Phone:
(908) 575-9777

Fax:
(908) 575-7711
 

 Resumes

Christine M. Heer, ESQ., M.S.W., L.C.S.W., D.V.S.
Partner

EDUCATION:

• Juris Doctor, May, 2001
  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
  School of Law, Camden, New Jersey.
   -Pro Bono Domestic Violence Clinic.
   -GLBT Student Bar Association: Co-Chair.
   -Dean’s List Spring 1999, 2000; Dean’s Scholar Spring 2001.
• Master of Social Work, May 1987
  Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey.
  Major Focus: Direct Practice.
• Bachelor of Science, May 1983
  Trenton State College, (The College of New Jersey) Trenton, New Jersey.
  Major Focus: Criminal Justice and Psychology.

LEGAL EXPERIENCE:

• Heer & Lyons, LLP, Somerville, New Jersey July 2004 to Present.
• Partner in small firm handling matrimonial, domestic violence, custody and parenting time, and support matters.Also handled Adoptions, DYFS cases, Guardian Ad Litem, Name Changes, Wills and Estate planning, and Professional Responsibility for mental health practitioners matters.  Counsel to the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault and the New Jersey Coalition for Battered Women.
   
• Law Office of Christine M. Heer. Princeton, New Jersey. March 2003 to Present.
• Solo practitioner handling matrimonial, domestic violence, custody and parenting time, and support matters. Also handled residential real estate, wills and estate planning and Chapter 7 bankruptcy matters.
   
• Middlesex County Legal Services Corporation. New Brunswick, New Jersey. December 2001 – February 2003.  Staff Attorney Family Law Unit.
• Handled contested and uncontested dissolution, custody and parenting time, child support, and domestic violence litigation.
• Somerset-Sussex Legal Services, Inc. Somerville, New Jersey. Summer, 2000. Summer Intern Fellowship through Legal Services of New Jersey.
• Appeared in Superior Court under R. 1:21-3(b). Handled default divorce, custody and visitation, domestic violence, post judgment alimony modifications and landlord tenant cases.
• Jane A. Herchenroder, Esq. Somerville, New Jersey 1998 – 2004. Research assistant – Appeals Project for the New Jersey Coalition for Battered Women
• Prepared research memoranda and assisted in preparing oral argument for appeals to the New Jersey Supreme Court and Superior Court Appellate Division.
• Jersey Battered Women’s Services Inc. Morristown, New Jersey. Summer 1999. Summer Intern Fellowship through Legal Services of New Jersey.
• Provided legal assistance to victims of domestic violence in Morris County Shelter program and prepared domestic violence complaints for the Superior Court of New Jersey, Morris County Family Division.
• New Jersey Coalition for Battered Women, Trenton, New Jersey. Summer 1998.  Legal Intern.
• Provided legal assistance to battered women and prepared research memoranda for attorney’s representing victims of domestic violence.

PROFESSIONAL SOCIAL WORK AND TEACHING EXPERIENCE:

• Bunker Hill Consultation Center, Princeton, New Jersey
  September, 1995 to Present. Associate Director of Family Services
• Provided psychotherapy to individuals, couples, and families addressing a variety of clinical issues including Family Therapy, Family Violence, Trauma Recovery, Substance Abuse, and Sexual Identity concerns. Also provided divorce and post-judgment mediation services and child custody/parenting time consultation and evaluation.
• Seton Hall University, South Orange New Jersey
  September 2007 to Present. Adjunct Instructor, Undergraduate Social Work. 
• Taught Social Work and Law and Introduction to Social Work
• Essex County College, Newark New Jersey
  September 2003 to Present. Adjunct Instructor. Continuing Education program.
• Domestic Violence Assessment and Intervention. Students included staff of victim witness services, board of social services DYFS and schools.
• New Jersey Coalition for Battered Women, Trenton New Jersey
  2003-2004. Credentialing Board Coordinator.
• Responsible for management and oversight of the New Jersey Domestic Violence Specialist credentialing process.  Reviewed applications, developed and maintained data base of members and approved trainings, provided training and guidance to applicants, acted as liaison between the board of the New Jersey Association of Domestic Violence Professionals and the community.
• New Jersey Coalition for Battered Women, Trenton New Jersey
  1997-2001. Helpline Counselor.
• Provided crisis intervention, information and referral, and counseling to victims of same sex domestic violence.
• Rutgers: The State University of New Jersey School of Law
  Spring 1998 – present. Pro Bono Domestic Violence project.
• Trained law students to provide support and advocacy for domestic violence victims in Family Court.
• Facilitated an educational group for domestic violence victims participating in the Pro Bono Project.
• Rutgers: The State University of New Jersey, 
  January - May 1997, New Brunswick, New Jersey.
  January - May 1999, Camden New Jersey.
  Visiting Guest Lecturer
• Adjunct instructor of Family Violence to students in Social Work and the Administration of Justice and Law programs. 
• Resource Center for Women and Their Families, Belle Mead, New Jersey
  June 1987-March 1997.  Program Coordinator of Education and Training..
• Prepared and delivered lectures and professional trainings on Domestic Violence; represented the agency in the media and provided individual and group counseling services; Served as a Field Instructor for MSW students.

