THE LAW CENTER
CLIFFORD FORSTADT has been practicing law in Central New York for over thirty-five years. A graduate of the Syracuse University College of Law, his experience ranges from civil and criminals trial and appeals work in all major court levels in New York State, to federal district and appeals Courts. He is admitted to practice law in all the courts of the State of New York, the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York, the United States District Court for the Western District of New York, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit of New York, and the Supreme Court of the United States.
He has many years’ experience serving on Boards of Directors for various community groups ranging from Legal Services of Central New York, to religious, cultural and educational organizations. He served as the first Staff Director of a legal service benefits program for a major labor union serving the legal needs of Chrysler and General Motors workers, and traveled throughout New York State arranging for new legal service offices serving workers in many locations.
Opening the Law Center in 1998, his goal has been to provide high quality representation to his clients,
emphasizing an aggressive approach to client needs while offering counseling services to meet the specific needs of the client.
Since first representing clients in divorce actions in law school, Clifford Forstadt has had extensive experience in Family Court support, custody and visitation cases, as well as in uncontested and contested divorces on behalf of clients, ranging from those with considerable assets engaged in complex business and investment situations, to those with few assets and relatively simple financial situations. He has litigated emotionally-charged custody and visitation cases, as well as negotiated agreements which resolved what might have been prolonged, bitter battles.
He has used his experience in bankruptcy law practice to give clients a perspective on financial pitfalls which might otherwise go unnoticed. Likewise, his background in real estate law practice is useful in counseling clients whose cases involve the various aspects of property ownership.
The philosophy of the Law Center is to resolve client problems in the most efficient, least burdensome way. Clifford Forstadt is aware of the tremendous emotional and financial strains which accompany divorce, custody support, and visitation cases, and his first priority is to guide his clients through the maze of court proceeding and applicable laws while achieving the best possible outcome.
Personalized legal services are emphasized at the Law Center. Clients are not passed off to secretaries or legal assistants, as is common in very large firms, but rather individual contact with Clifford Forstadt is considered essential, not only for effective representation, but for the client’s peace of mind.
In today’s increasing complex society, attorneys must be familiar with a wide-ranging variety of areas of law. A divorce case, for example might involve questions of real estate, bankruptcy, and adoption law, as well as the economic and personal aspects of a divorce
