Child Custody · New York
Top Child Custody Lawyers in New York
Child custody lawyers focus on parenting time, decision-making responsibility and relocation disputes. This list compares 29 child custody lawyers practising in New York on verified licences, years in this area, focus and sourced reputation.
- Updated 19 Oct 2026
- Ranking v1.0.0
- How we rank
- lawyers considered
- 29
- 14 verified licences
- 48%
- average years in practice
- 15
The ranking
Score out of 100- 1
Sofia Holloway
VerifiedSenior Associate
Prescott & Calder LLP37 yrs in practiceChild CustodyDivorceEmploymentSpeaks English, Korean
- 2
Clara Stavros
VerifiedPartner
Prescott & Calder LLP22 yrs in practice4.4(20)EmploymentChild CustodyCriminal Defense+1 moreSpeaks English, Hindi
- 3
Rafael Chen
VerifiedSenior Associate
Holt & Quill LLP4.5(2)Child CustodyFamilyPersonal InjurySpeaks English, French
- 4
Jonah Brennan
VerifiedAssociate
Linden & Marlow LLP32 yrs in practice3.6(7)Estate PlanningChild CustodyFamily - 5
Anika Ortega
Out of dateFounding Attorney
Sterling & Wyatt LLP26 yrs in practice4.4(18)Personal InjuryChild CustodyEmployment+1 moreSpeaks English, Hindi
- 6
- 7
Nadia Osei
VerifiedSenior Associate
Holt & Quill LLP9 yrs in practice3.3(22)Child CustodyCriminal DefenseEmployment+1 moreSpeaks English, Russian
- 8
Felix L. Kowalski
VerifiedManaging Partner
Harrow Law Group18 yrs in practiceFamilyChild CustodyPersonal InjurySpeaks English, Urdu
- 9
Helena S. Ortega
VerifiedAssociate
Kensington Law Group28 yrs in practice4.2(3)DivorceChild CustodyFamily - 10
Vivian Lindqvist
VerifiedOf Counsel
Linden & Calder LLP11 yrs in practice4.3(12)FamilyChild CustodyDivorce - 11
Anika Mbeki
VerifiedFounding Attorney
Holt & Quill LLP22 yrs in practiceCriminal DefenseChild CustodyEmployment+2 more - 12
Leila Kaplan
UnverifiedPrincipal Lawyer
Rowe & Quill LLP24 yrs in practice4.1(11)Child CustodyEstate PlanningFamily+1 moreSpeaks English, Mandarin
- 13
- 14
Hannah Duarte
VerifiedAssociate
Rowe & Quill LLP25 yrs in practice3.4(24)DivorceBusinessChild Custody+2 moreSpeaks English, Korean
- 15
Sofia Patel
PendingFounding Attorney
Prescott & Calder LLP25 yrs in practice3.5(19)Child CustodyFamilySpeaks English, Mandarin
- 16
Theo Patel
UnverifiedSenior Associate
Prescott & Hale LLP22 yrs in practice4.1(10)Child CustodySpeaks English, Arabic, Russian
- 17
James Patel
PendingOf Counsel
Harrow Law Group35 yrs in practice3.6(5)Child CustodyDivorceFamilySpeaks English, Portuguese
- 18
Omar A. Ellison
Out of dateAssociate
Kensington & Thorne LLP33 yrs in practiceEmploymentChild CustodyFamily - 19
Diego Okafor
Out of datePrincipal Lawyer
Prescott & Vance LLP3.5(21)Criminal DefenseChild CustodyFamilySpeaks English, French
- 20
Wei K. Ibarra
UnverifiedFounding Attorney
Prescott & Vance LLP17 yrs in practice4.7(11)Child CustodyBusinessFamily - 21
Amara Calloway
UnverifiedFounding Attorney
Linden & Calder LLP35 yrs in practice4.6(21)EmploymentBusinessChild Custody+1 more - 22
- 23
Ruth R. Calloway
VerifiedSenior Associate
Harrow Law Group5 yrs in practice3.3(5)Estate PlanningChild CustodyDivorce+1 more - 24
Laura M. Jansen
UnverifiedSenior Associate
Kensington & Thorne LLP21 yrs in practice3.3(18)Child CustodyDivorceFamilySpeaks English, Vietnamese
- 25
Gabriel Iyer
UnverifiedManaging Partner
Hale & Fairfax LLP22 yrs in practice4.5(1)Child CustodyFamilyPersonal Injury+1 moreSpeaks English, Urdu
How we rank
Each lawyer gets nine component scores from 0 to 100. The bar shows how many of the 100 available points each component contributed. Weights are fixed for every lawyer in this list and published in full; payment plays no part.
Expertise50%
- Credentials20%
- Relevant experience15%
- Specialization15%
Standing35%
- Verified reputation15%
- Professional recognition10%
- Relevant track record10%
Service & data15%
- Client experience5%
- Profile & data quality5%
- Data freshness5%
New York legal resources
- New York State Bar Association
Statewide bar association; lawyer referral and public resources.
- New York City Bar Association
Legal referral service and free legal clinics.
- New York State Unified Court System
Court information, forms and the attorney registration search.
Choosing a child custody lawyer
Ask how often the lawyer handles contested custody hearings and whether they work with custody evaluators or guardians ad litem.
Frequently asked questions
What does "best interests of the child" mean?
It is the legal standard courts use to decide custody, weighing factors such as stability, each parent’s involvement and the child’s needs.