Elise Iafrate, JD/MBA, is a licensed attorney whose background includes corporate law, family law, law firm practice, and in-house counsel work.
She did not leave the law because she stopped believing in it. She intentionally stepped away from legal practice because she became more interested in the part of difficult situations that traditional legal representation does not always have the time or role to handle: helping the person inside the process understand what is happening, prepare, think strategically, and make better use of the professionals around her.
Hiring a strong divorce attorney does not mean someone suddenly takes over every part of your divorce.
The legal case moves forward, but the client is still managing messages, documents, financial questions, children, professional appointments, deadlines, and decisions. She may be trying to understand what her attorney just told her while also deciding what to do about something that happened at home that morning.
Elise saw that gap from the legal side. She created Divorce Strategy by Elise to work inside it.
Elise understands how attorneys think, what information is useful to them, and why legal professionals need clients to arrive with clear questions and organized facts.
That does not make her your divorce attorney. It does mean she can help you prepare for those conversations differently. Instead of bringing every upsetting event into one giant pile, you can begin separating what requires legal advice, what belongs with another professional, what should be documented, what requires a decision, and what may not deserve more of your attention.
That makes the entire professional team easier to use.
Elise also knew she wanted to work differently than she could while practicing law.
Divorce is personal. Even highly capable women can become overwhelmed when conflict, money, children, identity, and uncertainty hit at the same time. The answer is not to turn every consulting session into therapy. It is to have enough space to slow things down, regain perspective, and make the next decision from a better place.
That is part of strategy too.
Some divorces are difficult because the relationship is high-conflict. Others become complicated because of businesses, investments, real estate, trusts, complex compensation, privacy concerns, children, or multiple professional advisors. Many involve both.
Elise is comfortable helping clients organize that complexity without pretending one person should answer every question. She helps women understand the landscape, keep open issues moving, and recognize when a decision needs input from an attorney, financial professional, tax professional, therapist, or another specialist.
When you hire Divorce Strategy by Elise, you work with Elise.
There is no large coaching team and no handoff to someone who knows a framework but does not know your situation. That direct relationship is intentional. The work is designed for women who value privacy, clear thinking, and having a trusted strategic partner who understands the larger context while they move through divorce.
Divorce Strategy by Elise grew from Elise’s belief that women should not have to become experts in law, finance, conflict, and human behavior simply to make it through a divorce.
The goal is simpler. Understand what is happening. Know what matters. Use your professional team well. Protect your ability to think clearly. And make decisions that keep moving you toward the life you are trying to build after the process ends.
Licensed Attorney
Founder, Divorce Strategy by Elise
Divorce Strategy by Elise provides strategic consulting and education, not legal representation. Working with Elise through Divorce Strategy by Elise does not create an attorney-client relationship.
SWANS began as Supporting Women Against Narcissistic Spouses. Today, that mission lives inside Divorce Strategy by Elise. The work is designed to help women navigate control, manipulation, escalation, and other high-conflict dynamics with more clarity and structure.
The strategy does not depend on diagnosing a spouse. It focuses on observable conduct, useful documentation, professional preparation, and deliberate decisions.