Francesca O’Cathain, Esq., managing partner of the Family Law Department at O’Cathain Law Group, has been selected for the 2027 Lawdragon 500 Leading Family Lawyers. This marks her second consecutive year on the national guide, which honors family law attorneys whom clients rely on when the stakes are highest: contentious divorces, difficult custody disputes, and complex financial separations.
Lawdragon assembles each year’s guide through nominations, independent research, and peer review. Published October 9, the 2027 edition brings together family law practitioners from across the country, and Francesca is among a select group of New Jersey attorneys recognized.
“Being recognized by Lawdragon for a second year is a real honor, and I share it with the whole dedicated O’Cathain Law Group Family Law Department. Families come to us at some of the hardest moments of their lives, and our job is to bring both skill and compassion to every case,” said Francesca.
Francesca is known for handling complex divorce and custody matters with a combination of trial readiness and practical judgment. She is one of the few family lawyers in New Jersey who takes high-income and high-asset cases all the way to trial when a fair settlement cannot be reached. She has also built a strong reputation in Bergen County for representing police officers and teachers in divorce, drawing on a detailed understanding of how public pensions and retirement benefits are valued and divided.
Beyond financial matters, she regularly handles contentious custody disputes and has carved out a distinctive niche in divorces involving children with special needs. Those cases often raise questions that extend well beyond a child’s 18th birthday, including long-term care, support, and decision-making. She frequently lectures to lawyers and judges in New Jersey and nationwide on the subject.
She is board certified by the New Jersey Supreme Court in family law, a distinction held by only about 3% of attorneys in the state. She is also one of approximately 45 New Jersey family lawyers admitted to the national American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and is the immediate past president of the New Jersey Chapter, having successfully completed her one-year term as its leader.
A sought-after speaker, she has presented for the American Bar Association, the AAML, the New Jersey State Bar Association, the New Jersey Association for Justice, the New York City Bar Association, and the Bergen County Bar Association. Her programs have covered high-conflict custody litigation, autism and family court, divorce settlements, and the rules of evidence for family law attorneys. She previously served on the Family Law Executive Committee of the New Jersey State Bar Association.
Her other honors include selection as a New Jersey Super Lawyer for family law, inclusion in the Irish Legal 100, and recognition as a Bergen’s Best Top Lawyer by Bergen Magazine, which also profiled her in its June 2025 Women in Law feature. She is admitted to practice in New Jersey and New York.
For more information about the 2027 Lawdragon 500 Leading Family Lawyers, please visit: https://www.lawdragon.com/guides/2026-10-09-the-2027-lawdragon-500-leading-family-lawyers
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