Attorneys

Karen Ackerman attended the George Washington University in Washington D.C.  Ms. Ackerman graduated GWU with a B.A. in Criminal Justice and a minor in Psychology. 

Ms. Ackerman then accepted a Dean’s Scholarship to attend the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.  While attending law school Ms. Ackerman focused her studies in the area of family law and received the CALI award for excellence in her participation in Lawyering Process, a family law clinic.  Since graduating from law school, Ms. Ackerman has focused her practice on family law matters including support, custody, divorce, equitable distribution and protection from abuse.

Ms. Ackerman is trained in collaborative law, a dispute resolution process where parties and their attorneys agree to resolve their differences without going to court.  One of the many benefits of the collaborative law process is that it enables the individual parties to have more control over the outcome of their case, and as a result, participants are often more satisfied with the final result.  Collaborative law can also be less expensive than traditional litigation.    

Ms. Ackerman completed the certification training for parenting coordination.  Parenting coordination is a child centered dispute resolution process, where attorneys work with parents in separated and divorced families to reduce conflict and assist with making decisions that impact the child.  

Ms. Ackerman is a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association Family Law Section.  She is also a member of the Women’s Bar Association of Western Pennsylvania.