Family Law and Personal Injury Lawyers
Have a Question?Move Forward.
Our motto, our goal, our belief. Whether you’re here for Family Law or Personal Injury Law, we help our clients Move Forward.
How Can We Help?
We know that you’re worried about the future. That’s why you’re here. We’ve helped countless clients just like you. Call to schedule your consultation today.
Why Are We Here?
We know New Jersey. We live here, raise our families here, and practice law here. Reach out today for tailored and experienced legal advice.
Who Are We?
We are New Jersey lawyers in the prime of our careers. Our law firm is led by four talented partners. Our diverse, motivated team consistently delivers results for our clients.
About Our Firm
O’Cathain Law Group is a New Jersey based law firm that has two practice groups: Family Law and Personal Injury Law.
You should know that choosing the right team at the start is the most important step for your case. We are here to help maximize what the law allows and to help you move forward with your life.
Are we the right law firm for you and your family?
Yes, if you want a legal team with the resources and experience to fight for what you deserve.
Yes, if you want a legal team that treats you like a VIP and not just another faceless name on their docket.
Yes, if you want small firm values with large firm results.
Our firm is structured with partners who are in the prime of their careers and who are supported by associates who are driven and focused. We have three distinguished Of Counsel attorneys – with more than 100 years of practice combined – who bring their invaluable input and experience to all our cases. Each of our cases has its own dedicated paralegal who supports the managing attorney.
Because you are here reading our website, you were probably recommended by another lawyer or by a former client of one of our lawyers. That is how our clients come to us – from the people who have seen what we can do for clients. We welcome you to our website and invite you to learn more by continuing to look through our website. Before you do that, here is more information that you should find helpful.
O’Cathain Law Group is based in Hackensack, New Jersey and handles cases throughout the State of New Jersey. Most of our cases are in northern New Jersey, including Bergen County, Essex County, Hudson County, Middlesex County, Morris County, and Union County.
The family law group is headed by Francesca O’Cathain. Francesca is a board-certified family lawyer who serves on the Executive Committee of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. You can learn more about Francesca here and about the family law practice here. Two of the other partners, Amanda M. Yu and Carlye L. Goldstein, practice family law and are active members of their local and state bar associations. Madeline Marzano-Lesnevich, a past president of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, is Of Counsel with the firm.
The personal injury group is led by Domhnall O’Cathain. Domhnall is a board-certified trial lawyer. You can learn more about Domhnall here and about the personal injury law practice here. Along with his own cases, he is frequently hired by other law firms to bring cases to trial when the case cannot settle.
Move Forward with O’Cathain Law Group
Team Introduction
We’re a team— we work together for the good of our clients. We’re a small team, with four Partners, two Associates, three of Counsel and a support staff for our attorneys. We purposefully keep our team small to allow for one-on-client interaction, customized guidance, and accessibility. If you hire our team, you will have experience, focus, and determination on your side.
Click our Attorney Biography links and get to know the members of our team. Learn about their expertise, their experience, their backgrounds. Consult with them and learn why they may be the team member right for you.
If you hire our firm, you also become part of your team, as the client. We Move Forward together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our firm has two separate departments, the Family Law department, and the Personal Injury department.
The Family Law department is headed by Francesca O’Cathain, who is board certified by the New Jersey Supreme Court, and a member of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Francesca lectures frequently on family law and handles cases throughout New Jersey. Most of her cases involve high-income contentious divorces, divorces with special needs children, custody battles, and relocation cases. You can learn more about the Family Law department here.
Domhnall O’Cathain heads the Personal Injury department. He is certified as a civil trial lawyer, which permits him to pay referral fees in New Jersey personal injury cases. Because of his experience with jury trials, he is often retained by other lawyers to try a case that cannot be settled before trial. Most of his cases involve trucking accidents and other crashes that cause death or spinal injuries. You can learn more about the Personal Injury department here.
You are probably reading this because somebody recommended us. Most of our cases come from former clients or other lawyers. Our attorneys value the relationships we have built over the years of practicing law— our practice is built on that trust. We work hard— and fight hard— for our clients as we help them navigate the system. We take your trust in our firm incredibly seriously and are honored by it.
Please feel free to reach out to us for a consultation so that you can decide if you want to move forward with us. Together, we can help you Move Forward.
While we cannot predict the outcome of your case when we meet with you, we only agree to take a case if we believe we can help you get a fair and just outcome for your case. Clients who seek our help are often worried about finances, and part of our job is to help you get to a more stable financial situation.
Whether you’re dealing with issues of alimony and/or child support in Family Law, or lost wages and/or pain and suffering compensation in Personal Injury Law, every case is different, so the valuation of each case is different. We will work with you to guide you towards the optimal outcome, financially, physically, and emotionally.
For Family Law and Divorce clients, there is no cost to speak with a paralegal about setting up an initial consultation. Family Law and Divorce matters work on retainer payments, and your legal fees will depend upon the nature and the extent of the litigation. Additionally, you will be billed for disbursements and costs. You will be sent regular statements by our Billing Department, so you know where your retainer stands, how much you’ve invested in your case, and what’s next.
For Personal Injury clients, your legal fee will be paid at the back end from the money you get from the lawsuit. There is no payment upfront. You only pay if you win.
Every case has at least one partner and at least one paralegal assigned to it.
