New York Family Law Blog

Published on: July 14, 2011

Jaime Pressly splits from husband, a New York Family Lawyer says.

by Stephen Bilkis

Jaime Pressly has not had a great year so far.

It has only been three weeks since Pressly, 33, was pulled over under the suspicion of drinking and driving. Now, many close friends of Pressly say she and her husband, Simran Singh, are getting a divorce. Singh is an entertainment lawyer.

One source told UsMagazine that “They are done.” The couple was married September 2009 in Malibu. The small ceremony was with some of the couple’s closest friends. The couple have has been married for almost two years.

Published on: July 6, 2011

Man Accused of Killing Wife Over Custody

by Stephen Bilkis

A man who is accused of killing his wife and her boyfriend was attending his child’s custody hearing on Tuesday. The child is now 13 years old and the court case will decide where she should live explains a New York Family Lawyer. This is a very unusual case as most custody cases occur due to divorce.

The father is said to of killed his wife and her boyfriend. It is said that the man broke down in court when he was questioned. In Manhattan and Queens, lawyers deal with these cases many times.

The court looked at some of the information surrounding the murder investigation when making the decision of custody. The court was told that the young girl was in the shower when she heard gun shots. The 13 year old girl was at the hearing but she did not enter the court room. Perhaps this was because it was too upsetting for her to see her father, and murderer of her mother.

Published on: June 28, 2011

Adoption Ban Struck Down in Arkansas

by Stephen Bilkis

Arkansas once had a state law that disallowed unmarried, cohabitating couples from becoming adoptive or foster parents – until the Arkansas Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional in a unanimous decision, Manhattan Family Lawyers report. They assert, with a circuit judge’s ruling, that the law unconstitutionally burdens fundamental privacy rights.

“This band wouldn’t even allow a relative – gay or straight – to foster or adopt a child with whom they had a close relationship, so long as that relative was unmarried and living with a partner,” an ACLU representative said. “The court clearly saw that this ban violated the constitutional rights of our clients and thousands of other Arkansans.”

A Christian conservative group had another opinion, stating the decision “is the worst ever handed down by the Arkansas Supreme Court.”

Published on: June 28, 2011

Axe-Wielding Man Shot Outside Daycare

by Stephen Bilkis

A man carrying an axe outside an in-home childcare facility in the community of Glenn Dale, in the District of Columbia area, was shot and killed by three police officers, authorities said.

The incident happened just before 3 p.m., a Prince George’s County Police spokesman told a NY Family Lawyer. According to the spokesman, officers were sent there to look into reports of an armed man around the daycare.

The suspect was part of a child custody dispute and wanted to take his children from the daycare. The daycare provider called the children’s mother, the police spokesman said, and the mother told the provider not to release the children to their father.

Published on: June 25, 2011

Ron Reagan Divorce Caused By Congressional Testimony?

by Stephen Bilkis

Actually, I think this should be something like common sense. Saying the unexpected or the controversial has a price. Losing your job is only one part of the potential price you pay for non-conformity. You may keep your job but be given the silent treatment by colleagues; many would find loss of bonhomie nearly as frightening as loss of a paycheck. Exercise of free speech can certainly damage family relations; one theory of the Ronald Reagan-Jane Wyman divorce is that it came because Reagan was willing to testify before Congress on communist influence in Hollywood. Many might consider a divorce more drastic than losing a job.

If you are a party in a divorce in Brooklyn or the Bronx, it is crucial to have a N.Y. Family Lawyer representing you. The custody of your children either full or joint and visitation privileges could be at stake. A capable New York Family Lawyer will be able to get results that you can live with. Child abuse and neglect may cause the court to issue an order of protection.

Simply guaranteeing employment will not foster intellectual independence. If you want to go that route, you’ll have to guarantee that every tenured professor gets to keep his or her friends and stay married as well.

Published on: June 23, 2011

A scam involving child support reported

by Stephen Bilkis

In Texas, child support payments didn’t make it to the receiver because of a child support scam that has three main suspects. The three have plead guilty to the crime of Child support payment mail fraud and aggravated identity theft last Tuesday. They worked for a company that does processing of child support payments for the state of Texas, reported a N York Family Lawyer. They face 20 years in prison for these charges.

Thirteen are involved in this case but three have already plead guilty. The child support payments were made with Affiliated Computer Services who had an 18.2 million dollar contract to make payments to Texans in the form of Texas debit cards. The 13 people accused took advantage of this contract and used the debit cards to buy themselves things. They gave these Texas debit cards to friends. They friends then bought things for the accused using the debit cards.

Xerox recently bought out Affiliated Computer Services. This new company paid back the debit card victims $275,000, according to the US attorney generals office.

Published on: June 22, 2011

Child trafficking concerns halt adoption proceedings in Nepal, reports New York Family Lawyer 

by Stephen Bilkis

Families who are looking to adopt a child from Nepal, or who are in the process of doing so, have been put on hold as adoption proceedings have been made more difficult in recent months because of fears of child trafficking, said a New York Family Lawyer.   Dozens of families that have spent thousands of dollars in adoption fees and overseas travel in attempt to open their homes to abandoned children have been stopped short of finalizing the proceedings because officials in Nepal are concerned that some of the children being adopted out were not really abandoned, but stolen, which has devastated those who are anxiously awaiting the arrival of their new son or daughter.   The New York Family Lawyer cited cases where adoptive families were given a choice by Nepalese officials to either stay in India until investigations into the birth parents of the child had been resolved, which happens very slowly, or to go back to the US and wait until such proof has been established. In a country where poverty and disease is rampant and children are left to die because no one can care for them, it seems as if adoption by a US family would be in the best interest of the child.   Even so, describes the New York City Family Lawyer, Americans cannot typically afford to suspend their livelihoods and put everything on hold to remain in Nepal for an undetermined amount of time. Leaving the children that they crossed the globe to rescue and to love proves to be one of the most difficult things an adoptive parent can do, but often there is no choice since things move so slowly.   

