There was a time in New York when the man’s responsibility was to support the family and the woman’s responsibility was to raise the children and maintain the home. That changed a long time ago. However, there are implicit biases still maintained by some in the legal system regarding men being the financial providers and women being responsible for raising the children.
Litigating Custody Issues
In situations where there are disputes involving custody and parenting time, it can be helpful in resolving cases out of court. Litigating in court is expensive, time consuming and emotionally challenging. When the case is on the court’s calendar there are often many other cases on the calendar. The attorney representing a party to a custody lawsuit may have to sit around for hours waiting for the case to be called by the Judge. An innovative attorney can come up with custody and parenting solutions that avoids the expense and necessity of repeated court appearances, and a decision made by a judge who is a stranger to the parties.
Attorney for the Children
In custody cases that cannot be amicably resolved between the parents, the court will appoint an attorney to represent the children. This attorney for the children will meet with the children to try to get a feeling as to who the children would prefer to live with. This puts psychological and emotional pressure on the children which should be avoided if at all possible.
Elliot S. Schlissel, Esq. is a divorce lawyer representing men and women throughout the Metropolitan New York area. He can be reached at Elliot@sdnylaw.com or 800-344-6431.
