Abby Kelman is a Lawyer who has established a quite unique “professional niche” for her career. She is offering legal representation to Conservative rabbis of the Jewish faith. She gained popularity in this niche field by passing out business cards in the lobby of a hotel housing Conservative rabbis. The conservative rabbis have something in common: they need to negotiate contracts for themselves but are inexperience in the matter. Traditionally, when Jewish rabbis and cantors negotiate with the synagogue boards, the agreement is based on handshakes and respect. Bringing in Lawyers is a necessary change that Conservative Jews have made in order to protect their own well-being. Many Conservatives have even began to recommend Lawyers. Kelman speculates it's because they don’t know how to …show more content…
She was raised as the daughter of a Conservative rabbi and also was a New York district attorney. Kelman goes onto say that “I know a lot about law. And I know a lot about rabbis.” Knowing about both law and rabbis makes Kelman the perfect lawyer for a rabbit looking to negotiate a contract with a synagogue. Sometimes, Kelman has to deal with a client who is in a tough spot. A synagogue was asking a rabbi (a client of Kelman) to sign a contract that would allow him to be fired from his job for no reason. Kelman offered another deal, but the synagogue didn’t want to work with her. Kelman’s response was “What are they going to do if you don’t sign? Stop paying you?” Kelman is a very good negotiator and often chooses to push for better contracts. Kelman understands the problems that the synagogue boards and the rabbis face and often comes up with solutions that work for everyone involved in the negotiation. She is the protection for the rabbis who don’t know how to protect themselves. The service Abby Kelman provides is of the utmost use for rabbis and even provides for some win-win solutions for the