CERTIFICATIONS, LICENSES, AND TRAINING

• Licensed Attorney State of New Jersey.
• Certified to appear before the United States District Court
• Certified Domestic Violence Specialist, 1993.
• Licensed Clinical Social Worker: NJ # SC 05923.
• Academy of Family Mediators: Basic 40 Hour Divorce Mediation Training Program
• Level I Training on Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
• Level I Eriksonian Hypnotherapy.
• Certified Special Instructor, State of New Jersey Police Training Commission, 1988.
• NJ Violent Crimes Compensation Board.
• Researched Based Marital Therapy, The Gottman Institute, 2003.
• Conducting Child Custody Evaluations, Philip Stahl, Ph.D, and AFCC, 2003.
• Approved Mediator, Roster of Mediators for Economic Issues in Family Matters, Administrative
• Office of the Courts, State of New Jersey.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS:

• American Bar Association.
• New Jersey State Bar Association, Trustee at Large GLBT Section
• Somerset County Bar Association.
• National Association of Social Workers New Jersey, Task Force Chair, 1992 – 1994; 2005
• Delegate Assembly, 2007 Delegate Assembly; Chair, Committee on Professional Review, 2005 – present, Chair 2007 ; Personnel Committee 2005 to Present.
• National Association of Social Workers, Washington D.C. appointed, Legal Defense Fund
• Board 2005-2008; Vice-chair 2007-2008.
• New Jersey Association of Domestic Violence Professionals. 1994 – Present.
• Governor’s Advisory Committee on Domestic Violence; Evaluation Sub Committee Consultant.
• Somerset, Warren Hunterdon Court Appointed Special Advocates Steering Committee; Board
• Member, Chair Public Relations Committee, 2005 to 2006.
• New Jersey Association of Professional Mediators, 2005 to Present.
• Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, 2006 to Present.
• Rutgers School of Social Work, Continuing Education and Professional Development Program:
• Appointed Post Master’s Advisory Counsel.
• International Academy of Collaborative Professionals 2007 to Present
• New Jersey Collaborative Divorce Alliance 2007 - Present
• Central Jersey Collaborative Law Group 2008 - Present.

AWARDS:

• Mary Philbrook Student Public Interest Award, Rutgers School of Law 2000.
• Rutgers Domestic Violence Project Outstanding Service Award.
• Rutgers Pro Bono Award for Significant Service.
• NJLGC/Personal Liberty Fund 1994 Honor Award.
• New Jersey Coalition for Battered Women Award 1997.
• GAAMC Community Service Award 1998.   

PUBLICATIONS:

• Heer C., Grogan, E., Clark, S., and Carson L., (1998) “Developing Services for Lesbians in Abusive Relationships: A Macro and Micro Approach" in Battered Women and Their Families, Roberts, A. (Ed) Springer Publishing Co. (New York).
• Almeida, R., Woods, R., Messenio, T., Font, R., Heer, C., (1994) Violence in the Lives of the Racially and Sexually Different  Journal of Feminist Family Therapy 5(3/4) 99-126 Haworth Press (New York).
• “Unsafe at Home: The Impact of Domestic Violence on Children – A Training Curriculum for Educators.”  Rutgers: The State University of New Jersey, 2001.
• Heer, C. “Professional and Ethical Responsibility for Social Workers Addressing Domestic Violence:, Social Work Today (Fall, 2006).

