Sonja Starins

Sonja has been practicing law for seventeen years. She is currently licensed in Massachusetts. Sonja graduated magna cum laude from Boston University in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. She subsequently earned her law degree from the University of Maine School of Law in 1999.During the early part of her career, Sonja was an associate with a mid-sized firm in Portland, Maine where she focused on litigation. Sonja then gained significant trial experience at the Los Angeles office of a leading national products liability firm.

After a four-year break which allowed Sonja to remain with her young children, Sonja returned to the practice of law in 2013. As a member of the SSJM Team, Sonja is primarily dedicated to family law and estate and trust planning. In her family law practice, Sonja represents the interests of individual clients or serves as a neutral mediator in all areas of family law including divorce, post-divorce issues, paternity matters, and pre- and postnuptial agreements. As a collaborative attorney and trained mediator, Sonja understands the value of reaching a peaceful resolution outside of court. Sonja works closely with clients to identify a strategy that best meets their family's needs and objectives by emphasizing the importance of deescalating conflict and focusing on the best interests of the children. In cases where litigation is inevitable, Sonja strives to reach a negotiated resolution.

In her estate planning practice, Sonja partners with clients, their wealth managers and tax attorneys to prepare a comprehensive estate and trust plan that addresses all facets of planning for her clients' current and future needs and goals. Sonja knows that having a clear understanding of family dynamics plays a critical role in developing a concrete estate and trust plan that meets her clients' expectations at their particular age and under their specific circumstances.

Sonja is a member of the Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council, the Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation, the Massachusetts Bar Association, the Greater Newburyport Bar Association, the American Academy of Certified Financial Litigators, the Woburn Business Association, and USA500.