Nassau County Child Custody Lawyer

In Nassau County, a custody dispute often collides with the realities of suburban family life: one parent catching an early LIRR train into Manhattan, the other handling school drop-offs in a district the family chose with care, and both wondering how a judge will sort it all out. For many parents, the biggest worries are missing the everyday moments of their child’s life, losing their voice in decisions about school and health care, or being misjudged by a court that barely knows their family. Whether your family lives in Garden City, Valley Stream, or Oyster Bay, those concerns call for attorneys who know how custody cases unfold in Nassau County’s courts.

Nassau County child custody lawyer Stephen Bilkis has practiced family law in New York for nearly 30 years, and the firm he leads has handled more than 500 child custody cases. Its attorneys bring more than 300 years of collective experience to the parents they help, and that experience shows in how carefully we prepare each case, from the first consultation through the final order.

Each custody matter has its own history and its own challenges. Some parents have reached a general understanding and need it written into an order that the court will enforce. Others cannot agree on where their child should live, whether a parent may relocate, or whether the child is safe with the other parent. Grandparents and relatives raising a child may also need legal protection. The experienced Nassau County child custody lawyers at our firm will explain your options and create a strategy that reflects your child’s needs and your priorities.

Stephen Bilkis’s dedication to the people he helps has been acknowledged by others in the legal profession throughout his career. He has been chosen for the New York Super Lawyers list, a recognition limited to the top 5% of attorneys in the state. Avvo has awarded him its Excellent mark, Justia lists him as a Top-Rated Lawyer, and Expertise.com and TopLawyer.com have also recognized his work.

Joint and Sole Custody in Nassau County

Parents facing a custody case often feel pressure to ask for “joint” or “sole” custody before they fully understand what either one would mean for their family. Stephen Bilkis & Associates helps you see how each option would affect your child’s routines, your role in major decisions, and your relationship with the other parent. After reviewing your schedules, your child’s activities, and your co-parenting history, we recommend the arrangement that gives your family the best chance at stability.

Every custody order in New York answers two separate questions: who makes the major decisions about your child, and where your child will live. Nassau County parents can end up with different arrangements for each, such as sharing decisions equally while the child lives mostly in one home. The most common arrangements are:

• Joint legal custody: Both parents have an equal say in big decisions about the child’s schooling, medical treatment, and religious upbringing.
• Sole legal custody: One parent has the final word on those big decisions, even if the other parent still spends regular time with the child.
• Primary physical custody: The child lives mainly with one parent, often called the residential parent, and spends scheduled time with the other.
• Shared physical custody: The child splits time between both homes, though the schedule does not have to be an even 50/50 split.

Factors Nassau County Judges Consider in Custody Cases

When the future of your family is being decided in a courtroom, it is easy to feel that everything you have done as a parent could be overlooked. Stephen Bilkis and his team make sure your contributions are documented and presented clearly to the judge. We assemble school and attendance records, medical and therapy records, sports and activity schedules, and testimony from teachers, coaches, babysitters, and others who know your family, and we prepare you carefully for your time on the witness stand.

A Nassau County judge does not start out favoring the mother or the father. Instead, the judge looks at the whole family and asks which arrangement will serve the child best, usually focusing on four broad areas:

• Safety and well-being: The court first considers any proven domestic violence and whether either parent has a physical or mental health problem that affects their ability to care for the child.
• Who handles daily life: Judges look at which parent has managed meals, homework, and doctor visits, and whose work schedule, commute, and child care plans leave room to keep doing it.
• The child’s relationships: The court weighs the child’s bond with each parent, the importance of keeping brothers and sisters together and staying close to relatives, and the wishes of a child mature enough to express them.
• How the parents treat each other: A parent who supports the child’s relationship with the other parent and can make decisions cooperatively usually fares better than one who stirs up conflict or tries to turn the child against the other parent.

Custody disputes that are part of a divorce are generally heard in Nassau County Supreme Court in Mineola. For unmarried parents, and for parents who are separated but not divorcing, custody cases usually go to Nassau County Family Court at 1200 Old Country Road in Westbury, where the judge applies the best-interests standard in Domestic Relations Law § 240(1)(a).

A custody or visitation trial in Family Court is supposed to be completed within 90 days of its first day, which means there is no pausing midway to hunt down a missing record. Our team uses the weeks before trial to collect documents, prepare witnesses, and decide exactly how we will show the judge the role you play in your child’s life.

Another question Nassau County parents raise is whether a criminal record rules out custody. It does not automatically. A Nassau County judge will look at the nature of the offense, how long ago it happened, and whether it has any bearing on the parent’s ability to care for the child safely.

Visitation Schedules for Nassau County Parents

When your child lives mostly with the other parent, you may fear that your role will shrink to a few hours every other weekend. Stephen Bilkis and his team fight for a schedule that lets you remain a real presence in your child’s life. We prepare detailed parenting plans that address weekends, weeknights, holidays, school vacations, summer, and handoffs, including transportation and pickup locations.

A parent who does not have primary physical custody is generally entitled to regular parenting time, unless it would be harmful to the child. The schedule may be set by agreement or by the court. If there are genuine concerns about the child’s safety, such as a history of abuse, substance use, or extended absence from the child’s life, the court may order supervised visitation in which a neutral adult is present.

How to Modify a Custody Order in Nassau County

Life has a way of outgrowing custody orders, and an arrangement that once worked may now be causing problems for your child. Stephen Bilkis & Associates stands up for Nassau County parents on both sides of modification cases, whether you are seeking a change or resisting one. We gather proof of new circumstances, such as a change in work hours, a move, trouble at school, or safety concerns, and explain to the court how the proposed change would affect your child.

