Mark Biel
Managing Partner
Email: mbiel@bzs-law.com
Phone: 609-344-1173
Education
Bates College, B.A. with Honors
Brown University Graduate School
Rutgers University School of Law, Newark, J.D.
Bar and Court Admissions
New Jersey - Certified Matrimonial Law Attorney by New Jersey Supreme Court (1998-Present)
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
United States Tax Court
Memberships & Affiliations
Atlantic County Bar Association
Former President; Former Chair, Judicial Appointments Committee
New Jersey State Bar Association
Past Chair and Member of Executive Committee, Family Law Section
Saul Tischler Family Law Section Award for Lifetime Contributions to the
Advancement of Family Law in the State of New Jersey (2005)
Past Vice-Chair, Judicial and Prosecutorial Appointments Committee
Former Chair, Professional Responsibility Committee
Emeritus Editor New Jersey Family Lawyer
Fellow, National and State Chapters of American Academy of Matrimonial
Lawyers (AAML)
Fellow, American Bar Foundation
Practice Areas
Family Law including divorce litigation, mediation and arbitration; custody disputes, separation agreements; pre and post-nuptial agreements; and post-judgment modifications and enforcement.
Military service
Army; served in Republic of Vietnam.
Awarded Bronze Star and Armed Forces Honor Medal
Member, City of Northfield Veteran’s Park Committee
Biography and Personal Philosophy
Renowned for his experience, skill and personality, Mr. Biel is universally regarded as one of southern New Jersey's premier matrimonial attorneys. The Westchester County, N.Y. native is considered a straight-shooter, and a lawyer's lawyer-effective, thorough and the keeper of exceptionally high standards.
New Jersey Monthly has selected him as one of New Jersey's 100 Best Attorneys. He has consistently been listed in the Woodward & White publication of The Best Lawyers in America.
For Mr. Biel it was a circuitous route to the apex of matrimonial law. Raised in a family in which intellectual curiosity was a way of life, he seemed on his way to becoming a college professor. He entered the PhD program at Brown, majoring in modern European history. The tumultuous events of the 60s - the Civil Rights movement, assassinations and the Vietnam War - spurred him to the law, where "what I did would hopefully mirror changing social mores and principles." He enrolled at Rutgers Law School, which he regarded as one of the most progressive law schools in the country.
The Vietnam war escalated, and Mr. Biel was drafted. He spent a year in Vietnam serving as a combat journalist for Stars & Stripes; he received the Bronze Star and the Armed Forces Honor Medal. Mr. Biel finished law school on the GI Bill and, in the early 70s, went to Atlantic City to practice.
Biel has always practiced with a small cadre of accomplished attorneys and, unlike a large firm mentality, has been able to provide personal representation to clients during a turbulent time in their lives. He enjoys tennis and skiing; he lives with his wife in Northfield, New Jersey; they have five children.
Observations and Perspectives
After more than 30 years, I'm still excited about practicing Family Law. This area of law allows you to utilize the entire spectrum of academic and social skills - oral advocacy in the courtroom, psychology in settlement negotiations, social science in custody disputes, mathematics in tax and valuation cases, medicine in employment issues, language arts in appellate persuasion and even foreign language skills.
Each day is an adventure filled with humor, sadness, some angst and some exhilaration. It's always a roller coaster ride as you deal with the emotions of divorce and custody matters. You see clients at their worst, and one of your responsibilities is to try to diffuse the emotions of fear and anger so that the focus can be directed toward resolving the case.
To be effective in this field you need to have a reputation as a tough advocate, be comfortable with the rules of court and the rules of evidence, and be willing to leave no stone unturned for your client.
Divorce is not a sports event or television quiz show. By definition, there are no winners. Homes are sold, assets divided, standards of living adjusted and children impacted. And that's the best you can hope for - as opposed to the more extreme cases, which involves domestic violence, interstate custody reloaction, tax fraud and parental alienations. Most of us who've done this kind of work for a while have seen it all.
The best family lawyers I know never stopr understanding how important every case is to every client. Firmness and fairness balanced with creativity and compassion. The best lawyers I know reflect Bismarck's precept: "An iron hand in a velvet glove."
