New York Family Law Blog

Being discriminated against is non gender specific, meaning that it can happen to any of us, male and female, regardless of gender, trans gender or sexual orientation, says a New York Family Lawyer who has been paying attention to the recent discrimination charges going up against large law firms for stereotyping males into a macho, robotic role into which their professional careers were expected to follow and their personal affairs were expected to meld.

When familial duties required these men to assume the nurturing, care giving role in the family and dad took paternity leave to take care of the babies, the executives were much less than supportive of that decision. These men lost their jobs because they needed to take care of their children at a time when the mother couldn't be there or needed help. In one instance, mother and children all needed the care due to mental illness. Why did these men lose their jobs and is this discrimination? The New York Family Lawyer reports that discrimination really is at a manageable level across the board, but unfortunately some instances still sift through the sieve.

It has become infinitely better than it was in the past to win cases of discrimination like these, according to the New York Family Lawyer, which is good news for us all. Unless sweeping changes are made in the ways that we view work and family is supported, there will be sore spots in society and none of us are really immune to discrimination. Our best bet is to try as hard as we can not to harbor discrimination within ourselves, which proves to be a good first step in reducing it.

If you or your family are being discriminated against, call a well respected New York Family Attorney today and get the legal representation that you need to win your claim and take your case. A good New York Family Attorney will serve as your friend, your eyes and ears and your first line of defense should you be involved in a legal issue.

Continue reading " Men Face Discrimination in Major Law Firms " »

Dylan Walsh, uber sexy star of the FX hit series Nip/Tuck, has chosen to have a lifestyle makeover of his own and has filed for divorce from his wife of six years, according to reports from a New York Family Lawyer. Yet another Hollywood romance left in pieces.

Walsh, a youthful 47, is best known for his role as Dr. Sean McNamara, an emotive plastic surgeon on the FX series Nip/Tuck who is notoriously good at fixing what people don't like about themselves but runs into a host of ways that his own life is broken in the process. Walsh is an American who has also acted in dozens of movie and television performances, including Soldier Boy and Kate & Allie.

Walsh cited the commonly muttered justification of irreconcilable differences with his wife of six years, actress Joanna Going, who is best known for her many roles in made- for-television movies and who is also to star with actor Sean Penn in the upcoming movie release The Tree of Life.

Walsh is filing for joint custody of their daughter, Stella, who is nine, according to reports. One New York Family Lawyer is quick to point out that Hollywood marriages are not immune to the problems of typical marital agreements, citing more than irreconcilable differences.

Do actors ask for this type of treatment when choosing their profession and gaining that level of super stardom that makes a normal life obsolete? Is it any wonder that so many Hollywood marriages fail? Life in the spotlight may be warm and bright, but it makes every dark shadow come alive.

Families ending in divorce need support and straight answers. A skilled New york Family Attorney can guide you through the necessary steps. Separation, divorce, custody, alimony and other familial cases can be handled by a highly recommended New York Family Attorney.

Continue reading " Popular Nip/Tuck Star Files for Divorce " »

According to reports filed by a vocal New York Family Lawyer, our legal system is skewed when it comes to the rights of gays and lesbians to marry and to divorce. It is one of the most perilous social dilemmas of all time, and it encroaches upon people's freedoms and civil liberties, removing choice and breeding resentment and struggle. Who has the right to tell another person whom he or she may love or not love?

According to reports issued by the New York Family Lawyer, many people see the illegality of gay marriages as a social control tactic using gender based abuse and indifference as weapons that erode the very foundation of liberty in this country. This resistance to basic human rights is very real and very detrimental to the lives and relationships of people who cannot legally be with the ones that they love, and who cannot express that love as a binding legal commitment like anyone else.

In his report, the New York Family Lawyer also asks questions about the inconsistencies of the rights of gay people to get married and divorced in some states but not others, in which case their choice of life path, their love and devotion, goes completely un-noticed by the state officials as if it never existed, while across the border in Massachusetts, it becomes recognized and legally represented.

How long will the United States be so ridiculously divided on something that is as much of a civil rights issue as is abortion or human trafficking? When we finally bridge this gender bending drama and realize that we each have the right to choose our life path, respect and honor can be allowed to flourish.

Contact a New York Family Attorney when you have questions regarding same sex marriage or divorce in your state. A good New York Family Attorney will acknowledge your rights and respect your position.