We think of O’Cathain Law Group as a team, and when you are the client, we are part of your team. Our attorneys and paralegals will be accessible to you to discuss your case and to guide you through the steps of your lawsuit. We are with you from the initial consultation all the way to the conclusion of your case.
We appreciate that perhaps you never thought you would take this step. Our promise to you is to work with you to ensure the best possible outcome for your case. Together our team will Move Forward.
What We Do— And Why We Do It
O’Cathain Law Group consists of two departments, the Family Law Department, and the Personal Injury Law Department.
Personal Injury Law Department
The Personal Injury Law Department represents victims of negligence and carelessness.
These cases involve car crashes, trucking crashes, tractor-trailer crashes, rideshare crashes (such as Uber, Lyft, Grubhub, DoorDash) and wrongful death.
Our dedicated personal injury lawyers include certified civil trial attorneys who exclusively practice personal injury. Our personal injury lawyers are supported by bilingual paralegals who only handle personal injury cases.
Our personal injury lawyers who fought time and again for what you need— for what you deserve— the compensation you deserve for what was taken from you because of the crash. Throughout his career as a personal injury attorney, Domhnall Ó’Catháin has gotten verdicts and handled settlements that include the following:
- $3,000,000 for wrongful death
- $2,500,000 for a bicyclist hit by a bus
- $1,200,000 for medical malpractice
- $1,2000,000 for pedestrian hit by a bus
- $1,100,000 for passenger in a car hit by a truck
- $1,000,000 for passenger in a car hit by a truck
Since founding how own firm with his wife in 2023, Domhnall’s settlements include $2,500.00 dollars for a bicyclist hit by a bus, $825,000.00 for a driver who was rear-ended, $600,000.00 for a driver who was hit by a truck that ran a red light, and $600,000 for a victim of medical malpractice. These and other results can be found on our Verdicts & Settlements Page.
Our Personal Injury Department has lawyers who are experienced and knowledgeable. They’ve fought for clients who were hurt, who suffered, and who were wronged by insurance carriers who refused to pay out. And they have done the same for the families of folks who died as a result of negligence.
Whether it’s money for past pain and suffering, future pain and suffering, medical expenses, or lost income, we are here to help you get the money you deserve to be compensated. To make life easier for your family. When cannot bring you back to a time before the crash — but we can help you recover for what was taken away from you.
If you’re reading this, odds are you (or maybe someone you love) has suffered an injury from the negligence of another person or company. We are here for a free personal injury consultation.
Know that our personal injury lawyers will fight for you— they know how to fight for you. Insurance companies don’t want to pay out fair compensation unless an experienced and dedicated personal injury lawyer forces them to do so, and that’s why you need us on your side. We’re here to get you what you’re owed.
Our personal injury lawyers live and work in New Jersey, and know New Jersey: its roads, its highways, its intersections. We are familiar with where many of the most horrific crashes happen in New Jersey. We know the law here in the Garden State. We are members of the New Jersey State Bar Association, the American Association of Justice in New Jersey, the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, and the American Board of Trial Advocates.
Our dedicated personal injury lawyers and personal injury law paralegals are here to help you fulfill our firm’s motto: Move Forward.
Family Law Department
The Family Law Department at O’Cathain Law Group handles all types of cases involving families: big or small, complex or simple, amicable or contentious. This includes everything from child custody and parenting time to prenuptial agreements, divorce, and post judgment modifications. A complete list of Family Law practice areas may be found here. If you’re anxious about what parenting time schedule is best for your kids, you’ve come to the right place. If you need high-asset wealth protection, we’re the team for you. If you prefer to try mediation and arbitration, well, we’ve got plenty of experience and handle that too. When it comes to matters of family law, we’ve seen it all, and done it all. We’re the team you can trust to help you, whatever your family law concerns.
Our Family Law Department is comprised of compassionate, talented, and experienced lawyers who have helped clients through the divorce process time and time again – whether it be litigation or alternative dispute resolution. From the first moment of deciding divorce is the right option for you, through arguments over alimony and custody disputes, our attorneys fight to protect you and your family— to fight for you need and what you deserve. We fight for your family to be safe and secure as a new chapter of your life begins. We’ll be with you from the initial consultation all the way through settlement or trial— and afterwards.
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re going through a stressful time, and are unsure of what comes next and what the future will look like for you and your family. You may be beginning the process of divorce or realizing that your current custody arrangement isn’t working anymore. Family law matters involve some of the most intimate matters in one’s life. Your character and core values can come into question in ways that most people cannot imagine. That’s where we come in: we are your most trusted confidantes and zealous advocates. We’re here to answer your questions and address your concerns and give you a realistic view of what’s to come. We’re here to guide you through the toughest times.
Our family law attorneys exclusively handle family law matters. They live and work in New Jersey— they know New Jersey law, and they also know the culture of the Garden State. They practice family law because they have families of their own. Because they’ve seen a lot. Because they’ve been impacted by family law. They’re active in— and hold leadership positions in— numerous organizations, including the New Jersey State Bar Association, the New Jersey Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, the National American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and the American College of Family Trial Lawyers. Our family lawyers lecture at continuing legal education seminars, publish articles, and appear on panels. They not only understand the law, but they understand the legal system and how to work within it.
Our dedicated family lawyers and family law paralegals are here to help you fulfill our firm’s motto: Move Forward.