As an experience New York litigator, I am in Court almost every day and handle cases throughout New York State. However, as a Westchester County lawyer, located in White Plains, New York, I have had the opportunity to handle a wide variety of cases in the Westchester County Courthouse, located in White Plains, New York just a short five minute walk from my office. I have handled criminal cases of all types in the Westchester County Courthouse (as a general rule only felonies end up in the County Court), from homicide to felony DWI to firearms and almost everything in between. In addition to the criminal cases having also handled many family law cases involving domestic violence, child support and visitation and civil litigation including personal injury, commercial and real estate litigation, I have been in the Westchester County Courthouse too many times to Count. In fact my experience at the Courthouse goes way back to my days a young law student, working for the now retired Hon. Joseph K. West formerly of the Westchester County Court.
The Westchester County Courthouse serves the vast and diverse Westchester County Community just to the north of the Bronx, a borough of New York City. Westchester County, a suburb of New York City contains the densely populated Cities of Yonkers, New Rochelle, Peekskill and White Plains and the more suburban areas such as Bedford, Scarsdale, Larchmont, Mamaroneck and Greenburgh but also contains the very rural areas of Somers, Lewisboro and Pound Ridge. Housing the Supreme Court of The State of New York, the Westchester County Court and The New York State Family Court, the most serious cases criminal, civil and family are all handled in this Courthouse.
The Courthouse recently underwent a major renovation adding an annex to house the County and Family Court. The annex added 22 courtrooms and related spaces to serve the two Courts housed in the new space. The centerpiece of the new space is a new, landscaped courtyard, visible from the common areas of the interior of the courthouse and accessible to Court visitors and employees.
With a population of almost one million people, according to the US Census Bureau and covering a land area of more than 432 square miles Westchester is a fairly densely populated area. Rockland County, Westchester’s neighbor to the west by comparison has a mere 300,000 people in an area of almost 175 square miles. What that means is that the Courthouse is well used and on any given morning it is not unusual to find a line waiting at the elevator bank or to get through the magnetometer at the Courthouse entrance.
The Courthouse has been home to such notorious cases as the murder trial of Carolyn Warmus, the murder trial of Jean S. Harris accused of killing Scarsdale Diet Doctor Herman Tarnower and many other cases of regional or local notoriety.
Centrally located in White Plains and with plenty of municipal parking, the Courthouse is easily accessible by Metro North Train, Buses, Taxi and Car. For more information and for directions see the Office of Court Administration Website or contact Tilem & Campbell for experienced legal representation in the Westchester County Court.