Westchester County Family Lawyer

What Stephen Bilkis & Associates Offers Westchester County Families

Family law problems tend to arrive in the middle of busy lives, between work deadlines, school schedules, and caring for children or aging parents. Stephen Bilkis understands that pressure, having spent close to 30 years handling family law and matrimonial matters in Westchester County Family Court and Westchester County Supreme Court. During that time, the firm has handled more than 10,000 family law consultations and cases combined, and its lawyers have built more than 300 years of legal experience as a group.

Our practice covers the financial side of family law, including divorce, child support, and spousal maintenance, along with parenting matters such as custody, visitation, paternity, and grandparents’ rights. We also handle orders of protection, abuse and neglect cases, and guardianship.

Our work can start before anything is filed, when early planning can help most, and continue until the case is fully resolved. We look into what happened, preserve important evidence, and review financial records for income or assets that have not been disclosed. If a client is involved in more than one proceeding, we weigh how each one affects the others. As the case moves forward, we prepare clients for negotiations, court appearances, and trial when it is necessary.

Stephen Bilkis’s Professional Honors and Background

Among Stephen Bilkis’s professional honors is his selection to the New York Super Lawyers list, which recognizes the top 5% of attorneys in the state. Justia has listed him among its Top-Rated Lawyers, and Avvo has given him an Excellent mark. Expertise.com and TopLawyer.com have featured him as well.

Stephen attended Tulane University and graduated from Touro Law School. Admitted to practice in New York, he has handled matters across many areas of law throughout his career.

Westchester County Family Law Experience You Can Rely On

Stephen Bilkis & Associates offers families in Yonkers, White Plains, New Rochelle, and the Hudson River towns clear advice, prompt communication, and attorneys who are prepared for court. We learn what each client needs and build a strategy around those goals.

A free, no-obligation consultation is available by calling 800.696.9529. During that call, a Westchester County family lawyer with our firm can answer your first questions and explain how we can help.

Areas of Family Law We Practice in Westchester County

The sections below cover each type of family and matrimonial case our attorneys handle. Stephen Bilkis & Associates brings the same careful preparation to each one, whether the matter is resolved by agreement or decided by a judge.

Westchester County Divorce Cases

When a marriage ends in conflict, even routine decisions can turn into drawn-out battles. Stephen Bilkis and his team take on contested, uncontested, high-conflict, and high-net-worth divorces in Westchester County Supreme Court in White Plains. A fair outcome depends on knowing what the marital estate is really worth. It could hold deferred compensation from a corporate employer, a stake in a closely held business, or a home in Scarsdale or Rye that has grown significantly in value. Finding and valuing assets like these can take more than routine discovery, so we use methods developed over years of experience, such as examining business expense accounts for personal spending and comparing a spouse’s reported pay with company compensation records.

Gray Divorce in Westchester County

Ending a marriage after 25 or 30 years raises questions that younger couples rarely face, such as how retirement savings will stretch across two households. Stephen Bilkis helps longtime spouses divide pensions, 401(k)s, and IRAs, preparing any required court orders and coordinating each transfer to avoid unnecessary taxes or penalties. We also address health insurance, Social Security planning, and whether the family home should be sold or kept. Our goal is to protect our client’s financial security in retirement.

Westchester County Spousal Maintenance

Spousal maintenance can decide whether a person stays in their home or has to start over financially. Stephen Bilkis & Associates prepares the financial evidence that drives these decisions in Westchester County Supreme Court. New York’s formula generally applies only to income up to a set cap. For income above it, the court weighs additional factors, so we document each spouse’s finances, earning capacity, and the couple’s standard of living. After the divorce, maintenance may be modified or ended in certain situations, such as the recipient’s remarriage or qualifying cohabitation, depending on the law and the terms of the divorce.

Westchester Divorce Mediation and Collaborative Divorce

Spouses who want to protect their privacy and limit legal fees often consider settling their divorce without a trial. Stephen Bilkis advises clients in mediation and collaborative divorce, starting with an honest look at whether either option fits their situation. These approaches work best when both spouses share information openly, and they may not be appropriate when there is a history of abuse or one spouse controls the finances. When an agreement is reached, we draft or review the final settlement and handle the paperwork needed for the court to grant the divorce.

