IDV Court Lawyer

Many Cases – One Court

Domestic violence accusations can result in multiple cases in multiple courts. An IDV Court lawyer handles all your cases in one courtroom.

It’s not uncommon for true or false domestic violence allegations to arise before, during, and after a heated divorce or child custody dispute. This may result in the same two parties being defendant and complainant in a criminal action; petitioner and respondent in one or more Family Court matters; and plaintiff and defendant in a divorce.

Integrated Domestic Violence (“IDV”) Court

Recognizing the somewhat common phenomenon of identical parties litigating against each other in multiple courts, the New York court system established Integrated Domestic Violence (“IDV”) Court in 2003.

IDV Court is designed so that one judge presides over multiple matters involving the same family members where there are allegations of domestic violence between the parties. To date, 10’s of thousands of families have had in the IDV Court system.

Before IDV Court existed, this situation might require three different judges to preside over three different cases — which is both costly and inefficient. Now, one judge may preside over related legal matters among family members in one court.  

I have guided many clients through IDV Court for more than a decade.

How Your Cases Ends up in IDV Court

If you’ve been accused of domestic violence and have related divorce, custody, visitation, and/or family offense proceedings, I can represent you in all matters. I have substantial experience in Criminal Court, Family Court, and the divorce parts of Supreme Court.

For example, if a married couple has a dispute and the police are called, one or both spouses might face criminal charges. If that couple decides to divorce and/or cannot agree as to custody of their children, then they may have cases in three different courts: 

• A criminal case in Criminal Court
• A custody/visitation proceeding and/or a family-offense proeeding in Family Court
• A divorce case in Supreme Court.

I am a full-service attorney who will effectively advocate for you in all pending matters. Together, we will work to achieve the best possible outcome in each of your cases. 

No Need to Hire Three Lawyers

If you have a case in IDV court, you could choose to have three separate lawyers represent you: a family law attorney, a divorce lawyer, and a criminal defense attorney. Hiring three different lawyers to learn the overlapping facts running through all your cases, to represent you in three separate but related proceedings, is incredibly expensive and a burden on strained finances.

Instead, you can hire one IDV Court lawyer who is skilled in all three areas of law to handle all the related matters on your behalf. The key is finding a lawyer who is capable of representing you in three all three cases.

I’ve been practicing law in New York City for over two decades. My practice encompasses both criminal defense and family law matters, making me an ideal choice for anyone with matters pending in IDV Court.