As opposing counsel in a highly contested divorce matter, Denise Isaacs and Andrea Reid, met for the first time as adversaries. As they litigated they grew to respect each other’s style. Reid realized the tremendous amount of experience Isaacs brought to the litigation. And Isaacs appreciated the tenacity of this young lawyer. At the end of litigation, Isaacs approached Reid and said that if she were to ever leave the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County she’d have a home in her practice. The combination of these two culminated into a well-respected family law partnership.
Both Isaacs and Reid are dedicated to focusing their clients on the straightest path to resolution. They have learned that working on an end strategy and keeping the client’s goals in mind encourages settlements. They have also learned not to personalize the process, not to take offense at the strategy of the opposing counsel. They work together with their opposing counsel to bring rationality and closure through common sense, persuasion and great negotiating skills.
Attorneys Isaacs and Reid are a blend of wisdom, enthusiasm and the newest technology. Reid brings great humor, energy, intense focus, and determination to master every aspect of each case and their partnership. She is a powerhouse litigator, respected by her adversaries with a charismatic personality and endless energy.
Andrea Reid has been practicing in the area of family law for 10 years. As a young lawyer with responsibility for hundreds of cases which included complex legal issues, Reid sharpened her skills as a litigator. The Legal Aid Society’s family law division allowed Reid to handle and try hundreds of cases against attorneys all over the county. After receiving a grant from the Office of Violence Against Women, Reid went on to the domestic violence project and represented hundreds of victims of domestic violence. Now, she represents many men fighting domestic abuse claims with her arsenal of experience.
Reid is actively involved with the Florida Bar family law section where she sits on the executive council and serves in leadership roles on numerous committees. Reid serves as secretary of South Palm Beach County Florida Association for Women Lawyers, president of the Angel Mom’s at the Place of Hope Rinker Campus and vice president of the Boca Braves Pop Warner Football and Cheer Association.
Denise Isaacs, full-time practice has grown exponentially due to her integrity, humor and kindness to her opposing counsel as well as her clients. She has been representing mostly men in post and prenuptial agreements in recent years, despite the firm’s even representation of men and women. She litigates cases, but settles 90 percent of her cases. She has been championing collaborative divorce, which aspect of her practice is growing due to client receptivity to mastering the divorce process though cooperation and respect, not litigation and humiliation.
The best aspect of collaborative practice is that from the beginning all meet regularly to cooperatively work out the issues. The intense paranoia, blind hatred and health damaging anxiety do not happen. It is easier to settle and easier on the parties and their families. Most cases get settled anyway, so why not go the civilized, collaborative route? Isaac encourages clients to zero in on making business decisions from a financal perspective as well as reassessing their personal core issues through the collaborative process.
Isaacs is a former president of the South Palm Beach County Bar Association, board member of the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, and board member of South Palm Beach County Florida Association for Women Lawyers.
Isaacs has practiced family law for over 35 years and has remained married throughout that time. Over that period, she has honed her persuasion skills, seeking and reaching settlements for her clients by humor, respect, tenacity and a focus on settlement, sooner rather than later. She provides a strong perspective and demystifies the litigation process for her clients.