Westchester County Custody and Visitation Cases

Disagreements over a child’s school, medical care, or religious upbringing can be just as heated as disputes over where the child lives. Having handled more than 500 child custody cases, Stephen Bilkis & Associates works with parents in Westchester County Family Court, which hears cases in White Plains, New Rochelle, and Yonkers. Custody covers both where a child lives and who makes major decisions, and parents can share one while dividing the other. We help parents decide which arrangement to seek and present evidence of each parent’s involvement in the child’s schooling, health care, and daily life.

Grandparent Custody and Visitation in Westchester County

After a divorce, grandparents on one side of the family sometimes find that the parent with custody no longer allows visits. Stephen Bilkis and his team work with grandparents in this situation to seek a visitation order. Because the grandparent’s own child is still living, the court will first look for circumstances that justify its involvement, such as a long and close relationship that the custodial parent has ended. We gather evidence of that relationship and may propose a schedule that works alongside the other parent’s time. Grandparents seeking custody face a higher bar and must prove extraordinary circumstances.

Westchester County Child Support Disputes

Even when parents split their time with the children 50/50, one parent may still be required to pay child support. Stephen Bilkis explains to parents how support works under different parenting arrangements. In New York, when parenting time is split evenly, the parent with the higher income is generally treated as the paying parent. We review each parent’s earnings, the actual parenting schedule, and expenses like childcare and health insurance to make sure the support order is fair to our client.

Paternity and Parental Rights in Westchester County

A father who has been part of his child’s life may still lack legal rights if paternity was never formally established. Stephen Bilkis & Associates helps unmarried fathers take that step, whether through a voluntary Acknowledgment of Parentage or a petition in Westchester County Family Court. Without established parentage, a father may have limited ability to challenge a proposed move or assert his rights if the child may be adopted, although New York law does give unmarried fathers some protections. We also assist mothers who need paternity established for support, and men who believe they were wrongly named as a father. Challenging a prior acknowledgment or court order is possible only in limited circumstances.

Westchester County Guardianship Proceedings

Watching a parent or spouse lose the ability to manage money or medical decisions is painful, and it can leave families unsure who has the authority to step in. Stephen Bilkis helps families pursue guardianship for an adult in Westchester County Supreme Court when a power of attorney or health care proxy is not enough. The court appoints an evaluator, and a judge can limit the guardian’s powers to only what the person truly needs. We also handle guardianship of children in Westchester County Family Court and Surrogate’s Court when a parent cannot provide care.

Protective Orders in Westchester County

Some people want protection from abuse but are not ready to end the relationship or move out. Stephen Bilkis and his team advise petitioners on the right kind of order and defend respondents in Westchester County Family Court. A full stay-away order can bar contact entirely, while a more limited order may allow contact but prohibit threats, harassment, or other harmful conduct. Because these orders can also affect custody and visitation, we consider how each option fits with any related family case before the hearing.

Westchester County Child Neglect and Abuse Cases

In the middle of a heated custody dispute, a call to Child Protective Services can turn a parenting disagreement into an investigation. Stephen Bilkis & Associates defends parents throughout a Westchester County Child Protective Services investigation and any case that follows in Family Court. When a report appears to have been made to gain leverage in a custody case, we look closely at its timing and the evidence behind it. We also work with clients to address any legitimate concerns early, which can help keep their children at home while the case moves forward.

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

Contact an experienced Westchester County family lawyer at Stephen Bilkis & Associates today for a free consultation. We will ask what brought you to us, whether any court dates or orders are already in place, and your goals for the case. Afterward, you will have a clearer idea of your options. Early action matters, because the other side may already be preparing its case.

Clients deserve an honest assessment, even when it is not what they hoped to hear. At Stephen Bilkis & Associates, we walk clients through the likely outcomes of each option and the costs involved, so they can make informed choices about when to settle and when to press forward in court. Whatever path a case takes, our goal is to protect what matters most to our client and their family.

Contact Stephen Bilkis & Associates today for a free consultation at 800.696.9529.