• Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to main content

Willig, Williams & Davidson

Tagline

  • Overview
  • Experience
  • Practices
Firm Social
Site Tools
Michael P. Fenerty
Alternate image for Michael P. Fenerty

Michael P. Fenerty

Associate

mfenerty@wwdlaw.com
215.656.3646

Philadelphia

1845 Walnut Street, 24th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19103

Haddonfield

101 Windsor Avenue Haddonfield, NJ 08033

  • 17 Willig, Williams & Davidson Attorneys Named Among 2025 ‘Best Lawyers in America,’ Deborah Willig and Irwin Aronson Named ‘Lawyer of the Year’
  • 16 Willig, Williams & Davidson Attorneys Named Among 2024 ‘Best Lawyers in America’
  • 17 Willig, Williams & Davidson Attorneys Named Among 2025 ‘Best Lawyers in America,’ Deborah Willig and Irwin Aronson Named ‘Lawyer of the Year’
  • 16 Willig, Williams & Davidson Attorneys Named Among 2024 ‘Best Lawyers in America’

Mike Fenerty primarily concentrates his practice in domestic relations or family law. Mike also represents clients in probate and estate administration matters as well as preparing wills and other necessary estate planning documents. He is an accomplished litigator with considerable success in many areas of the law.

In domestic relations matters, Mike counsels and represents husbands and wives in divorce, separation, spousal support, alimony and equitable distribution matters. He represents fathers and mothers, grandparents and third parties in child custody and custody relocation cases. He represents parents and caregivers in child support cases. Mike handles many adoptions including step-parent and second parent adoptions. Mike has also had great success prosecuting and defending clients in protection from abuse matters.

In probate or estate administration matters, Mike represents families in the administration of the estate of a deceased person from immediate consultation after the passing of a party through the entire probate process and including the preparation and filing of the Inheritance Tax Return. In Guardianship matters, Mike represents families in securing guardianship over incapacitated relatives who can no longer manage their own affairs.

In furtherance of the firm’s social mission and its tradition of giving back to the profession and the community, Mike serves as pro bono corporate counsel to several non-profit organizations. He has also accepted pro bono court appointments as a Guardian Ad Litem or Child Advocate in complex custody cases in order to protect the interests of children whose families are in crises. Mike has been a presenter and panelist in the Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s continuing legal education seminar, “Handling Your First Divorce Case.” He also authored portions of the seminar’s companion publication, “Your First Divorce Case” (Pennsylvania Bar Institute, 2010). In 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 he was honored as a member of the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania's Pro Bono Honor Roll.

WHAT INSPIRES ME ABOUT MY WORK

“The most inspiring thing about my practice is the knowledge that when my clients first contact me, they are often are overwhelmed or scared and experiencing the worst moments of their lives.   In Family Law matters, clients may be facing the loss of their family, their marriage, custody of their kids, their home, their income, their retirement assets; basically, many of the things that may define their identity and their family life.  In Estate and Probate matters, they are usually dealing with the death of a spouse or a parent or other loved one and all of the legal and financial complexities which such an event creates.  In Guardianship cases, they have hit the point where they can no longer protect a loved one and need immediate help.  Therefore, I want my clients know that I will fight hard for them and be there for them every step of the way; and most importantly, they should know that their case is just as important to me as it is to them.”

AWAY FROM WORK

Mike is a native Philadelphian with deep roots in his River Wards community. He founded and served as president of his local civic association. He is also an active father who coaches baseball for the Taney Dragons and the Philadelphia Thunder Baseball Club. When he isn’t coaching baseball or watching his son play sports, Mike is a long-suffering Philadelphia sports fan. He is also a passionate fan of many types of music. He lives with his wife, his son and a Golden Retriever named “Boomer.”