SELECTED TRAINING AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS:

• 1988 - 1996: Somerset County Police Academy, Recruit Training and Advanced Training.
• 1988; 1994: State of New Jersey Administrative Office of the Courts.
• 1987-1996: Somerset County Family and Municipal Court Staff; Somerset/Hunterdon/Warren Vicinage.
• 1991:  St. John's University Degree Program, Arthur Kill Prison.
• 1991:  Seton Hall Law School- Caller ID Debate.
• 1991:  NJ State Police Training.
• 1991 to 2004: Instructor UMDNJ UBH Addictions Recovery Saturday Seminar Series.
• 1992 to Present: Training NJ Domestic Violence Programs on Battering in Lesbian Relationships.
• 1996-1997: NJ Division of Criminal Justice: Domestic Violence Crisis Intervention Teams;
• 1999: STOP Violence Against Women Conference.
• 1996: NJ Network/P.B.S., Featured expert: Domestic Violence: Faces of Fear Hosted by Diane Sawyer.
• 1996 to Present: Consultant Trainer, Domestic Violence Training, Education Consulting Center.
• 1997 to Present: UMDNJ Violence Institute Conference; 1999-Present, Institute on Human Sexuality.
• 1997 to Present: Silent Witness project, Middlesex County New Jersey.
• 1998: Puerto Rican Congress, Domestic Violence Conference.
• 1998: Domestic Violence Hearing Officers Introductory Training Series.
• 1998 - 2003: Trainer- Domestic Violence Training, Education, and Consultation Center.
• 1998 to Present: Guest Lecturer Rutgers School of Law, Camden New Jersey.
• 2000 to Present: Trainer- New Jersey Coalition for Battered Women Training Institute.
• 2001 to Present: Legal Services of New Jersey Law Student Fellowship Training Program.
• 2002: Atlantic Behavioral Healthcare: Ethics and Duty of Care for Mental Health Practitioners.
• 2003: National Association of Social Workers, New Jersey Chapter Conference. Therapeutic and Legal issues in the Same Sex Divorce.  Piscataway, NJ.
• 2003: American Studies Association Annual Meeting, Hartford Connecticut. Domestic Violence/Domestic Silence: The Activist Response to Shaming Rituals.
• 2003 to Present: Essex County Family Division: Compassion Fatigue and Family Court.
• 2003: NJ Administrative Office of the Courts.  CD ROM Diversity Training for Judges: Domestic Violence in the LGBTI Community.
• 2004: Bergen County Court: Alternatives to Domestic Violence: Ethics for Social Workers.
• 2004: National Association of Social Workers, New Jersey Chapter Conference. Therapeutic and Legal issues in Domestic Partnership and Divorce.  Piscataway, NJ.
• 2004: New Jersey Psychological Association, Forensic Committee: Child Custody Evaluations and Domestic Violence.
• 2005, 2007: State of New Jersey: Administrative Office of the Courts: Training Seminars for Hearing Officers and Probation Staff; Domestic Violence in Same Sex Relationships; Domestic Partnership.
• 2005: Institute for Continuing Legal Education: Domestic Violence Symposium: Parental Alienation Syndrome and Battered Women’s Syndrome in Domestic Violence Cases: Myths and Facts.
• 2005 to present: Rutgers School of Social Work, Faculty, Continuing Education Program: “Ethics for Social Workers,” and “The Impact of Divorce on Families: The Legal and Emotional Intersect.”
• 2006: Institute for Continuing Legal Education: Domestic Violence Symposium: Parental Alienation. Syndrome in Domestic Violence; Addressing Concerns of Same Sex Litigants in Domestic Violence Cases.
• 2006: NASW NJ Annual Conference: Professional and Ethical Responsibility for Social Workers Addressing Domestic Violence.
• 2006: Governor’s Conference for Women, Panelist, Issues for Non Traditional Families.
• 2007: New Jersey Administrative Office of the Courts, Domestic Violence Training Program. Ongoing: Trainer and Consultant to Domestic Violence Crisis Response Team