South Florida has been my home for nearly all my life.  I grew up in North Broward / South Palm Beach County, with two single parents who divorced when I was four.  People often asked me whether having divorced parents was difficult, and my answer was always “no” because they made the transition relatively seamless.  As a child, I got to go on two vacations, have two bedrooms, and spend lots of quality time with both of my parents, albeit separately.  It was the best decision my parents made for themselves, and for me.

I got my start in divorce as a family lawyer in West Palm Beach from my mom, Bernice Alden Dillman, who practiced divorce and family law for over thirty years in Boca Raton.  I often witnessed clients walk into her office on the first day, distraught, insecure, and upset, and watched them blossom into being more confident, secure, and their knowing that a better life was ahead. Hard decisions now sometimes are the best decisions for the long term. Watching my mom guide clients through this transformation helped me realize that I, too, wanted to help clients grow and have a better life.

My early experience shadowing my mother and handling complex business litigation and bankruptcy law (I did a lot of “bet the company” litigation and cases involving financial fraud) was an outstanding platform for the focus of my current law practice, which is handling “the harder” (some might say nasty) divorce and family law cases where something very important or valuable is often at issue.

In all cases, as a family lawyer in West Palm Beach, my goal is to obtain a favorable result for clients as quickly and efficiently as possible so they can move on to the life they desire and deserve to be living. I strongly believe in resolution focused and strategic litigation (which means that I will counsel a client to litigate when it needs to be done, for example to align an unruly spouse more with legal reality when they are taking a ridiculous position) but I truly believe that resolving the matter out of court is usually in the best interest of the clients, not only financially, but also psychologically.

Outside of the office, and spending time with my two young children, my passion is animal rescue, and trying to make the world a better place with kindness to animals. I also enjoy horseback riding, mountain biking, snowboarding, tennis, photography, theater, and a variety of other activities.

Education & Prior Affiliations

Divorce and family law have been the foundation of my life and of my family. During high school at Coral Springs High School, I worked with my mother, Bernice, as an assistant in her divorce and family law office. This experience helped me realize I wanted to ultimately focus on divorce and family law.

I earned a business degree with a minor in legal studies from the University of Central Florida, with honors, and immediately attended law school at Nova Southeastern University’s Shepard Broad Law Center.

While in law school, I earned several “highest grade awards,” including in my family law course, and served as a member of the Nova Law Review and Moot Court Society.

After graduating from law school, magna cum laude, and passing the Florida Bar exam, I served as a judicial law clerk to Judge Melanie G. May on the Fourth District Court of Appeal, and to Judge Raymond B. Ray in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida.

After my clerkship terms, I joined Berger Singerman, LLP, a mid-size Florida business law firm, and practiced for six years out of the firm’s South Florida offices. While there, I focused on complex business litigation and bankruptcy law cases, which has provided an excellent foundation for my divorce law practice.

I now have the pleasure of working with Divorce Attorney Rosalie M. Cruz, Divorce Attorney Charles J. Thompson, Divorce Attorney Liana M. Carrozza, my husband Divorce Attorney Christopher R. Bruce, and an exceptional paralegal and client services team.