On Direct Examination, hosts Dan Bemel and Lauren Youngman interview leading Family Law practitioners, judicial officers, and mediators to unpack the technical realities of practice: building a case from the ground up, navigating client relationships, crafting arguments that resonate with the bench, and avoiding common procedural and strategic missteps. They also explore how to work productively with opposing counsel, especially when personalities or litigation styles add complexity—an area closely tied to civility in the legal profession.

In this episode, New York family law attorney Judy Poller joins Direct Examination, presented by UBS Wealth Management, for a candid conversation about what it really takes to practice family law at a high level. A Band 1 Chambers-ranked partner at Pryor Cashman and co-chair of its Family Law Group, Judy brings over 25 years of experience representing executives, entrepreneurs, and celebrities through some of the most complex and emotionally charged cases imaginable. She and host Dan Bemel dig into how attorneys manage difficult clients and opposing counsel, the growing problem of incivility in the courtroom, and why staying calm and strategic almost always beats going in guns blazing. Judy also opens up about her own divorce, how it reshaped her empathy for clients, and the unexpected path that led her from a Wall Street firm to building one of New York's most respected matrimonial practices. Plus, her take on what younger lawyers are getting wrong about networking and what the legal system actually needs to move cases forward.

Presented by UBS