.
Managing Partner
Email: mbiel@bzs-law.com
Phone: 609-344-1173
Education
Bates College, B.A. with Honors
Brown University Graduate School
Rutgers University School of Law, Newark, J.D.
Bar and Court Admissions
New Jersey - Certified Matrimonial Law Attorney by New Jersey Supreme Court (1998-Present)
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
United States Tax Court
Memberships & Affiliations
Atlantic County Bar Association
Former President; Former Chair, Judicial Appointments Committee
New Jersey State Bar Association
Past Chair and Member of Executive Committee, Family Law Section
Saul Tischler Family Law Section Award for Lifetime Contributions to the
Advancement of Family Law in the State of New Jersey (2005)
Past Vice-Chair, Judicial and Prosecutorial Appointments Committee
Former Chair, Professional Responsibility Committee
Emeritus Editor New Jersey Family Lawyer
Fellow, National and State Chapters of American Academy of Matrimonial
Lawyers (AAML)
Fellow, American Bar Foundation
Practice Areas
Family Law including divorce litigation, mediation and arbitration; custody disputes, separation agreements; pre and post-nuptial agreements; and post-judgment modifications and enforcement.
Military service
Army; served in Republic of Vietnam.
Awarded Bronze Star and Armed Forces Honor Medal
Member, City of Northfield Veteran’s Park Committee
Biography and Personal Philosophy
Renowned for his experience, skill and personality, Mr. Biel is universally regarded as one of southern New Jersey's premier matrimonial attorneys. The Westchester County, N.Y. native is considered a straight-shooter, and a lawyer's lawyer-effective, thorough and the keeper of exceptionally high standards.
New Jersey Monthly has selected him as one of New Jersey's 100 Best Attorneys. He has consistently been listed in the Woodward & White publication of The Best Lawyers in America.
For Mr. Biel it was a circuitous route to the apex of matrimonial law. Raised in a family in which intellectual curiosity was a way of life, he seemed on his way to becoming a college professor. He entered the PhD program at Brown, majoring in modern European history. The tumultuous events of the 60s - the Civil Rights movement, assassinations and the Vietnam War - spurred him to the law, where "what I did would hopefully mirror changing social mores and principles." He enrolled at Rutgers Law School, which he regarded as one of the most progressive law schools in the country.
The Vietnam war escalated, and Mr. Biel was drafted. He spent a year in Vietnam serving as a combat journalist for Stars & Stripes; he received the Bronze Star and the Armed Forces Honor Medal. Mr. Biel finished law school on the GI Bill and, in the early 70s, went to Atlantic City to practice.
Biel has always practiced with a small cadre of accomplished attorneys and, unlike a large firm mentality, has been able to provide personal representation to clients during a turbulent time in their lives. He enjoys tennis and skiing; he lives with his wife in Northfield, New Jersey; they have five children.
Observations and Perspectives
After more than 30 years, I'm still excited about practicing Family Law. This area of law allows you to utilize the entire spectrum of academic and social skills - oral advocacy in the courtroom, psychology in settlement negotiations, social science in custody disputes, mathematics in tax and valuation cases, medicine in employment issues, language arts in appellate persuasion and even foreign language skills.
Each day is an adventure filled with humor, sadness, some angst and some exhilaration. It's always a roller coaster ride as you deal with the emotions of divorce and custody matters. You see clients at their worst, and one of your responsibilities is to try to diffuse the emotions of fear and anger so that the focus can be directed toward resolving the case.
To be effective in this field you need to have a reputation as a tough advocate, be comfortable with the rules of court and the rules of evidence, and be willing to leave no stone unturned for your client.
Divorce is not a sports event or television quiz show. By definition, there are no winners. Homes are sold, assets divided, standards of living adjusted and children impacted. And that's the best you can hope for - as opposed to the more extreme cases, which involves domestic violence, interstate custody reloaction, tax fraud and parental alienations. Most of us who've done this kind of work for a while have seen it all.
The best family lawyers I know never stopr understanding how important every case is to every client. Firmness and fairness balanced with creativity and compassion. The best lawyers I know reflect Bismarck's precept: "An iron hand in a velvet glove."
.