Getting Divorced in Brooklyn – Divorce Lawyer In NYC
New York City is made up of five boroughs, Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn (Kings County), the Bronx, and Staten Island (Richmond County), each of which has its own court system and clerk’s office – and each of which, thus, has its own system for processing divorce applications. I am a divorce lawyer in NYC, and my firm has cases in all of these boroughs.
If you are considering filing for divorce and you live in Kings County, here are a few things you should know:
First, unlike some other counties, Brooklyn has an office within the court building at 360 Adams Street which is dedicated entirely to processing matrimonial cases. This means that when you file papers in a matrimonial case in Kings County you will almost always need to go to two different places – the County Clerk on the 1st floor, and the Matrimonial Clerk on the 10th floor. As a divorce lawyer in NYC, I always allot for some time when I go to file a divorce case.
This is a benefit and a drawback. It is a drawback in that you will need to bring multiple copies of documents with you when you file – one for the County Clerk, one for the Matrimonial Clerk, and possibly one as a courtesy copy for your Judge if your case has reached that stage. As a divorce lawyer in NYC, I know that the benefit, however, is a staff dedicated to assisting with matrimonial matters, available to answer your questions about filing paperwork in matrimonial cases, available to provide checklists of required documents, and available to check your documents prior to filing to make sure they include everything they need to. If you utilize the help of the Matrimonial Clerk staff you will greatly reduce the probability of your papers being rejected.
Second, because Kings County is so large and has such a large population, getting divorced can take a very long time (months for an “uncontested” divorce, and sometimes years if your case ends up before a judge). When you do finally decide to file for divorce, understand that this is just step one in a long process. Pace yourself and seek guidance to make sure you are fully prepared.
If you choose to go forward with a divorce lawyer in NYC, much of this headache can be avoided. If you choose to represent yourself, it is still possible to accomplish all the things that are required but it is important that you ask questions, pick up checklists and example documents, and take note of phone numbers and call times for different judges’ chambers and court rooms – much of this information is available in the Matrimonial Clerk’s office but NOT on the internet, as the Court website is not updated with regularity. As a divorce lawyer in NYC, the best advice I can give you is to be prepared to wait as Kings COunty is one of the slowest counties in NYC.
