Family Law/Domestic Violence
The Family/Domestic Violence unit of South Brooklyn Legal Services accepts domestic violence cases from all over Brooklyn.
We are also a partner of the Brooklyn Family Justice Center (FJC) where we provide civil legal services to survivors of domestic violence who live in or have court cases in Brooklyn.
If you are being physically or emotionally abused by your spouse or intimate partner, we urge you to go to the Family Justice Center, any week day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, click here.
The FJC is a walk-in center, open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., that provides information and services for survivors of domestic violence. Services at FJC include counseling, advocacy, meeting with a prosecutor, shelter and housing help, and legal information. Child care is provided.
For more information about the Family Law Unit and to determine if you are eligible for our services, call (718) 237-5563 at any time.
We primarily represent survivors of domestic violence, and can provide advice regarding the following topics:
Orders of Protection
- Do I Need An Order of Protection?
- How To Get an Order of Protection in Family Court
- How To Get an Order of Protection in Criminal Court
Custody and Visitation
Matrimonials
Child and Spousal Support
- How to File for Child Support in Brooklyn Family Court
- How to Enforce and Modify Child Support Orders
- How to Calculate Child Support Amount
- Your Right to Child Support if You Receive Public Assistance
- How to Defend a Child Support Case
- How to File for Spousal Support in Brooklyn Family Court
Immigration Issues Related to Domestic Violence
Economic and Housing Issues Related to Domestic Violence
- Domestic Violence and Housing
- Domestic Violence and Public Assistance
- Economic Protections for Domestic Violence Survivors
- Lease Termination Law For Victims Of Domestic Violence
ACS, Foster Care and Termination of Parental Rights
- We are no longer handling ACS, foster care, or termination of parental rights cases. If you have a court case involving ACS, foster care or termination of parental rights cases, you should request an attorney on your first court date. The Brooklyn Family Defense Project represents eligible parents in these matters.
- Visiting Your Child in Foster Care: What Every Parent Should Know
- Bill of Rights For Parents with Children in Foster Care
- A Parent’s Guide To New York’s New Foster Care Law
- What to Consider if Your Children are in Foster Care, or are at Risk of Foster Care Placement, Because You Have a Drug Problem
- Child Abuse and Neglect Reports in The State Central Register and How to Seal or Expunge Them
The forms you will need for Family Court are provided online by the New York Unified Court System, listed and described here. Family court forms are available in .pdf format here. All of the forms needed for Matrimonial Court are available in .pdf format here.
Unit Staff
- Anna Maria Diamanti - Director
- Allison Dunlop-German - Senior Staff Attorney
- Nadya Rosen - Staff Attorney
- Shira Galinsky - Staff Attorney
- Ermela Singh - Staff Attorney
- Diana Reiter - Greenberg Traurig Equal Justice Works Fellow
- Yanfei Shen - Fellow
- Estela Coppola - Paralegal
- Zulma Coludro - Executive Secretary
Abuser Uses Deportation Threat To Frighten Legal Immigrant
Our client, a Turkish speaker, came to the United States in February of 2007 with a green card. When she came to the Family Justice Center, she had been married for one and a half years but had suffered abuse. Her husband had even threatened her with deportation despite her fully-legal status. A pregnant new immigrant, she was terrified that she would be deported after giving birth, and so fled the state of New York to live with relatives.
...continue reading "Abuser Uses Deportation Threat To Frighten Legal Immigrant" >
* (Family Law/Domestic Violence) 6 May 08 More Family Law/Domestic Violence spotlights >
Abuse Crosses State Lines
In April 2007, Ms. K and her three children, two of whom who have extensive disabilities, fled an extremely abusive and violent husband in California and came to New York. ... Ms. K filed a pro se custody and order of protection petitions before she found South Brooklyn Legal Services, but her husband’s attorney filed motions asking the court to dismiss them for lack of jurisdiction, arguing that California was the home state of the children and that no domestic violence had occurred in New York. Mr. K wanted Ms. K to be forced to litigate these issues in California.
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...continue reading "Abuse Crosses State Lines" >
* (Family Law/Domestic Violence) 11 March 08 More Family Law/Domestic Violence spotlights >
