husband, participates in tap and jazz dance classes in Easthampton, and loves to sing and dance, especially with her daughter. She is proud to be on the Board of Directors for the Community Music School of Springfield, and is actively involved on several sub-committees, from fundraising to strategic planning. She is also a committee member of the West of the River Chamber of Commerce, and a volunteer mentor for West Springfield High School Students. Above all else, Attorney McKenna enjoys the thrills and challenges of raising a child, and is a devoted, loving mother and wife.
Professional Memberships
Hampden County Bar Association Sustaining Member
Hampden County Bar Association Family Law Section and Solo Practice Section Member
Massachusetts Counsel on Family Mediation
Western Massachusetts ADR Group
FRSC panel mediator
Also licensed to Practice on Rhode Island
Regional Information
Attorney McKenna's office is located in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts, and she and her family reside in Westfield, MA. Her client base expands through Western MA, including Springfield, West Springfield, Agawam, Southwick, Longmeadow, East Longmeadow, Wilbraham, Palmer, Ludlow, Holyoke, Chicopee, Westfield, Easthampton, Southampton, Northampton, and occasionally the Berkshires. Attorney McKenna also offers virtual mediations through Zoom video.
Fee Information
Attorney McKenna offers mediation on a "pay as you go" basis, with payment due at the end of each session, billed hourly. Attorney McKenna's current hourly rate is $325. Once the parties have reached agreement, Attorney McKenna offers a reasonable flat fee for the drafting of the Agreement and court pleadings to be filed. All fees are discussed at the initial consultation, and the parties may cater the fee structure to fit their needs and ability to pay. All major credit cards are accepted.