Ani Mason

Ani Mason

Ani Mason
Founding Partner

Through a great turn of fortune in 2007, Ani was introduced to an organization that trained lawyers in an alternative way of working, one that shifted her focus from gearing up for battle in court to helping her clients reach resolution in a private setting. Applied to family law cases, this approach was both remarkably effective—generally faster and less painful than being in court—and it resonated deeply with her own values and instincts. Making mediation and Collaborative Law the cornerstones of her practice, Ani founded Mason Law & Mediation, LLC in 2014.

Prior to dedicating her law practice to out-of-court dispute resolution, Ani litigated high-conflict divorces on behalf of survivors of domestic violence. She has worked for the law firm Debevoise & Plimpton, the consulting firm Accenture, and various international human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, Save the Children, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and UNICEF, while living in Madrid, Cairo and Mexico City.

Ani is a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst and a past member of the Board of Directors of the Family & Divorce Mediation Council of Greater New York. Ani has been honored by Super Lawyers for the last nine years through selection to its New York Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists.

Ani graduated with honors from Princeton University and New York University School of Law, which she attended on full merit scholarship. She has held a Fulbright Fellowship, a Sinsheimer Scholarship, and a Skadden Fellowship. To better assist her international clients, Ani is fluent in Spanish, proficient in French, and a novice Arabic speaker.

Q&A: Get to Know Ani

Q: Where’d you grow up?

A: Annapolis, Maryland, thanks to which I love everything that involves the water in any way.

Q: What do you do outside of work?

A: My job is pretty stationary, so I like to be active and do physical stuff. Surfing and Pilates are my favorites.

Q: Favorite subject in school?

A: Surprisingly, math. I’ve always loved the order of working with numbers. If I went back to school now, it’d be language classes, for sure.

Q: Favorite food?

A: Tacos al pastor (first, second and third place).

Q: Random fact about you?

A: I love listening to podcasts on 2x speed.

Q: Married?

A: Divorced. We didn’t mediate, but we did settle out of court. It gave me a lot of empathy for how inexplicably interminable the process can feel (even to a divorce lawyer) when you’re going through it. But it does end, and it does get better, I promise!

Q: Favorite part of your work?

A: My clients, hands down. I’ve been so lucky in that department. Most of the time, my work feels like I’m helping a friend go through their divorce. I also love seeing people make their way through something challenging, regroup and then thrive. Especially when they’re able to stay true to their values in the process. That never ceases to inspire me.

Founded in 2014, Mason Law & Mediation provides highly-skilled and holistic mediation, Collaborative Law, settlement negotiation, and legal coaching services to individuals, couples and families in New York.