Tools for Long Island Attorneys for the Child, Therapists and Mediators

A co-parenting app and case tools you can recommend to the Long Island families you work with, whether you serve as an attorney for the child, a therapist, or a mediator. Messaging between co-parents is free for both parents, and every message is time-stamped and tamper-evident.

If you serve as an attorney for the child, a therapist, or a mediator for families on Long Island, you already know the pattern: two parents, one child, and a record of what happened that lives in two different phones. FamilyCourtHelp.com gives the parents you work with one organized place for co-parent messages, schedules, parenting plans, expenses, and records, so the time they spend with you, and in front of the Nassau County Family Court and Suffolk County Family Court, goes to the children instead of the screenshots.

New York uses its own words, "parenting time" where many states say visitation, and the tools follow New York's terms so the papers parents bring you read the way the court reads them.

Area covered: Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

Court for custody cases: Nassau County Family Court and Suffolk County Family Court (custody and visitation); New York State Supreme Court in each county (divorce).

Appointed for the child: Attorney for the child.

Custody mediation: Voluntary; a judge can refer (Custody/Visitation Mediation Program).

Parenting coordinators: Appointed by court order (Silbowitz v Silbowitz, 2011 NY Slip Op 07026).

Parenting class: Only if a judge orders it (New York State Parent Education and Awareness Program).

State family law: New York Domestic Relations Law.

Co-parent messaging (Free): One time-stamped, tamper-evident thread, free for both parents, with a Tone Meter that offers calmer rewrites.

Invite a professional into the conversation (Free): A parent can add a guardian ad litem or mediator to the co-parent conversation with a single-use link.

Parenting plan, built and shared (Free to build): Parents draft a parenting plan and can share it with you to read and comment on.

Verify a chat export (Free): Check that an exported message record (the JSON file) has not been changed. No account needed.

Court-Grade Journal (Paid plan): A dated, no-delete journal; a parent can send you a packet of chosen entries.

Expense Tracker (Paid plan): Shared child costs with receipts; a parent can give you a view-only look.

Parents can create an account and message their co-parent for free, with no credit card. Building a parenting plan is free; sharing, downloading, and printing it, and the tools marked as a paid plan, are part of a monthly plan a parent can start and stop.

For attorneys for the child on Long Island

In New York, the court can appoint an attorney for the child in a custody case. What the role involves is in the FAQ below.

Nothing here opens a family's account to you on its own. When a parent wants you in, they send a single-use invitation into the co-parent conversation; you join with your own free account, see the full thread and the shared calendar's change requests, and can post. They can also share the parenting plan for you to read and comment on.

The invitation a parent sends is labeled Guardian ad Litem, the title most states use. It works the same if you serve as an attorney for the child on Long Island.

For therapists and counselors on Long Island

Court-involved therapists, reunification therapists, co-parenting counselors, and custody evaluators on Long Island get no seat in the conversation and no access to accounts. Parents keep their own time-stamped record and decide what to show you, which keeps your role clear. For co-parenting work, the Tone Meter in the free messenger shows a parent how a message will land and offers a calmer version before it is sent.

For mediators and parenting coordinators on Long Island

In New York, custody mediation is voluntary, though a judge can refer a case. The court program is the Custody/Visitation Mediation Program. Courts can appoint a parenting coordinator by order (Silbowitz v Silbowitz, 2011 NY Slip Op 07026). The details are in the FAQ below.

Parents can bring you in before the first meeting on Long Island: a single-use link adds you to the co-parent conversation, and a shared parenting plan lets you read the draft and comment on it. After the session, what was agreed stays in writing in the thread, and schedule changes run through the shared calendar's request and approval record.

Parenting coordinators can be added to a shared plan as a viewer who reads and comments.

Family court programs on Long Island

Custody cases on Long Island are heard in the Nassau County Family Court and Suffolk County Family Court. The wider area takes in Nassau and Suffolk counties, and a case is heard by the court for the county where it is filed. The court-connected programs below were checked against official sources.

