Each County in New York has its own Family Court and the Family Court Act is the governing body of law that is used by all of the Judges in New York State to administer justice.
Moreover, each County appoints or elects its own Judges to sit in the Family Court. That’s why it’s critical to have the right legal guidance in your family case, because there is a lot to know and a mistake can be costly. Working together with a New York Family Lawyer that knows the Court system and has the legal knowledge to get you through this difficult time is very important. At Stephen Bilkis & Associates, PLLC we understand this fact and are here to help you. Each New York Family Lawyer from our office has taken some time in order to write the following information about Family Law and the New York Family Court system. From this information, you will learn about the different types of cases the New York Family Court deals with, the people who you will find overseeing the Court, and if you still need help we offer a free consultation with a NewYork Family Lawyer from our office.
Family Law deals with all the issues that can potentially develop between family members, for whatever reason you can think of. Your New York Family Lawyer will tell you that if your case will be dealt with in the New York Family Court if it involves Child Custody, an issue of Child Visitation, any issue around Paternity including Establishing Paternity, Spousal Support, and/or Child Support (which might include terminating child support via emancipation of the child), Orders of Protection, Guardianship, an instance of Abuse or alleged Neglect, of if it deals with a juvenile criminal issue. The one issue of family law that the New York Family Court lacks jurisdiction over is Divorce. In New York, to receive a Divorce, your case needs to be filed in one of the County’s Supreme Court.
Any of a variety of professionals might potentially preside over a Family Law case occurring in New York . This includes not only the Judges, but also Support Magistrates, even Referees, and at some times a Judicial Hearing Officer (JHO). The person in each of these roles—the Judge, the Support Magistrate, and additionally the Court Attorney, the Referees and also the person who is the JHO (or Judicial Hearing Officer)—can be a New York Family Lawyer as well.
Does your case involve Child Support? It will be heard by the Support Magistrate. A Judge, or a Referee, or a JHO (Judicial Hearing Officers (JHO) will be the one to hear your case if it is a Custody case or if it’s a Visitation case. It is the Judges who hear cases that concern Orders of Protection, cases of alleged Abuse or Neglect, as well as any case if it might involve incarceration for the individual charged.
A Court Attorney can potentially meet with the parties in the case to discuss and consider coming to a resolution before the case actually goes to court. A Court Attorney may often be the New York Family Lawyer who has the sole responsibility of trying to reach a resolution of the case before your case ends up in court. The Court Attorney may, for example, speak to the Family Attorney for the respondent and the New York Family Attorney representing the petitioner, because if mediation leads to a settlement that is agreed upon, a trial might be avoided altogether. If your Family Law case is one of case of Child Custody, a Law Guardian may also sit in on the conference (this is a New York Family lawyer who is appointed by the New York Family Court and given the responsibility of representing the interests of the most vulnerable party—they represent the child's interest).
Contact the New York Family Lawyer of your choice from Stephen Bilkis & Associates, PLLC today. We are located throughout New York and Long island with convenient locations in Manhattan, Queens Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island, Nassau County, Suffolk County and in Westchester County as well. We offer experienced and aggressive representation and offer you a free consultation to review your Family Law case, whether it involves Child Custody, or Child Support, whether it’s a question of Visitation, or if an Order of Protection is involved. And we can also help you with your Abuse case, a case of alleged Neglect, a Paternity case, or your case involving the Emancipation of a child. We have knowledgeable and skilled New York family Lawyers that handle fathers rights and grand parents rights cases as well Call today: 800.696.9529 for a free case evaluation.