For Jane Estreicher, expectations were set high early on. She attended the most academic girls’ prep school in the Philadelphia area where “they produced capable, competitive women who almost all acquired higher education” says Jane.

After earning a B.A. in psychology, she considered law school. But the time wasn’t right, given a debilitating back injury she had sustained from a fall. Still, during her time of rehabilitation she went to graduate school and earned a master’s degree in management. Finally, law school.

From the beginning, Jane was active in the family law section of the Florida Bar Association and traveled around the state. That is how she ultimately met her husband and now law partner, Michael Hastings. Jane says her interest has moved toward divorce and family matters over the years. As a young lawyer, she was taught by male mentors to take a very aggressive trial approach. “That approach, however, is not always an appropriate or viable way of solving domestic disputes, particularly when children are involved.

“Lawyers need to be more solution-oriented by using experts or parenting coordinators, mediators, or any creative methods to settle matters and keep cases out of court. It is always cheaper to settle. Unfortunately, settlement does not always occur because emotions preclude rational decision-making,” Jane says.

Law Offices of Hastings & Estreicher

Jane L. Estreicher

Council:  Downtown