Eyes on the road, manicured hands on the wheel, Lynne Z. Gold-Bikin ’73, Esq., discusses her next case with her assistant via a shiny cell phone conveniently attached to the dashboard of her Mercedes and set on speaker.

As she drives by Wolf, Block, Schorr and Solis-Cohen, the Norristown, Pa., law office where she serves as a senior partner, paralegal Mel Schwering crosses the busy street and hands her some files through the window.

“By the way, you look great!” says Schwering, as she ducks traffic to return to the office.

Gold-Bikin smiles. At 68, she looks better than great. She looks 45. Her midnight-blue sweater suit fits perfectly and accents her wavy auburn hair. As she walks into the Bucks County Courthouse, the silver buckles on her polished blue pumps shine with a combination of beauty and authority.

Her client is nervous, of course. There are huge issues on the line. Who will receive primary custody of the children? Who will be allowed to stay in the house?

Gold-Bikin confidently heads into the judge’s chambers with the lawyer for the other side.

For hours, the negotiations continue. During this time, nothing is announced in open court. The action takes place between the lawyers and the judge in his chambers, and then between each lawyer and their client, and then between the two lawyers, and then back in the judge’s chambers. Thick tension fills the air. Eventually, a settlement is reached.

The judge calls the clients and the lawyers to the bench. The clients swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. So help them God.

Gold-Bikin’s client receives primary custody of the children and exclusive control of the house. While the custody agreement is temporary, and the estranged couple will have to return to court for the divorce and permanent custody agreement, it is time to celebrate over coffee, salads and sandwiches.

One task accomplished, dozens more on her mind, Gold-Bikin rushes back to her office, where she is managing partner of the Family Law Practice Group. Tossing mink coat and heels aside, she answers questions from the media about the latest twist in the Anna Nicole Smith custody case. Next, an exchange with another lawyer heats up the speaker phone. There is a question of hidden income. The call ends suddenly. The other lawyer calls back almost immediately.

“Lynne, please, let’s settle this,” the other lawyer pleads. “This case is giving me a splitting headache.”

“I want to settle this case too,” says Gold- Bikin, who suddenly looks very relaxed. “I will see you in court on Monday.”

“I work hard. I am not afraid of anyone or
anything. And Albright gave me the ability to
believe in myself.”

Gold-Bikin’s ascent to the top of the competitive field of law began when she enrolled at Albright at the age of 30. The mother of four young children, she commuted from Pottsville, Pa., and graduated summa cum laude. She then headed to Villanova University, where she received her law degree in 1976 and was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar the same year.

“During that time I hosted a local TV show called ‘Off the Pedestal’ for women who had fallen, jumped or were pushed off the pedestal,” she says. “Those were heady times for women’s liberation. I told other women, if I can do it, you can do it. I was happy to be a role model, because there weren’t any role models for me.”

As a rare female family lawyer in the late 1970s, Gold-Bikin campaigned for no-fault divorce in Pennsylvania, which was approved in 1980. Before then, spouses had to prove fault, such as abuse or adultery, in order to divorce.

“Pennsylvania was one of the last two states in the United States to approve alimony,” she recalls. “I appeared on so many TV shows talking about the issues, I became the face of divorce.”

After serving on the front lines of more than 15,000 divorces, Gold-Bikin advises couples who want to stay married to spend 20 minutes together every single day, communicating.“Couples need to learn how to stay close by talking to each other,” says Gold-Bikin, author of The Divorce Trial Manual, a textbook widely used in law schools. “We have to teach people how to fight fair. You have to learn how to state your needs without criticizing the other person.”

While there are five reasons that often make divorce inevitable – physical abuse, verbal abuse, adultery, addictions and homosexuality– most divorces can be blamed on a breakdown in communication, she says. Therefore, if students learned successful communication skills, many divorces could be avoided.

With that goal in mind, Gold-Bikin founded the Partners program in 1993. The program, now used in more than 175 high schools across the country, uses videotapes and interactive exercises to literally get teens talking to each other, and to encourage them to think about how their communication styles affect their relationships.

“There are five communication principles that are essential to the Partners program,” she explains. “They are: say something nice to your partner every day; tell your partner something about your day; ask a question about something you don’t understand; express a wish, hope or dream; and request change. The most important rule is that you can’t say the word ‘you,’ you must use the word ‘I.’ ”

She encourages couples who are struggling to stay married to check out PAIRS, an educational program that focuses on successful communication skills, at www.pairs.org. Good marriages are based on respect, a sense of humor and common goals, says Gold- Bikin, who has served as an adjunct faculty member of the University of Houston Trial Advocacy Institute since 1989.

Back in her elegant King of Prussia home, surrounded by photos of her family, which includes her husband, four children, nine
grandchildren, two dogs and two cats, Gold-Bikin reflects on her amazing journey, and what factors helped her succeed.

“My mother told me I could do anything I wanted to do, and I believed her,” she says.“I work hard. I am not afraid of anyone or
anything. And Albright gave me the ability to believe in myself.”

“I told other women, if I can do it,
  you can do it.”

She credits much of her success to her loyal staff, many of whom have worked with her for more than 20 years.

“I make my staff part of my team,” says Gold-Bikin, one of the first women to serve as chair of the American Bar Association, Family Law Section. “They don’t work for me, they work with me.”

Gold-Bikin received an honorary doctor of law degree from Albright in 1996 and was appointed to the Board of Trustees in 2000. In 2001, she was named one of the top 50 business women in Pennsylvania.

“I think of all the people whose lives I have touched,” says Gold-Bikin, who spoke to graduates of Albright’s Accelerated Degree Program in June 2006. “I told the graduates what I tell my own children. When you leave your circle of friends and family, if your circle is not a better place because you were there, then you have wasted your life.”