Suffolk County Family Lawyer

Suffolk County Family Lawyer A Suffolk County Family Lawyer from Stephen Bilkis & Associates, PLLC has written this introduction to both Family Law and the Suffolk County Family Courts system for you. We will discuss the different sorts of cases heard by the Suffolk County Family Court, the professionals who manage the Suffolk Family Court, as well as the location of the key offices inside the Suffolk County Family Courthouse. There is no doubt that having any Suffolk County Family Lawyer from our office on your side—one who is familiar with how the Court works and how the Law works—will help you navigate the difficult process of a Family Law case. Moreover, if you still have questions at the conclusion of this article we offer a free consultation.

Suffolk Family Court deals with cases involving issues of Child Custody and Child Visitation (visitation issues sometimes involve family members other than parents, possibly grandparents rights), Establishing Paternity, Guardianship, issues of Spouse and Child Support, Order of Protection, cases involving Abuse and Neglect, as well as juvenile criminal issues (for those under 16 years old). Basically, Family Law covers all the issues that can potentially come from your various family relationships and close personal relationships. The one family issue not covered by the Court is Divorce. To obtain a Divorce in Suffolk County, the case needs to be handled in Suffolk County Supreme Court by a Suffolk County Divorce Lawyer.

Suffolk County Family Court is located in Central Islip, New York, and maintains a facility in 889 Main Street Riverhead, New York Street. Case assignment is dependent upon the geographical location of the parties. The street address in Islip is 400 Carleton Avenue, Central Islip, NY 11722.

In Suffolk County, there are various Court officials who might preside over your Family Law matter. These individuals include Judges and Support Magistrates, as well as Referees and sometimes Judicial Hearing Officers (JHOs). A Judge is an attorney, as are the Support Magistrates and the Court Attorney, along with the Referees and also the Judicial Hearing Officers. A Support Magistrate typically hears child support cases, while a Judge, Referee or a Judicial Hearing Officer (JHO) will hear a Custody case or a Visitation case. Judges hear cases where Orders of Protection, issues of Abuse, or Neglect is involved, as well as any case potentially involving incarceration.

The parties involved in a Family Law case will sometimes have a meeting with a Court Attorney. This attorney is a Suffolk County Family Lawyer working for the judge. The primary objective of the Court Attorney is to resolve family cases outside of the courtroom, thereby avoiding unnecessary time in court. Using the example of a custody case, a Court Attorney might speak with the Family Attorney for both parties—for the respondent and also for the petitioner—in an attempt to reach a settlement between the parties and therefore avoid a trial. In a Custody case, a Law Guardian (who is a lawyer the Family Court appoints to represent the best interests of the child) might also attend the meeting.

At Stephen Bilkis & Associates, PLLC we offer a free consultation and can help you with a Child Support case, your Child Custody case (fathers rights too), a Visitation issue, with Orders of Protection, or with cases involving Abuse or Neglect, as well as Paternity. Contact us at 800.696.9529. We can schedule a meeting with you in either of our Long Island locations in our Suffolk County office, or if it’s easier for you, in our Nassau County office. Furthermore, we’re also available for meetings in New York City, Manhattan and Queens, and north of the city in Westchester County, too. So call us at 800.696.9529