Continue reading " Can Gay Divorce Be Legal if Gay Marriage is Not? Gender Inconsistencies " »

The data is in for the 2008 year regarding abortions, said a New York Family Lawyer. If you are a pro-life believer, the news is good for you. If you are pro-choice, you might wonder if the data is good news or bad, since it could mean two different things. But no matter which way the data is interpreted, there was not a significant increase in the amount of abortions performed in the US from 2005 – 2008.

There were 1.21 million abortions in the year 2008. That averaged out to 19.6 per 1,000 women. During the year 2005, the other year when data was gathered, the rate was 19.4. Those numbers are down significantly from the peak in the year 1981 when the average was 29.3 abortions per 1,000 women. However, those numbers were surgical abortions. Nowadays, there are also medical abortions available by drugs that induce it.

A New York Custody Lawyer said that pro-choice people are saying the numbers are good in the fact that there are less teen pregnancies where women are faced with the abortion choice. Pro-life people claim that more people are choosing life, whether they go with adoption after the birth or keep the baby, alleges a New York Family Lawyer. Both groups say that women are being educated more and studying their options before they make any type of choice regarding an abortion. Neither side really claims a victory in the number, nor do they claim a loss.

Consult an attorney if you have a family matter that needs court attention. Stephen Bilkis and Associates can represent you and the interests of you or a loved one in court. Come into any of our conveniently located offices for a free consultation.

Lesbians, children, abduction, a turn to the Lord, and kidnapping - it sounds like the plot of a movie but it is real life. A Vermont judge has given full custody of a child to a lesbian woman. The problem is the woman doesn't have physical custody of the child, said a New York Family Lawyer. The entire tale began several years ago. Two women were entered into a civil union in Vermont. They loved one another and then adopted a child together. Everything was OK until they divorced. The reason? One of the women decided she was now straight, renounced homosexuality, and became a born again Evangelical Christian. She was awarded custody of the child, with the understanding that the still-gay Lesbian woman retain visitation rights, said a New York Family Lawyer. The now straight, but once gay, woman ran off with the child and refused her former lover and still gay woman any visitation with the child. The straight woman had no legal authority to deny the gay woman visitation rights, said a judge to a New York Family Lawyer.

This issue mirrors the struggle that many men have faced for years, where a woman is give custody of a child and decides she and she alone knows what is best for the kid. But, this is the real world and the court's orders will be obeyed. For now, the former gay now straight woman will have the child but as soon as she is found the child will be turned over to the former gay and still gay woman.

Divorce with any couple can be messy and cause problems with child visitation rights. Contact a New York Family Attorney today to make sure your rights are protected.

Continue reading " Lesbian Woman Gets Custody of Child " »

The Huffington Post, one of the internet's many liberal blog hosting websites, has announced a new Divorce Section to be featured on its webpage, said a New York Family Lawyer. The section will probably focus on celebrity divorces. At first, the site sounds like a good idea, as divorce is a reality in life and a helpful hint or two can go along way for the average person. But the site quickly indicates that it is almost taking joy in divorce, mentioning that "Divorce is Forever" while marriage is not, noted a New York Family Lawyer. The site also makes light of the pain of divorce, indicating that her freedom is worth his finally being happy. The host, Nora Ephron, seems to delight in divorce, said a New York Family Lawyer. Ephron had a high profile divorce, leaving the famed reported Carl Bernstein, and has been the author behind a number of successful movies, including When Harry Met Sally, said a New York Family Lawyer.

Most likely, the site will devolve into yet another trash internet celebrity site. It will continue to celebrate the destruction of all that was once good and replacing it with ... nothing, notes a New York Family Lawyer. Ephron will likely not care at all what she's doing, so long as she makes another buck exploiting her name, and the Huffington Post won't care so long as people keep clicking the links. The site just made it's first profit after five years of being in the red. The sad reality of the internet keeps expanding.

Divorce is real and painful and not something to be taken lightly. If you're going through a divorce contact a New York Family Attorney to protect your rights.

Continue reading " Huff-Po Opens Divorce Section, says New York Family Lawyer " »

According to a New York Custody Lawyer, Pamela Anderson thought she had a struck a real deal in Las Vegas in 2006 when she promised to promote her then boyfriend Laurence Hallier’s luxurious tower resort.

