Jennifer Babounakis is a family law specialist with over sixteen years of experience navigating high-asset divorce, sophisticated financial equitable distribution, and intricate property division matters. She also handles challenging custody cases that require a strong understanding of the mental health issues that complicate divorce.

Prior to dedicating her practice to family law, Jennifer practiced at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP in Washington, D.C., where she focused on internal accounting and financial fraud investigations, as well as other commercial litigation. In her family law practice, Jennifer has built a reputation for her ability to analyze and resolve the most financially demanding marital estates. Her experience spans business valuations, dissipation of assets, tracing and classification of property, hidden assets, deferred compensation, and multi-jurisdictional property holdings. She also serves as a skilled family law mediator, adept at facilitating resolutions for financial and custody disputes, and is a trained collaborative law attorney, offering a comprehensive approach to conflict resolution.

Before pursuing her legal career, Jennifer earned her foundation in clinical social work, specializing in family counseling and crisis management. This dual expertise in financial fraud and the psychological dimensions of divorce positions her well to handle cases where financial misconduct intersects with high-conflict family dynamics. She works closely with forensic accountants, valuation experts, and financial analysts to uncover and assess financial structures in equitable distribution matters. At the same time, she coordinates with psychologists, custody evaluators, and mental health professionals to address the emotional and behavioral aspects of contentious divorces. Her clinical training allows her to identify when psychological evaluations are necessary, communicate effectively with mental health experts, and integrate their findings into her legal strategy. Drawing on her counseling background, she assists clients in managing the emotional challenges inherent in high-conflict disputes during divorce, while ensuring that the psychological well-being of all family members—particularly children—remains central to case resolution.

Jennifer’s deep understanding of both the financial and mental health dimensions of family dissolution gives her a rare ability to see the complete picture and advocate holistically for her clients.