Beth C. Manes, Co-Founding Partner
Beth C. Manes has been practicing law for over 25 years. She resides in Essex County,
with her husband, several dogs, and whichever adult children are home at the time. Beth
loves to travel; her favorite vacations are on a bicycle, in a tent, or observing animals not
typically found in New Jersey.
Beth started her career in corporate law but didn’t like the impersonal nature of the
practice and decided to change direction. After a few more turns in her career path, Beth
searched for the field of law where she could have the most impact and discovered a love
for special needs advocacy and planning.
Her practice concentrates in Special Education Law, Special Needs Planning,
Guardianships and Estate Planning. She has lectured to attorneys and taught several
continuing legal education courses including: “Divorce and the Special Needs Child,”
“Planning for Unemancipated Adult Children in a Divorce,” and “The Effect of Divorce on
Estate Planning.”
Beth finds it so satisfying to help parents get to the point where they know that they can
provide for their child not only during his teen and adult years, but even later in life after
they are gone. She also works with her clients to establish guardianships to protect their
children while giving them the amount of independence they can handle. Helping these
families is truly rewarding to Beth, and it has become clear that this is the field for her.
There’s nothing Beth loves more than helping a family go from feelings of despair and guilt
to feelings of relief and optimism knowing that everything is in place and they can relax
and enjoy time with their loved ones.
Education:
University of Michigan Law School, J.D., December 1994
Brandeis University, B.A., 1992
Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice:
New Jersey
U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
Professional Associations/Community Work:
Member of: the New Jersey State Bar Association, the Elder and Disability Law Section of
the New Jersey State Bar Association, the Education Law Committee of the New Jersey
State Bar Association, the Solo-Small Firm Section of the New Jersey State Bar
Association (former Chair), the Union County Bar Association (member of Board of
Trustees, and co-chair of the Trusts, Estates and Elder Law Committee), and the New
Jersey Special Education Practitioners.
Help parents finalize their long awaited adoption process on National Adoption Day.
Hearing officer for the State of Delaware Department of Education.
Attorney for Volunteers Lawyers for Justice.
Member of Board of Trustees for Planned Lifetime Assistance Network of New Jersey,
Inc. (Past President ), an organization that provides lifetime advocacy for people with
special needs.
Puppy-raiser for The Seeing Eye ®, 2012 – Present.
Member of the Board of Directors of Don’t Hide It, Flaunt It!, an organization that works
to advance acceptance, understanding, tolerance and mutual respect for a person's
blatant or invisible difference.
Awards and Recognitions:
Voted: NEW JERSEY FAMILY MAGAZINE BEST LAWYERS FOR FAMILIES – 2017,
2018,
2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
Voted: SUPER LAWYERS – 2019, 2020, 2021