New York Family Law Attorney
Serving & Protecting NYC Families for Over 35 Years
At Lois M. Brenner, Esq., we handle all types of divorce and family law matters – from separation, divorce, and child custody to prenuptial agreements. Regardless of the unique legal challenges you face, you can trust that Lois and our legal team will handle your case with tremendous skill, unique psychological understanding and compassionate support.
Types of Family Law Matters
No-Fault Divorce: In a no-fault divorce, neither spouse blames the other for the breakdown of the marriage. Common bases for no-fault divorce include irreconcilable differences, irretrievable breakdown, and incompatibility. Another common basis for no-fault divorce is that the parties have lived separately pursuant to an agreement for a certain period of time.
Grounds for Divorce: Grounds for divorce will vary from state to state, and may be no-fault or fault. No-fault divorce is now available in all 50 states, but many states still maintain fault-based grounds as an additional option. Fault-based grounds in some states have included adultery, incarceration, cruelty, attempted murder, desertion, habitual drunkenness, drug use, insanity, impotency, and infection with a venereal disease.
Child Custody & Support: If parents cannot agree on child custody, the courts will make this decision based on the best interests of the child. Determining the child’s best interests involves many factors. All 50 states have also adopted child support guidelines, some of which use tables to indicate the amount of support for different levels of income. Most states will factor in the income of both parents.
Adoption: Through adoption, a legal parent-child relationship is created between individuals not biologically related. In most cases, adopted children are entitled to inherit on a basis equal to biological children under state laws of distribution upon the death of a parent.
Should I Hire a Family Lawyer in New York?
It is a good idea to consult with a lawyer and/or mediator about any major life event or change, whether you need assistance with a contested or uncontested divorce, adoption, child abuse matter, child support modification, child visitation or custody dispute, writing a will, health care proxy or elder law issue. Your legal rights could be at stake if you don’t. Please contact Lois M. Brenner, Esq. for the advice and guidance you need.
Call our office today at (646) 663-4546 to schedule a consultation with Lois M. Brenner, Esq.
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I am a highly successful money manager and before meeting Lois Brenner, hiring a divorce attorney was a disaster. Two previous divorce attorneys really wasted my funds, and had no savvy when it came to asset and property distribution. Lois Brenner finally fixed the mess I was in. She and her team of financial experts, including attorney Matthew Ehrlich were able to prepare an asset and property distribution that was realistic, keeping in mind tax ramifications, and important distributions and allocations. They negotiated a thorough and financially sound divorce settlement. If you have a lot of assets, just any divorce attorney won’t do. You really need someone with a lot of knowledge. Lois Brenner and Matthew Ehrlich were really impressive. Thanks!!- Michael C.
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Lois acted as the mediator in my divorce, and she was absolutely excellent. It was a very difficult time for me personally, but Lois made the process as easy and painless as it could possibly have been. She listened to each of us separately, and made thoughtful and helpful suggestions. She is fair, and seemed to genuinely care about finding a solution that was best for both parties. Lois is perfectly qualified to handle this type of situation, given her background in psychology. She truly understands people, and used this ability to keep my ex-husband and I calm, and smoothly navigate a few tricky situations. I felt very understood by Lois, and think that she not just a top-quality attorney, but also a very decent person. She is responsive, and answered my emails within a couple of minutes every time. Highly rated!
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I had read about Lois’ unusual divorce method in one of her blog posts. It was refreshing to see someone was working with the psychological issues in divorce. My husband is bipolar and getting him to agree to a divorce and commit to the process was tough. When we met with Lois she really understood him. She immediately identified his mental health issues, and because she has a psych background, she was empathetic to his needs and was skillful at guiding him through her divorce mediation process. It took a while but she really got us to a point where we could actually discuss things without my husband blowing up. Her method is unique and it really helped in our situation. She actually recommended a great psychiatrist who changed my husband’s meds at her urging (she has a medical degree too), and my husband is coping much better. We can’t thank her enough for her compassion and advice! If you need a divorce attorney, especially if mental illness is a part of the fabric of your marriage, go see Lois! Thanks Lois - Beena T.
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You two are really the dynamic duo! I can’t thank you both enough for the incredible job you did on my case. As a young career woman and working mother of a toddler I could not have been in better hands. You really toughened me up and guided me when I was feeling really lost. I was afraid of my husband’s clever antics but you worked hard on my case and encouraged me to fight. The settlement I received exceeded my expectations. You both listened, always returned e-mails, phone calls and even reached out to me on the weekends when I was having trouble. If anyone is going through a divorce and needs the best people to fight for you call Lois and Matt. It was the best thing I ever did. There are no words to express how grateful I am.- Tara P.
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Thank you Ms. Brenner! It was a rough summer trying to get our parenting agreement together.but you really helped. My ex-husband and I fought all summer about what the children's schedule would be once school started. Your endless guidance and productive sessions with us made all the difference. You straightened us out with your sound, caring advice. We both feel better now. Our kids feel better too. Thank you, thank you. We hope you had a great summer. We will recommend you highly to anyone needing a family law attorney.- Brenda
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I had a complicated situation wherein I had to get a divorce through publication as my husband and I had not been in contact for 5 years and I was out of the US for a few years. (it was an abusive marriage) I reside in Buffalo and I spoke with several attorneys locally but I did not feel that any of the local attorneys were able able to understand my situation. Some suggested that I locate my husband, and each one of them wanted to start by identifying and listing the assets. Unsatisfied, I started looking for attorneys in NY city, and I found Ms. Brenner through Avvo. During the consultation, she was extremely kind and understanding and agreed to take on my case. Ms. Brenner helped me get a divorce through publication and she/her team took care of everything. All I had to do was provide her with documentation. I am grateful to Ms. Brenner for helping me get out of a sticky stressful situation. I would definitely recommend her to anybody in a similar situation. Thank you, Ms. Brenner.
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“Keep up the good work!”- Jonathan
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I met Lois Brenner at a networking group. She spoke on divorce and mediation. At the time I was not in need of a divorce attorney but was so impressed I kept her information. Two years later I hired Lois Brenner and I am finally separated from a man who nearly destroyed my life. Although we were able to do this with her in mediation, it was not easy for me. She really kept me strong, and on top of myself. She was helpful with both of us, and encouraged each of us when needed. It was much better than going through the court system. It took a lot less time and saved us money too. I can’t say enough about her. She is a special attorney. I tell everyone who will listen how special she is.- Pilar