NYC family law attorney Bernard Clair discusses his experience in handling high net-worth divorce cases. He states that his perspective is shaped by both personal and courtroom experience. From a personal standpoint, he observes that no matter how much money or fame someone has, it ultimately does not change the fundamentals. As his father used to say, “They put their pants on the same way every morning as you do,” and this notion has been a saving grace for him throughout his career. In his office or conference room, he has dealt with hundreds of high-profile clients, but the dynamics are different in court.

He notes that, pre-COVID, judges often treated high-net-worth clients differently, giving them priority in hearings and recognizing the reputations of attorneys who specialized in celebrity divorces. Being known as a high-profile lawyer could influence how cases were scheduled and heard.

However, he observes that the landscape has changed with the shift to remote proceedings, particularly in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx, where most cases are now conducted virtually. His firm has also expanded to White Plains, Westchester, to handle cases north of Manhattan, but he emphasizes that in the remote environment, the old advantages of high-profile clients have largely disappeared. Judges now treat everyone the same on the screen, and it makes little difference whether a client is a celebrity.

He expresses hope that in-person court proceedings will resume soon, noting that New York and Manhattan are beginning to reopen, but progress is slower than he had anticipated.