PAUL R. SMOLLAR

Paul Smollar has been practicing family law for almost fifty years, and has become a leader in Collaborative Practice in the Washington Metropolitan Area.  Recognized as a mediator and arbitrator in the District of Columbia certified by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Mr. Smollar is also an accomplished litigator when matters do not settle.
Mr. Smollar has been recognized by Super Lawyers as a top 100 lawyer in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area every year since 2008.  In 2012, 2013, and 2014 Mr. Smollar was recognized by Super Lawyers as one of the top ten lawyers in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area.  He has also been recognized as one of Washington D.C.’s top divorce lawyers in Washingtonian Magazine, including being acknowledged with a lifetime recognition. His practice as a family law lawyer and mediator has been recognized for the past twenty years by The Best Lawyers in America.
Mr. Smollar practices in both the District of Columbia and Virginia and is an active member of the Fairfax County Bar and the Family Law Section of the District of Columbia Bar. Mr. Smollar has also taught as an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University Law School in the area of Family Law for two years.
Mr. Smollar has been a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) since 1990.   During 2004 and 2005, he served as the President of the D.C. Chapter of the AAML. 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 and has been a mentor for the District of Columbia Bar Pro Bono Program for over 15 years.
Mr. Smollar has been on a panel for the American Bar Association on the topic of International and National Arbitration. He has lectured on family law matters for continuing legal education programs in D.C. and Virginia, including: “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.).  He has also served as a visiting lecturer on “Parental Capacity and Effects of Divorce on Children” at the Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Seminar hosted by the Department of Behavioral Health.  Mr. Smollar has been a panelist on television discussing the role and value of separation and property settlement agreements.
In the area of Collaborative Family Law, Mr. Smollar has become one of the most sought after practitioners in the District of Columbia and Virginia. In 2012, 2017 and 2019 Mr. Smollar was named Collaborative Lawyer of the Year for the D.C. metropolitan area by Best Lawyers in America. He has served as Chair of the D.C. and Northern Virginia Practice Groups and is an active faculty member of the Collaborative Practice Training Institute, which trains lawyers, mental health professionals and financial experts in the Collaborative Practice Process. He has served as faculty for countless programs on Collaborative Practice on the East Coast and nationally.