  • Successfully tried Equitable Distribution cases involving complex marital assets including businesses and professional practices in additional to more traditional marital estates.
  • A long record of success protecting pensions and retirement assets in Divorce and Equitable Distribution cases.
  • Emphasizes a collaborative approach to divorce working with other professionals in areas including taxes, real estate, mental health and special needs evaluators to reach a settlement or other outcome which meets the “real-life” needs of all parties.
  • Has successfully both defended the validity of pre-nuptial agreements and had them invalidated pursuant to the needs of the individual client.
  • Often secures full or primary custody for many clients dealing with a parenting partner who has addiction or substance abuse issues, engages in risky or inappropriate behavior, attempts to alienate the child from their parent, or engaging in patterns of behavior which are detrimental to the child or children at issue.
  • Vast experience protecting the custodial rights of parents who work non-traditional jobs and have unique work schedules.
  • Experienced in successfully representing clients in cases where their children have been abused by the opposing parent with an emphasis on the emotional needs of the child.
  • Possesses decades of experience securing custodial rights for grandparents.
  • Consistently achieves favorable results in complex child custody relocation cases including recently securing an order allowing a client to relocate to Arizona and in another case, preventing the relocation of a child to a nearby New Jersey town due to the failure of the opposing party to attempt to co-parent with the client.
  • Secured Support Orders continuing financial support for children with special needs after they have finished school and reached age eighteen.
  • More than two decades of consistent success trying Protection from Abuse cases to verdict for parties seeking or defending against domestic relations restraining orders.
  • Worked with the U.S. Attorney and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in an abuse case against a serial online publisher of “revenge porn” to successfully prevent a professional client’s intimate media from appearing on the internet.
  • Success in multiple appeals of findings of indicated abuse by the Department of Human Services.
  • Very experienced in representing parents, same sex couples, step-parents, grandparents and third parties in child and adult adoption cases.
  • Works collaboratively with IVF reproductive centers in second parent adoption cases to ensure that the legal requirements are satisfied before the adoption process begins.
  • Secured Guardianships for clients with family members suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease and other mental health challenges.
  • Represents families in Probate and Estate Administration from the passing of their loved on through the entire probate process.
    Prevented an estranged spouse who had abandoned his wife from inheriting under her estate.
  • Often secures agreements in estate cases where family members are at odds and behaving in an unproductive fashion.
  • Successfully represented a local civic association before the Philadelphia Historic Commission in preventing a large church type building which had been used a nuisance night cub from being designated as historic in order that it could be demolished and replaced with new family homes as desired by the community.
  • Successfully represented the same civic association before the Zoning Board of Adjustment on many occasions preventing variances from being issued for properties to be used as sex clubs, night clubs, bars, multi-family housing and other inappropriate uses.
  • Successfully represented a local youth baseball organization facing the foreclosure of its clubhouse by securing the waiver of tens of thousands of dollars in overdue real estate taxes in an appeal before the Philadelphia Board of Revision of Taxes by successfully arguing for the retroactive application of its nonprofit status.

Education

  • Villanova University School of Law (J.D., 1994)
    • Wapner Newman Wigrizer Award for Excellence in Trial Advocacy
    • Trial Advocacy Program
    • Delaware County Legal Services Advocacy Program
    • Family Law Society

Honors and Awards

  • Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America©, 2024
  • Rated as a “Top Family Law Attorney” by Philadelphia Life and Suburban Life Magazines
  • Pro Bono Honor Roll, First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, 2008-2012
  • Wapner Newman Wigrizer Award for Excellence in Trial Advocacy
  • 2011 Friend of the Firefighters Award from IAFF Local 22 in recognition of providing excellent representation to its members

Associations

Professional

  • Philadelphia Bar Association, Member, 1994 –2013; Member, Family Law Section Executive Committee, 2010 to Present
  • Pennsylvania Bar Association, Member, 1994 - Present
  • American Bar Association, Member, 1994 - Present
  • Nicholas J. Cipriani Family Law American Inn of Court, Member, 2007 – Present; Master of the Bar, 2010 to Present
  • Brehon Law Society, Member, 1994 - Present
  • Olde Richmond Civic Association, Pro Bono Corporate Counsel, 2007 - Present
  • The Ladies of Port Richmond Breast Cancer Charity, Pro Bono Corporate Counsel, 2005 - Present
  • The Friends of Pops Playground, Pro Bono Corporate Counsel, 2009 – Present
  • Port Richmond Tigers Baseball Association – Pro Bono Corporate Counsel, 2019 – Present

Community

  • Philadelphia Thunder Baseball Club, President and Travel Team Manager
  • Taney Youth Baseball Association, Board of Directors, Member; League Commissioner; Little League Team Manager; Tournament & Travel Team Manager; American Legion Team Manager
  • Olde Richmond Civic Association, President & Founder, 2007 – 2011; Board of Directors, Member, 2007 - Present
  • Northeast Catholic High School Alumni Association, Board of Governors, 2003 - 2008
  • Ancient Order of Hibernians - Division 87, Member
  • Philadelphia Irish Society, Member
  • Irish-American Baseball Society, Member

Admissions

Bar Admissions

  • Pennsylvania, 1994
  • New Jersey, 1994

Court Admissions

  • U.S. District Court for the, Eastern District of, Pennsylvania, 1996

Employment

  • Willig, Williams & Davidson, Associate, 2006-Present
  • Mulvey & Flanagan, Associate, 2002-2006
  • Law Offices of Michael Patrick Fenerty, Principal, 1998-2002
  • Lavin, Coleman, Finarelli & Gray, Associate, 1994-1997
  • Philadelphia
  • Harrisburg
  • Haddonfield
  • Chicago
  • 215.656.3600
© 2025 Willig, Williams & Davidson. All Rights Reserved. Attorney Advertising.
  • People
  • Practices
  • Our Firm
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Contact
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok