For more than 35 years, Mr. Fredman’s practice has been in the area of Matrimonial Law, encompassing divorce and property distribution, child custody and visitation, support related matters and pre and postnuptial agreements.
In addition to his expert litigation and negotiation skills, Neil is trained as a Collaborative lawyer, a process that offers an alternative to the standard negotiation/ litigation model of conflict resolution. Neil is especially proud of his reputation for settling most of his cases without court intervention. He is also considered one of the “go to” Westchester County divorce lawyers for his in-depth understanding of financial issues and the use of the latest technology to help him craft creative settlements. Neil has been named as one of Westchester County’s Family Law “Super Lawyers”, a peer-reviewed designation, since 2007, and was named one of its “Top 25” Westchester Area Super Lawyers in 2007. He has held Martindale Hubbell’s highest “AV” rating for over 20 years.
Neil is one of the few New York Fellows of the Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), of which he has been a Fellow since 1988. In addition to his AAML Fellowship, Neil has served as Chair of the Family Law Section of the Westchester County Bar Association and the Committee on Ethical Practices of the American Bar Association Family Law Section, and as a member of the Executive Committee of the New York State Bar Association Family Law Section. He now serves on the Executive Committee of the Rockland/Westchester Association of Collaborative Professionals and is a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals.
Neil was a partner at Fink Weinberger Fredman Berman & Lowell in White Plains and New York City until leaving that firm to form Scheinkman, Fredman & Kosan in 1993, which became Fredman & Kosan in 1998, and then Fredman Baken & Kosan in 2009.
Neil is a lifelong resident of Westchester County (White Plains High School Class of 1969). He graduated from Cornell University in 1973, and obtained his J.D. from Fordham Law School in 1977. He is also an accomplished guitar player, having started playing in 1964. If you ask him to recite the lyrics to almost any popular song from the 60s and 70s, he probably can. He is married to Michele Wertheimer Fredman, Esq., a Trusts & Estates and Real Estate lawyer, for almost 40 years (also a musician), and are the parents of two married adult children, and most recently the proud grandparents of a beautiful baby girl. He and Michele play frequently as part of their synagogue’s Friday evening band.