I am a Brooklyn Family Law Lawyer. If you or your child has a case involving, abuse/neglect, adoption, Child Support, Custody, Guardianship, Juvenile Delinquency, Order of Protection(Family Offence), Paternity, PINS, Spousal Support or Visitation you may be able to go to Family Court to file a Petition to start or to appear in an already started Family Court matter. You generally have to name the parent of your child as a Respondent especially if the decision you are asking the Court to make is one that requires the consent of the other parent. If you need help filing your petition, you may also contact an attorney, like me (George M. Gilmer, Esq. 718 864 2011), that can help you with the process. Click here for a listing of the Family Courts in all five boroughs.

Filing your Petition in Family Court
Because of the Covid 19 pandemic you have to file your petition electronically.  This is the website that needs to be used.  https://iappscontent.courts.state.ny.us/NYSCEF/live/edds.htm
Previously in order to file your petition you would  go to the Courthouse in the borough that you reside in.

Serving your Family Court Petition
After you receive your Summons and Petition, you will have to have someone serve the person that is the Respondent in the case. You are not allowed to serve a Respondent in a Family Court case if you are the Petitioning party. The serving of the Summons and Petition must be done in a timely manner, and you need to check with the Clerk or the attorney of your choice to find out the time frame you need to serve the legal documents. After service of the document, the person that served the documents needs to fill, sign and notarize an Affidavit of Service attesting to the time, date, place and a description of the legal documents served.

The Summons will contain notice of the time, date and location of the next scheduled Court appearance. The Petition will contain allegations of the relief you want from the Court and why you want this relief.

Appearing in Court
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused the Courts to have virtual appearances.  You will need to have Microsoft Teams to make an appearance or you can call in at the number provided and enter a code. When you appear in Court, you need to have filed the Affidavit of Service.  If you cannot make the Court date scheduled for you, you must notify the Court of your intentions of not appearing (and perhaps be prepared to give a reasonable excuse for your not appearing) and get a new date from them. Since granting of adjournments is in the sole discretion of the Court, do not count on the Court granting your request.

Prior to going to Court, you should strongly contemplate hiring a lawyer. The reason I say this is because if you intend to go to Court on your own you will be forced to do things that generally take years of training to perfect. You will be asked to explain your case simply and clearly and to perhaps present evidence to support your statements. You also may have to bring in witnesses to testify at the trial. Your case may take months to finish. If you cannot afford a lawyer, you can ask that the Court appoint you one.

Hire Brooklyn Family Court Lawyer/Attorney George M. Gilmer, Esq.
Although I am a private Family Court lawyer with in office in Brooklyn, New York, I represent people in all boroughs and, as my clients probably will agree, I charge reasonable fees for my services. I also offer payment plans and free phone consultations. I have about eight years of experience working with families. If you need help with any of the abovementioned information, feel free to give me a call. George M. Gilmer, Esq., 718 864 2011.

The Bronx County Family Court is located at 900 Sheridan Ave, Bronx 10451; corner of 161 Street
General Information (718) 618-2098
Fax (718) 590-2681

The Kings County (Brooklyn) Family Court is located at 330 Jay Street, Brooklyn 11201 in downtown Brooklyn.
General Information (347) 401-9600
Fax (347) 401-9609

The New York County (Manhattan) Family Court is located at 60 Lafayette Street, NY 10013; in lower Manhattan, between Franklin and Leonard Streets.
General Information (646) 386-5200
Fax (212) 748-5272

The Queens County Family Court is located at 151-20 Jamaica Ave. Jamaica, NY 11432, across from the Rufus King Park
General Information (718) 298-0197
Fax (718) 297-2826

The Richmond County Family Court is located at 100 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island 10301; two blocks west of St. George Terminal.
General Information (718) 390-5460
Fax (718) 390-5247

You can click here for this information as well. This is the Court’s website and has very informative information.