Las Vegas Panorama Towers boasts luxurious condos with spectacular views of the Las Vegas strip expanding from 700 square feet to nearly 2,000 square feet. Anderson claims to have participated in multiple promotional activities for advertising and promoting the newer venture back in 2006.

According to New York City Family Lawyers, Anderson was promised either a unit in the third of three towers to be built or $1 million in exchange for her promotional assistance.

The first of three towers, which opened in 2006 sold out in six months; the second, which opened in 2007, sold out in 12 weeks; and the third tower, which was set to be done in 2009, had sold 92 percent of its units when the recession hit. As a result, only half the units in the third tower ended up closing.

Hallier explained at that time it would take nearly a decade to break even on his investments because many of those units in the third tower entered foreclosure.

According to a Nassau County Family Lawyer, Las Vegas-based Klai Juba Architects was the designer of Panorama Towers and is known for creating the "holes" that reveals a gorgeous view through the first two towers.

"When we started developing Panorama Towers several years ago, there were really only a few high-rise projects here, and all but one of those projects were just being built” Hallier said.

"We decided that we wanted to make the building feng shui because about 20 percent of our sales are to Asian-Americans. We worked with our architect, Klai Juba, to incorporate all of our consultants' suggestions," Hallier added.

Even after all of the excitement and planning, Hallier said he couldn’t have predicted what the recession would do. “I simply didn’t have the money or the units to give,” he told reporters.

Anderson had served as hostess to several parties for Hallier and had counted on owning one of the units after her work was done. Hallier recently began re-launching his third unit under a new name with new sponsors. Anderson and Hallier ended their relationship reportedly last year.

Being involved in a lawsuit with a former loved one is difficult and often emotional. Stephen Bilkis and Associates will handle your case without emotion and will uncover the right facts.

Come in and see us in any of our conveniently located offices. In New York City, we have locations in Manhattan, Staten Island, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens. We also have locations in Nassau County and Suffolk County on Long Island, and Westchester County. We will provide you with a free consultation and ensure that your rights are protected throughout your legal proceedings.

It may not seem like much, but if you're son or daughter sends more than 120 text messages per day they are more likely to have engaged in sex, alcohol, and drugs a new study reveals, says a New York Family Lawyer. But, the study authors note that so called hyper texting does not cause these issues, more that it is a symptom of peer pressure and lack of parental oversight. Of course, that begs the question: if bad parents aren't going to care if their kids are engaging in this behavior, what are the odds they'll care about this study?

Hyper texters were 3% more likely to have sex, which could lead to a scenario where men are bar look for women texting more than anything else, notes a New York Family Lawyer. Texting was more common amongst girls, minorities, and households without a father figure.

The study also noted that teens who spend a great deal of time on social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace, showing how outdated it is, because no one uses Myspace these days, were more likely to engage in risky behavior, said a New York Family Lawyer. But, this could all be because those who uses these sites are simply more popular and more social and thus more likely to be in situations where drugs and sex are available. After all, the unpopular nerd isn't texting anyone because he has no friends, notes a New York Family Lawyer. Meanwhile, the popular football player has all kinds of people to text because he's, well, popular!

If your child is in trouble, legal protections may exist. Contact a New York Family Attorney today if you think your teen is in trouble.

Continue reading " Lots of Texting Could Mean Sex for Teens, says New York Family Lawyer " »

A New York Family Lawyer says a Gold Alert has been issued for a missing woman from Frankford. She had been missing from her home for a few days before her absence was reported say police. The woman is only 23 years old and was last seen in her home. She is still believed to be missing and in the area.

The Gold Alert is something new that is issued when an adult goes missing. The Gold Alert is similar to the process that is used when an Amber Alert goes out for a child. The only difference is in the name and what it refers to. The Gold Alerts are issued when the safety of the adult might be or is suspected to be in jeopardy. They do not usually issue a Gold Alert if a person has just left or went away on their own.

The family of the missing woman says they fear for her safety because of her mental status. The New York Criminal Lawyer reported that they have no evidence or any leads to where the woman may have gone or if she went with another person. All parties involved believe the woman left voluntarily, and there were no signs of a struggle or an intruder in the home before she left. There was no mention if any valuables or personal items were left behind. Police who think they might have seen the woman are encouraged to call the police with information.

