If you live in Nassau County and are dealing with a legal case centering on your family or on your children, this is considered a family law case and it will be heard in Nassau County Family Court. This court is granted legal authority in making decisions in cases to determine Child Support, to settle Child Custody, to negotiate Visitation, as well as cases that involve Abuse and Neglect or an Order of Protection. Your Nassau County Child Custody Lawyer appreciates that the question of Child Custody often will be the issue that is the toughest faced when a couple goes through a separation or divorce. If you face a Child Custody Case, prepare yourself by looking over the information here, prepared for you by an experienced Nassau County Child Custody Lawyer at the office of Stephen Bilkis & Associates, PLLC.
Let’s start with the basics: The address of the Nassau County Family Court is 1200 Old Country Rd in Westbury, New York. For general information, their phone number is 516-571-9033
Next, you need to understand how your case will be decided. In Nassau County as well as throughout the state—whether you’re in Manhattan or in suburban Suffolk County, your Child Custody case is going to be decided based on one thing: what outcome is in the best interests of your child? While this may seem like a vague standard to go by, you should note that a Nassau County Family Court Judge in fact examines specific aspects of your family life in the process of reaching a determination. He or she will start, for instance, by first considering who has been primary caregiver for the child. Who has handled daily care in the child’s life—the everyday needs such as getting dressed or getting ready to go to school, having a meal or a bath, getting help with any homework, visiting a doctor?
If another opinion is desired in determining which parent has acted as primary caregiver, the Nassau County Family Court Judge has the choice to appoint a Law Guardian. This is a resource—also a Nassau County Family Lawyer—who takes on the function of representing your child in your custody case. Generally, the Law Guardian will want to interview any child involved; afterwards he or she presents their position to the Court as to which of the parents should be named the Custodial parent.
Finally, it’s important to understand the varying kinds of custody which may be awarded to you or your child’s other parent. They are as follows:
Physical Custody: This is a basic custody form, and may sometimes be known as Residential Custody. When you are granted Physical/Residential Custody, it simply denotes that your child lives with you as their primary residence will be. The further implications are that you will be the parent with the right to make decisions about the child’s daily routine, such as what and when they eat their meals, when the child’s homework must be done, and what bedtime will be established.
Joint Custody (Shared Custody): When parents are given Joint Custody, it means that both of them have equal rights in decision making regarding the care and life of their child. The parents will reach any major decision about their child’s life together—regardless of which parent may retain physical or residential custody.
Full custody: This is a comprehensive form of custody. When you are granted full custody of your child, this means you are the one authority making all of the decisions that impact your child. These are all-encompassing, and include deciding where the primary residence for your child or children will be, planning how they will be educated and which schools they’ll attend, picking the doctors for the child to see, and choosing the faith or the religion under which to raise your child
Each Nassau County Child Custody Lawyer at Stephen Bilkis & Associates, PLLC has Family Court experience and familiarity with other factors that may come up in your Custody case. For example, the Court may consider your background, the background of the other parent, or the expressed wishes of your child or children. We can help you handle all of these issues and reach an outcome appropriate to your unique family situation. Please call us to receive free advice with no further obligation, whether its child custody, visitation, child support or a divorce case. Reach us at 800.696.9529, then we’ll meet you in any New York City borough, in Long Island on Suffolk County (as well as in Nassau County), even up in Westchester, and of course also in Manhattan, in Kings County (Brooklyn), in Queens, over in Richmond County (Staten Island), or in the Bronx.