Learn
Plain-language guides
Family court runs on words most people never had a reason to learn. These guides explain how the process generally works, so you can follow what is happening and ask better questions. They are legal information and education, not advice about your case.
Custody Basics
What a custody case actually decides: legal vs. physical custody, and the best-interests standard.
GuideStarting a Case, or Responding to One
What a petition is, what being served means, and why the clock starts immediately.
GuideGathering and Organizing Your Evidence
Build one timeline, index your documents, and keep a gap list.
GuideWhat Happens at a Hearing
The general shape of a court appearance, what to bring, and how to prepare.
GuideRepresenting Yourself in Court
How to prepare and document your case when you are appearing pro se.
GuideHow to Find a Lawyer or Free Legal Help
Legal aid, referral services, limited-scope help, and court help centers.
GuideWho Decides Your Deadlines
There is no single master schedule. Four different things set the dates in a New York family case.
GuideThe Stages of a Family Court Case
Petition, first appearance, conferences, fact-finding, disposition, and where the trial date comes from.
GuideWhat to Write Down at Every Appearance
Many parts set dates out loud and hand you nothing. Leave with the five things that matter.
GuideWhen a Deadline Ends Your Rights
Some deadlines make you late. A few end the right entirely. Know which is which.
GuideHow Evidence Gets Requested
Discovery is not automatic here. What that means, and what to ask at the conference.
GuideAfter the Order: Enforcing It, Changing It, or Challenging It
What a New York parent can do after a family court order: enforce it, ask to change it, file objections to a Support Magistrate, or appeal. Ordered by which parents use most.
GuideChanging an Order That No Longer Fits
How a New York custody, visitation or child support order gets changed: why the old order still counts until a court acts, what a court looks for, and why an agreement between parents is not enough.
GuideAfter the Hearing: What Happens Next
What happens after a New York family court hearing: the next court date, when the written order arrives, how to read it, and the deadlines that start when it does.
Ready to get organized? The guided organizer walks you through your case and gives you a packet you can take to an attorney. Start now →