Lara Traum

Lara Traum, Esq. is a collaborative attorney, mediator, parenting coordinator, and conflict resolution educator. She practices as an attorney in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut and as a mediator national and internationally.

As partner at Roytberg Traum Law & Mediation, P.C., Lara co-leads a mission-driven “peacemaking life-cycle” firm that specializes in family and matrimonial law, estate planning, and cross-cultural dispute resolution. Her work extends from prenuptial and postnuptial planning, through divorce mediation, parenting coordination, and trust and estate mediation, always guided by values of integrity, productive pathways to resolution, access to services, and deep human connection.

Lara earned her J.D., cum laude, from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where she concentrated in Family & Matrimonial Law and received the prestigious Jacob Burns Medal for scholastic excellence. As Editor-in-Chief of the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution, she led scholarly discourse on conflict transformation and family mediation. Lara also distinguished herself in competition, taking first place at both national and international Cyberweek eMediation contests, and securing second place in the Northeast ABA Representation in Mediation Competition.

Lara began practicing as a mediator in 2013 under the Part 146 approval of the New York State Unified Court System. She completed comprehensive mediation training with the New York Center for Interpersonal Development (Berner/Stadler); the Cardozo Divorce Mediation Clinic; and Mosten Mediation Training. At the Mosten Mediation Training, she served as an assistant trainer under Forrest S. Mosten, mentoring new mediators herself and contributing to the field’s growth. She now serves as a mediation skills trainer for the New York State Council on Divorce Mediation, and at her own training business, PeaceChord LLC.

An accomplished writer and author, Lara co-authored the 2023 ABA book Effectively Representing Clients in Family Mediation (with Forrest S. Mosten and Hon. Elizabeth Potter Scully). Her scholarly chapters and articles are found in books and journals published by the American Bar Association, New York State Bar Association, Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution, Family Court Review, covering themes such as interdisciplinary teamwork, integration of cultural considerations in mediation, preventive conflict wellness, and modern mediation strategies.

Lara holds leadership roles in numerous professional organizations. She is the immediate past president of the New York State Council on Divorce Mediation (2023–2025), an officer on the Board of Directors of the Zamir Choral Foundation, a director on the Board of COJECO (Council of Jewish Émigré Community Organizations), and a member of Long Island Collaborative Divorce Professionals, International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, New York Association of Collaborative Professionals, Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Academy of Professional Family Mediators, and other organizations.

Before her legal career, Lara was a classical singer and pianist, and an administrator and conductor with the Zamir Choral Foundation. She performed at venues including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, and conducted a chapter of the HaZamir teen choir.

Lara is fluent in Russian and brings deep cultural nuance to her practice, serving clients across diverse communities in Queens, New York, internationally, and in interfaith contexts. She is committed to accessible conflict resolution and promotes “moderate means” sliding-scale access to services.

Lara Traum can be reached at www.goodlawfirm.com for mediation, legal, and parenting coordination services and at www.peacechord.com for training and strategic planning services.