Marriage, divorce, custody and adoption all fall under the category of Family Law. A reputable New York Family Attorney is a good resource if you are struggling with any of these issues. Call a recognized New York Family Attorney today for information, education and representation in these areas.The firm of Stephen Bilkis & Associates with convenient locations in the Metropolitan Area, including servicing Brooklyn, New York City, can be of invaluable assistance to you if you find yourself a party to a case. Facing the Court without professional representation could lead to bad results.

Published on: June 20, 2011

Authorities crack down on truancy by sending non-compliant parents to jail

by Stephen Bilkis

 Remember the good old days when skipping a day of school was not punishable by fines and jail time? Most of us have taken an unscheduled day off of school at one time or another as children, having begged our parents, with sleepy eyes, to just let us stay in bed, suggests a New York Family Lawyer. According to school officials and lawmakers, those days are no longer acceptable.   Truancy is a big problem in public schools, reports a New York Family Lawyer. A truant child is one who has three or more unexcused absences in a school year. Those just because days are to blame. Authorities are sending a big message that it is not okay for children to miss school just because they don’t feel like going.

Although this is not your normal Child Neglect, in New York City and Queens this kind of parental action or lack thereof comes very close.

Now a new law has been enacted that will fine parents of habitually truant children up to $2000 if they do not attempt to see that their children are at their desk each and every day.   Granted, there are parents who simply do not care whether their kids get an education or not, and these parents are the focus of these heightened penalties. And while a $2000 fine might seem excessive, failing to pay that fine and get your kids up and on the bus could land parents in jail, according to this new law.   Obviously this bill is targeted towards parents of children whose truancy has become excessive and will not affect a family who decides to take a road trip one day rather than sit in a stuffy classroom or work cubicle, establishes the New York Family Lawyer. Even so, it might make parents think twice when considering the pleas of sleepy children that a day off from school is exactly what they need.

Published on: June 18, 2011

Benefits of marriage still outweigh the disadvantages

by Stephen Bilkis

It seems as if marriage has become on outdated institution in recent decades. The partnership between husband and wife has lost its significance as single parent households are becoming more commonplace. Laws have been changed, benefits to singles have been increased, and more children now come from broken homes than ever before. Even so, by all accounts, marriage still has its benefits, says a New York Family Lawyer.   Aside from the union of two hearts, marriage can be seen as a union of two lives, bound in one common goal to meet the needs of the family. It is much easier to succeed in this world if we are not doing it alone, according to the New York Family Lawyer. Cooperation, the division of time and skills and the sharing of resources are just a few of the benefits that a marriage brings to life.   The New York Family Lawyer reports that financially, marriage is still the best way to succeed, what with tax breaks for families with children being more available to married couples than non-married couples. Social security is set up for married couples to reap the benefits of their spouse’s years in the work force. Non married couples do not receive such benefits, even if they have been together for years.   The NY Family Lawyer went on to suggest that even with the financial gains that married couples sustain, such a union should not be entered into strictly for financial reasons. Couples who wish to raise a family together would do well to get married if they are committed to the family and the partnership. All of the financial benefits of marriage mean nothing if the couple ends up divorcing a few years later.  In matters of marriage, civil union and divorce, emotions run high.

Successfully navigating the waters requires the knowledge and reliability of a New York Family Attorney, who can see through the heightened emotional pain and effectively guide you through. Call a New York Family Attorney today for consultation and representation.The firm of Stephen Bilkis & Associates with convenient locations thorughout the Metropolitan Area, including servicing Rockaway, New York City, can be of invaluable assistance to you if you find yourself a party to a case. Facing the Court without professional representation could lead to disastrous results.

Published on: June 15, 2011

Woman accused of setting boyfriend on fire denies charges, cites New York City Family Lawyer

by Stephen Bilkis

A 40 year old woman has been accused of dousing her boyfriend with nail polish remover in an argument and lighting him on fire, according to reports by a New York Family Lawyer. The woman’s 10 year old son and the couple’s small daughter were reportedly present in the house at the time of the incident.   Neighbors called police when they heard an argument escalate into screams of pain. Police arrived on the scene to find the man seriously burned, and blaming his girlfriend. The 44 year old victim alleges that his girlfriend was angry about his drinking, which started the argument that led to the incident in question.   The woman denies lighting her boyfriend on fire, claiming that it was he who doused himself with nail polish remover and set his clothes alight, accusing her of the crime, reports the N York Family Lawyer. Neighbors who live in the building expressed surprise and shock when they heard about the incident, saying that they had heard the couple argue on numerous occasions but had never expected that violence would erupt in the apartment.   A judge ruled the woman to stand trial and has place her under arrest with $200,000 bail. The two children were taken into custody and have been placed in foster care and they are undergoing evaluation, stated the New York Family Lawyer. More information on this case will be released pending further investigation. A trial hearing had been set for January 12 and results of that hearing are as yet unavailable.   Domestic abuse is often a precursor to legal disputes within a family unit.

If you find yourself in a dangerous or questionable situation, needing consultation or legal advice, call a N York Family Attorney to find out what your rights are. do not let a bad situation escalate into a criminal case. Call a respected New York Family Attorney today.

The firm of Stephen Bilkis & Associates with convenient locations thorughout the Metropolitan Area, including servicing Arverne, N.Y., can be of invaluable assistance to you if you find yourself a party to a case. Facing the Court without professional representation could lead to disastrous results.