NYACP Reoccuring "ZOOM" Meetings
Hosted by the NYC Pod

The Presumption of Joint Custody & Joint Parenting Time:  On the Books & In the Courtroom

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Presented by
Myra L. Freed, Esq. and Lawrence N. Rothbart, Esq. 

When it comes to decisions regarding children, the Court often applies the standard of best interests of the child.  We will explore the extent to which this standard is considered in custody and parenting time decisions in the New York metro area, both on the books and in the courtroom.  We will also discuss specific factors that the Court may consider in joint custody and parenting time decisions, and how all of this and more may inform our work in Collaborative Practice.

Myra L. Freed, Esq. has specialized in matrimonial law for over 35 years. She has been the principal of her own law firm in Manhattan since 2002. She practices Collaborative Law, litigates and serves as a private pay Attorney for the Child, by court appointment in the First Department, New York County, representing children in contested custody and parenting time litigation. Myra is a Past President of the NY Women’s Bar Association and has been an officer and director of that association for more than 20 years. She has served as a Chair of the NYWBA’s Matrimonial Law Committee and remains active on that committee. She also served on and Co-Chaired the Matrimonial Law Committee of the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York. Myra is a member of the New York Association of Collaborative Professionals, the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and the NYCLA Matrimonial Law Section. She has been invited to give CLE lectures in the area of matrimonial law, including for Family Court attorneys at the Appellate Division, First Department and has also lectured to the members of the public on numerous family law topics.

Lawrence N. Rothbart, Esq. (Larry) focuses his NYC solo practice on family law issues, including, divorce, child custody, child support, property division and maintenance.  Larry mainly uses the processes of Collaborative Practice and mediation with a little remaining sprinkling of the adversarial model.  Larry was a law clerk for justices on the Appellate Division, 2^nd Department of the NYS Supreme Court from the summer of 1981 to May 1985. He spent 2 years in the Litigation bureau of the NYS Attorney General's Office. From 1987 to 2003 Larry was a law secretary for Justices in the Matrimonial Part of Kings County Supreme Court where he was, for much of the time, also a Special Referee. He moved to private practice in 2003 first at a firm and then in 2007 solo practice.

Along with serving on the Board of, and now President of, the Family Divorce Mediation Council of Greater New York (FDMC)  Larry is a member of various committees and sections of the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) - Family Law Section, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Section; the Bar Association of the New York City ADR Committee; various committees of the Brooklyn Bar Association including Family and ADR; the Legal Advisory Council of Sanctuary for Families; Interdisciplinary Forum on Mental Health and the Law, the pro bono NYS Courts’ Neutral Evaluation panel for matrimonial matters; NYS Courts’ Presumptive ADR panels (Matrimonial); and pro bono panels for the representation of individuals in Matrimonial matters in Brooklyn and Manhattan. 

What:       NYACP Pod Zoom Meetings

When:      The second Tuesday of every month at 8:30am - 9:30am until further notice

Please join the conversation! 

The NYACP began presenting webinars in March of 2020 and will continue to meet virtually hosted by our local Pods.  The NYC Pod is now hosting a meeting the second Tuesday of every month, from 8:30-9:30am, to provide a gathering place to share information, ask questions, and offer support for our community of friends and colleagues.  

Once you complete your registration, you will recieve the log-in information, link and phone numbers in your confirmation email. Just click on the link or dial in at the time of the meetings.  There's no password.  This is a recurring meeting, so the same link should work for subsequent webinars. 

For problems during the webinar, please text Judie at (917) 691-9947.

These meetings are for NYACP Members Only.  

RSVP HERE