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 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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“You are New York’s best divorce lawyer!”- Danielle
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“Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!”- Sara and Jeff
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“No words can express what you have done for our family!”- Ken
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“You are extremely knowledgeable and the consummate professional.”- Ben and Jill
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“We are forever grateful!”- Donna and Frank
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"Like at First Sight!" We consulted Lois on the best, most cost-effective way to get divorced. First, she extended a free in-office consultation to us. It was supposed to be one hour; it was an hour and a half. She was gracious, didn’t rush us, explained thoroughly all the ins and outs of going to court, and answered thoroughly lots of our questions. She also shared lots of great information on divorce mediation, which we really knew nothing about, and now we have decided mediation will be the best route for us. We knew in the first 10 minutes that we really liked and trusted her. We are starting our mediation process with her next week. We are really looking forward to working with her. We feel strongly she is the best person for us.- Jen