To win a modification, the requesting parent must show both a change in circumstances since the order was issued and that the modification would be in the child’s best interests. Small or passing changes generally are not enough, and judges are cautious about upsetting a routine that is serving the child well.

A question we hear regularly from Nassau County parents is how long a custody order actually lasts. A custody order from Nassau County Family Court does not expire on its own. It generally remains in place until your child turns 18, unless the court changes it first, which is why parents who quietly agree to a new schedule between themselves should still have that change approved by the court so it can be enforced later. Military families on Long Island face a related worry, namely whether being deployed could cost a parent custody. New York law protects service members on this point, and a deployment generally cannot by itself justify a permanent change in custody, although the court can put temporary arrangements in place until the parent returns.

Relocating With Your Child From Nassau County

A move to Suffolk, New Jersey, or another state may seem like a positive step for your family, but a custody order can complicate even a well-intentioned plan. Stephen Bilkis and his team help parents asking the court to approve a move as well as parents trying to stop one. We present evidence about the reasons behind the move, what the child would gain, the practical realities of travel, and a revised schedule that protects the child’s relationship with both parents.

A parent who wants to move generally must obtain written consent from the other parent or permission from the court if the move would substantially affect the other parent’s time with the child, or if the custody agreement restricts where the parent may live. The court looks at each parent’s reasons for favoring or opposing the relocation, the effect on the child’s relationship with the other parent, and whether the move would improve the child’s life. Even a nearby move may be rejected when the other parent is closely involved in the child’s daily routine.

Matter of Pryce v. Truss, 240 A.D.3d 911 (N.Y. App. Div. 2025), shows what can happen when a parent moves first and asks later. The case came out of Nassau County Family Court after a mother took the couple’s young child to California without the father’s permission. The father went to court, the mother returned to New York with the child, and she then asked for custody and permission to move back to California. The court gave her residential custody but refused to let her relocate, required the child to live within 30 miles of the father, and gave the father mid-week and holiday time, and the Second Department upheld those rulings.

Grandparents’ Custody and Visitation Rights in Nassau County

Grandparents who have been a constant presence in a grandchild’s life can feel helpless when a parent decides to keep them away. Stephen Bilkis & Associates stands up for grandparents seeking custody or visitation and also defends parents who are opposing those requests. We develop evidence of the grandparent’s relationship with the child through caregiving history, photographs, school and medical records, and witnesses familiar with the family.

Take a grandfather in Levittown who drove his granddaughter to dance class every week and hosted her for Sunday dinners, until a family argument led her parents to cut off all contact. With both parents alive, the law does not let him go straight to asking for a visitation schedule. He first needs to convince the court it has a reason to step in, and his years of dance-class rides and Sunday dinners, along with his attempts to reach out after the falling-out, are the kind of evidence that can do it. We would pull together calendars, photos, messages, and statements from family friends or people at the dance studio who saw the two of them together. If he clears that first hurdle, the judge then asks whether regular visits would benefit his granddaughter, and her parents’ wishes carry considerable weight as long as they are fit parents. Had one of her parents died, he could have skipped the first hurdle and asked for visitation directly.

If that same Levittown grandfather wanted his granddaughter to live with him full time, he would face a much higher bar. Proving a close bond would not be enough on its own, because a parent’s right to raise their own child comes first. He would need to show something extraordinary, such as her parents abandoning her, being unable to care for her safely, or having left her in his home for a long period, and only then would the judge look at where she would be better off.

Enforcing Custody and Visitation Orders in Nassau County

It is incredibly frustrating to follow a custody order faithfully while the other parent ignores it, and every missed visit is time with your child that you cannot get back. Our attorneys at Stephen Bilkis & Associates move promptly to enforce your rights under the order. We help you keep a thorough record of each violation, including dates, times, and anyone who witnessed it, and then file a violation petition with Nassau County Family Court in Westbury or with the court that issued the order.

Some of the most common violations include withholding parenting time, returning the child late, and making major decisions without a parent who shares legal custody. The court may order make-up time, change the custody arrangement, or hold the violating parent in contempt. A pattern of disregarding the order can also weaken that parent’s position in future custody matters.

Some Nassau County parents come to us before any custody order exists, after the other parent has refused to return the child. Without an order, both parents generally have equal rights, so the police may be unable to step in. The best course is usually to file a custody petition in Nassau County Family Court right away and, if the child’s safety is at risk, ask the court for emergency relief.

Request a Free, No-Obligation Consultation with Stephen Bilkis & Associates

If you are a Nassau County parent facing a custody dispute, or you need to change or enforce an existing order, contact the experienced child custody attorneys in Nassau County at Stephen Bilkis & Associates today for a free consultation at 800.696.9529. Tell us how the dispute began, whether a court date or order is already in place, and what you are hoping to achieve for your child. We will discuss your situation and identify the next steps that may be available. Early action matters, because a parent who waits may find the other side has already influenced the court’s first impression of the case.

Families who come to our firm receive the same level of commitment that has earned Stephen Bilkis the regard of colleagues and legal organizations over the course of his career. One of those honors is his selection to the New York Super Lawyers list, which recognizes the top 5% of attorneys in the state. He is also rated Excellent by Avvo and has been recognized as a Top-Rated Lawyer by Justia, as well as by Expertise.com and TopLawyer.com.

Stephen Bilkis & Associates helps parents and families throughout Nassau County, from Hempstead and Freeport to Great Neck and Massapequa.