Sandra Fava has a lot going on. As a wife, mother, daughter, and family attorney, she doesn’t have much downtime. But, she is extremely grateful for the life she’s living.
Now celebrating her fifth anniversary since her diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer, she’s also thankful that a year after opening her own firm, Fava Law in Morristown, her business is thriving. In April, she was joined by the Honorable Thomas Manahan, a retired New Jersey appellate division judge. “He was actually one of my mentors when I first completed law school, and I clerked for him too,” says Sandra. “We became friends, and I now have the privilege of having him here.”
Judge Manahan is providing mediation, arbitration services, and counseling on some of the firm’s more complex legal issues. “He's just been a tremendous resource, and it’s such an honor to have him come on board.”
Another happy milestone is her and her husband Christopher’s 15th wedding anniversary. They are celebrating the occasion with a trip to Europe.
Sandra, an award-winning lawyer for over 20 years, realizes that no matter how busy life gets, it’s essential to take time out to have fun and relax. “We have our jobs, our children, our spouses, and I have aging parents. If you're the person who's quarterbacking, which women oftentimes are, and you don't take care of yourself, the team's going to lose. There's only so much stress humans are meant to endure.”
Some of her favorite things to do for stress relief are playing pickleball with her friends, having her nails done, getting a massage, and going on an annual spa weekend with her best girlfriend. “To be honest, sometimes it's just sitting on the couch and watching mindless television,” she says.
Being with her family also brings Sandra a lot of joy, and she loves the “mommy and me” weekends she spends with her children, ages 12, 10, and 8. “Since I completed my treatment for breast cancer, every Columbus Day weekend, I take turns taking each child on a short trip somewhere that we haven't been before. It’s just the two of us doing whatever we please.”
When you have multiple kids, she says, it can be hard to give each one the attention they might always want or need. “After I got sick, I really wanted to do something consistently that would give them something to hold onto for many years to come when they thought of me.”
Sandra also still makes time to do something else that’s very meaningful in her life: volunteering, especially with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), which she has been doing for the past nine years. “CASA generally serves the underserved families in our communities of Morris and Essex Counties,” she says. “It supports kids whose families, or themselves, are in the legal system for varying periods of time, and tries to give them support and some normalcy in their lives.”
In order to accomplish all that she does every day, she’s truly thankful for her health. “During treatment, I definitely was one of those people who at one point wanted to give up,” says Sandra. “But, I think if you can accept the process, while focusing on your future at the same time, that's really important. We can't change what happens to us, but if you embrace it instead of fighting it, you can have a much more positive experience.”
To learn more about Sandra and her firm, visit FavaLawNJ.com.
“We can't change what happens to us, but if you embrace it instead of fighting it, you can have a much more positive experience.”