Custody and Visitation Mediation Program (EAC Network, Long Island Dispute Resolution Centers): Works with the Suffolk County Family Court and serves Nassau too, taking parents who come in directly or by court referral to build a co-parenting agreement.

Attorneys for Children Program, Appellate Division, Second Department: Keeps the panel of lawyers certified to represent children in Nassau and Suffolk counties, plus a separate panel of mental health professionals.

Court-Based ADR Programs Outside New York City: The state court system's list of court-connected mediation and other dispute resolution programs for counties outside the city.

If you searched for an attorney for the child, a family therapist, or a custody mediator on Long Island, the court that has your case, the order in it, or your lawyer is the place to find who is appointed or approved. This site does not appoint professionals or refer you to one. What you can do here is come prepared: keep every message with your co-parent in one time-stamped thread, write down what happened with dates while it is fresh, and work on a parenting plan before the meeting.

Free help for parents on Long Island: the court help desks and legal aid offices below were checked link by link for the site's free pro se help directory.

Nassau: Nassau County Supreme Court Help Center, (516) 493-3200. Help desk for Nassau County residents without a lawyer navigating a Supreme Court case.

Nassau legal aid: Legal Services of Long Island, (631) 232-2400.

Suffolk: Suffolk County Supreme Court Help Center (Central Islip), (631) 740-3961. Court law library help desk for people without a lawyer preparing Supreme Court papers.

Suffolk legal aid: Legal Services of Long Island, (631) 232-2400.

FamilyCourtHelp.com is a self-help platform, not a law firm and not a court, and nothing on this page is legal, clinical, or mediation advice. Court rules and local programs change, so confirm anything that matters for a case with the court, the order that appointed you, or the program itself.

Frequently asked questions

Where are custody cases heard on Long Island?

Nassau County Family Court sits in Westbury and Suffolk County has its own Family Court. Family Court judges hear custody and visitation. Divorce cases are heard in Supreme Court.

Is there a court mediation program on Long Island?

Yes. Families with a case in the local court can use the Custody and Visitation Mediation Program (EAC Network, Long Island Dispute Resolution Centers). What it offers, and the official link, are in the family court programs section above.

Where can parents on Long Island get free help with a family court case?

Free court help for parents without a lawyer includes Nassau County Supreme Court Help Center and Suffolk County Supreme Court Help Center (Central Islip). Free legal aid: Legal Services of Long Island. Phone numbers and links are in the parents section above, checked link by link for the site's free pro se help directory.

How can parents prepare for custody mediation on Long Island?

Bring the family calendar, a draft parenting plan, a list of the issues still open, and a list of shared costs with receipts. Parents can put all of that together on FamilyCourtHelp.com before the first session. Families with a case in the local court can ask about the Custody and Visitation Mediation Program (EAC Network, Long Island Dispute Resolution Centers).

What does an attorney for the child do in a Long Island custody case?

New York courts appoint an attorney for the child, a lawyer who speaks for the child in Family Court and Supreme Court custody cases. In most cases the lawyer follows the child's own wishes, with narrow exceptions. You may also see "AFC" and "law guardian". The rule is in N.Y. Family Court Act § 249. This is general information, not legal advice; the order in the case controls.

Is custody mediation required in New York?

Custody mediation in New York is voluntary. A judge or referee can refer a case, and either parent can ask for a referral. Cases are screened first to make sure mediation is a good fit.

Does New York use parenting coordinators?

There is no New York statute for parenting coordinators. Courts may appoint one to help parents carry out an existing parenting plan, but the court cannot hand the coordinator the power to decide what is best for the children.

Do parents in New York have to take a parenting class?

There is no automatic statewide class requirement. A judge in a divorce, custody or visitation case may order parents to attend an approved PEAP class, and the two parents attend separate sessions.