Collecting on the Decree: Post-Judgment Enforcement in Family Law

Alice P. Jacobsohn, Esq., Director of Government Relations | PayrollOrg

Alice P. Jacobsohn, Esq., is Director of Government Relations for PayrollOrg, formerly the American Payroll Association, where she represents payroll professionals before federal, state, and local legislative and regulatory bodies on the rules governing how wages are paid and withheld. Her advocacy portfolio includes income withholding and child support obligations administered through payroll, a subject she has presented directly to employers, including a June 2024 employer conference program on payroll management and child support addressing income withholding orders. She brings more than 40 years of experience in high-profile policy, regulation, and advocacy roles.

• Education & Credentials

Ms. Jacobsohn is a licensed attorney in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, with more than 40 years of experience in law, policy, and regulation. Her credentials include mediation expertise, which she applies through precise legislative testimony and collaborative stakeholder engagement. Her early legal career included service as a staff attorney for a commissioner at the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and as legislative assistant to a Pennsylvania state senator, work spanning both regulatory proceedings and the legislative process.

• Recognition & Leadership

At PayrollOrg, Ms. Jacobsohn directs the Government Relations function and works with the organization’s Government Relations Task Force, preparing comment letters and testimony submitted to federal and state decision-makers on wage payment, income withholding, and related payroll compliance issues on behalf of the payroll profession.

• Professional Involvement

Ms. Jacobsohn is a frequent author and presenter on payroll compliance and government relations topics. Her published work for PayrollOrg addresses state and federal legislation affecting how employees are paid, and her conference presentations include employer education on payroll management and child support, covering income withholding orders.

• Experience

Ms. Jacobsohn has more than 40 years of success in high profile policy, regulation, and advocacy roles, influencing outcomes at the federal, state, and local levels in areas that include compliance, legislation, regulations, guidance, best practices, cost analyses, and strategic planning. Before joining the association, she worked as a compliance consultant helping private companies implement management strategies and business regulations, spent 17 years as a director at the National Waste and Recycling Association, served as a program manager at SEMCOR Inc. advising U.S. military and private-sector customers on compliance, and held attorney and legislative staff roles in Pennsylvania state government.

SESSION 1 – Choosing the Right Enforcement Remedy: Contempt, Income Withholding, and Liens | 12:00pm – 1:00pm

This session covers the three primary post-judgment enforcement remedies in family law — contempt, income withholding orders, and property liens — with a focus on selecting the right tool for each enforcement scenario. Attorneys will learn the civil/criminal contempt distinction, current federal IWO requirements including the 2025–2026 form revision, and how to perfect and deploy liens and receivership against non-compliant obligors. Participants leave with a practical decision framework for matching the enforcement remedy to the nature of the obligation, the obligor’s assets, and the specificity of the underlying decree.

BREAK | 1:00pm – 1:10pm

SESSION 2 – Collecting Against Retirement, Bank, and Business Assets After the Decree | 1:10pm – 2:10pm

This session examines post-judgment enforcement against retirement accounts, bank deposits, and business interests following a family law decree. Attorneys will learn how to deploy QDROs as collection tools, navigate bank account levies and exemptions, and overcome the structural barriers charging orders create when a debtor-spouse controls an LLC. Attendees leave with a working framework for selecting, sequencing, and executing enforcement remedies across all three major asset classes.