Legal counsel can assist you in any matter that needs the court’s attention. Call Stephen Bilkis and Associates for advice and a free consultation. We will ensure that your rights are protected at all stages of your legal proceedings. We have offices in New York City, Long Island and Westchester County.

There may not be two more horrible people on earth besides Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt. The infamous couple from the trashy and disgusting MTV Reality Show THE HILLS were famously married and instantly became one of the most nausiating couples in Hollywood, notes a New York Family Lawyer. With her non-stop plastic surgery taking her from a pretty girl to something out of a horror movie and his plastic smile that reminded viewers of a killer, the two were everywhere, said a New York Family Lawyer. And now they've gotten a divorce. Unlike normal people, who divorce for legitimate reasons, these two disgusting human beings divorced for the same reasons they got married: to get publicity and attention. Spencer admitted that they got divorced to help her career, reports a New York Family Lawyer, because apparently being divorced and getting into the tabloids for an extra week will help people forget how much they hated her to begin with.

But, God is up there and he loves us all. A British TV show that was to be based around their divorce fell through and now the couple has called off the divorce, said a New York Family Lawyer. After blowing through more than ten million dollars, Spencer has admitted to a bankruptcy judge that he's broke and the couple doesn't know what to do for money. Apparently, being the jerk from the hills isn't paying off anymore and he isn't being offered roles, he said.

For most people, divorce is serious and requires a New York Family Attorney to protect their rights. If you're facing a divorce, contact a New York Family Attorney today.

Continue reading " Heidi and Spencer Do Not Get Divorced, says New York Family Law Attorney " »

They could not have children of their own so they did the most amazing thing anyone could do: they adopted. They plucked a fragile life from the air and breathed new life into a baby who may have been lost forever, said a New York Family Lawyer. And now the child may get taken away - and it may be the right thing to do. The couple adopted the baby boy not realizing it was not up for adoption. The sad tale begins four years earlier.

The mother was arrested trying to enter the United States of America illegally. She gave her son to her brother, said a New York Family Lawyer. The brother then gave the boy to a sister. The sister then handed the child off to a local church. From there, the church arranged an adoption and the boy made his way to America. It appears that everyone who acted did so in good faith, as there was no indication that anyone wanted to purposefully steal the baby from the birth mother.

When the natural mother found out about the entire ordeal she got into action and tried to get her child back, noted a New York Family Lawyer. She had never consented to the adoption and the boy was hers! Now, the supreme court of Missouri will decide the child's fate, notes a New York Family Lawyer. No, there isn't a chance they'll cut the boy in half. The standard will be a simple one: what is in the best interest of the child. But, immigrant and minority rights groups have made this a battle ground, with care for the child taking a back seat to whatever political message is deemed more important,

Adoptions are tricky and often messy if done wrong. If you're thinking about adopting, contact a New York Family Attorney today.

Continue reading " Messy Adoption Could See Child Returned to Mother, says New York Family Lawyer " »

Miley Cyrus is one of the most famous teenagers in the world. With hit music albums and singles, popular movies, clothing lines, and sell out concerts - not to mention all of her movie success - the teen queen is a billionaire on paper and an entertainment juggernaut. Unfortunately, she no longer has a nuclear family to come home to as her parents today announced they were getting a divorce, says a New York Family Lawyer. Billy Ray and Tish Cyrus told the world that their marriage of nearly twenty years was coming to an end. The couple had five children together, reports a New York Family Lawyer.

Billy Ray Cyrus was a country music star for years before his daughter caught the attention of everyone as Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel, notes a New York Family Lawyer. Billy Ray starred on the hit show with his daughter - playing her dad! (A role that must have been quite a stretch.) From there Billy Ray helped guide his daughter's career to the point where the teen queen of the screen is one of the most recognizable figures on earth - all before her 18th birthday.

The couple appear to have split amicably as the released a press release jointly, notes a New York Family Lawyer. In it they thanked everyone for their support, thoughts, and prayers. They acknowledged the ugly truth of having to get a divorced but expressed their love for the children, says a New York Family Lawyer. It is unknown at this time how the divorce will affect Miley's career - if it does at all.

Divorces can often impact children in unforeseen ways and a skilled New York Family Attorney can help ease the process. If you are going through a divorce contact a New York Family Attorney today.

Continue reading " Miley Cyrus' Parents Divorce " »