Philip D. Woodbury, J.D., is a partner in Healy, Fiske, Woodbury & Richmond, where he has been a divorce lawyer and mediator since 1982. He is a past board member and president of the Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation and of the Community Legal Services and Counseling Center (formerly Cambridgeport Problem Center), and serves on the advisory board of the Meeting Place, a supervised visitation program.

Phil has also served as a legal services attorney, a counselor for teenagers, and a daycare teacher. He is the author of several articles on mediation and pension division and has presented on family law issues for Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education.

Phil has taught family mediation at the University of Massachusetts Graduate Program in Dispute Resolution and family law at Northeastern University Law School. “Mediation is a way of helping people keep control of their own lives at an incredibly difficult time, and a way to give them the tools to make informed decisions about their children and their finances.”

Phil is a founder and principal of Divorce Mediation Training Associates.

Employment

Healy, Fiske, Woodbury, and Richmond

Phil joined this small family law and mediation firm in 1982, and became a partner in 1986. His practice consists both of representing clients in divorces and other family law matters and of mediating family and other disputes. Phil also represents clients in some real estate and estate planning work.

Merrimack Valley Legal Services, Lowell, Massachusetts

Phil was a staff attorney in this civil legal services program from 1978 through 1981, representing low-income clients in family law, government benefits, and housing cases. He did community training on domestic abuse and other issues, and supervised law student interns.

Divorce Mediation Training Associates

Since 1989 Phil have been one of the three trainers in Divorce Mediaiton Training Associates, offering five-day basic divorce mediation training twice each year, advanced training and training for groups in other states.

Dispute Resolution Program, University of Massachusetts, Boston

Phil has been an adjunct professor at this graduate level program, teaching family mediation and as seminar leader for the mediation internship course.

Northeastern University School of Law, Boston

Taught family law and clinical skills for three semesters.

Seminars

Through Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education and other sponsors Phil has taught numerous programs on divorce, financial, and mediation issues

Other

Before attending law school Phil worked as a day care teacher and as a counselor at a home for runaway teenagers in Boston.

Education

Northeastern University School of Law, Boston Massachusetts

J.D. degree, May 1978

Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio

B.A. degree, May 1970

International Graduate School, Stockholm, Sweden

One year certificate program, 1972-73

Other Training

Divorce Resource and Mediation Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Five day mediation training, 1983

Ongoing

Seminars and workshops in substantive and process issues and skills

Organizations

Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation

Founding member, board member and past president Association for Conflict Resolution (formerly Academy of Family Mediators): Member since 1986, Practitioner member; workshop presenter at several national conferences

Community Legal Services and Counseling Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Advisory board member; former director and president

The Meeting Place, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Advisory board member for supervised visitation program

Massachusetts Bar Association

Member and member of Family Law Section since 1982

“Phil’s style was fascinating. He is the master of impassivity during conflict between parties, which I thought had a calming effect that I would like to develop more in myself.”
— Family Service Director, DMTA Student