Clark Peshkin, LLP

Family law and divorce work

The firm's matrimonial work includes contested and uncontested divorce. Clark Peshkin also handles mediation, collaborative divorce, property division, child custody and parenting time. Its support work covers both child support and spousal support.

The family law services extend to paternity matters, prenuptial agreements, postnuptial agreements and orders of protection. This mix allows the firm to address disputes between parents, financial issues between spouses and agreements made before or during a marriage. The published practice areas show a clear focus on family relationships and the legal duties that come with them.

Mediation and collaborative divorce give clients options for resolving family matters outside a contested court process. The firm also handles litigation when the parties cannot reach an agreement. Its stated services cover the main legal and financial questions that can arise during a separation or divorce.

Estate planning and administration

Clark Peshkin prepares wills, trusts, powers of attorney and healthcare directives. The firm also advises on Medicaid planning and long-term care planning. These services address both lifetime planning and the transfer of property after death.

The estate practice includes probate, trust administration, contested wills and estate litigation. That combination means the firm works on planning documents as well as disputes about estates. Real estate services are available in the cities the firm serves, adding another property-related area to its work.

How the legal team is built

The firm's website identifies eight attorneys and gives each lawyer a defined title. Kevin Clark and Amber Peshkin are managing partners and founding partners. Jeffrey Gerace and Lydia Rainey are partners, while Cynthia Carroll and Meredith Bettenhauser are senior associate attorneys. Jamie Bakleh and Kyli Tripoli are associate attorneys.

Founding partners

Kevin Clark practices in Rochester, Buffalo and Syracuse. He earned a J.D. from the University of St. Thomas School of Law and an M.B.A. from its business school in Minneapolis. His work focuses on family law, divorce, child custody, child support, estate planning, mediation and collaborative law.

Amber Peshkin earned a Bachelor of Arts from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a Juris Doctor from Hofstra University School of Law. Before her work at Clark Peshkin, she worked as an assistant district attorney for the Monroe County District Attorney's Office. She also worked as a staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society of Nassau County, and her stated practice includes civil litigation.

Partners and senior associates

Jeffrey Gerace is a partner in Rochester and earned his J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Lydia Rainey is also a Rochester partner and attended Pace Law School. Their partner titles place them with the firm's managing partners in its senior attorney group.

Cynthia Carroll, also identified as Cindy Carroll on the roster, is a senior associate attorney. Her background includes government matters and an association with the Legal Aid Society. Meredith Bettenhauser is the other senior associate attorney and earned her law degree from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University.

Bettenhauser's stated work includes criminal defense involving violations and class B violent felonies. She also handles family law, appeals, DUI and DWI matters, and domestic violence cases. Her listed areas add criminal and appellate experience to a team centered on family and estate matters.

Associate attorneys

Jamie Bakleh is an associate in Rochester. Bakleh earned a B.S. and a B.A. from the University at Buffalo, followed by a J.D. from Penn State Dickinson Law. Kyli Tripoli appears on the roster as an associate attorney.

Offices and regional coverage

Clark Peshkin has offices in Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse. The firm's organization data also identifies an Albany location. This presence gives the team several bases across New York State.

The website names Rochester and Monroe County, the Finger Lakes region, and Upstate and Western New York as areas the firm serves. Its attorneys can work across several cities while keeping the listed services consistent. Divorce, family law and estate planning remain the main areas throughout that regional footprint.

The site says the firm dates back more than a decade. It also states that its attorneys have decades of combined practice. The founding role of Clark and Peshkin, together with the current partner and associate structure, shows how the team is organized today.

What the published record shows

The website gives prospective clients a useful view of the firm's scope. It names the attorneys, identifies their positions and sets out the legal issues the firm handles. The practice descriptions provide more detail than broad labels such as family law or estate planning alone.

The divorce material identifies court-based cases, mediation and collaborative divorce. The estate material separates document preparation, long-term care planning, administration and litigation. In my opinion, this degree of practice detail is the clearest feature of the firm's published information.

The attorney information also shows different types of legal experience within the team. Clark's listed work connects family disputes with estate planning and consensual resolution methods. Peshkin brings prior prosecution and legal aid work, while Bettenhauser adds criminal defense and appellate matters.

Reviewer assessment

Clark Peshkin presents a defined concentration in divorce, family law and estate planning. The service list covers common family disputes, marital agreements, protection orders, end-of-life documents and estate administration. Real estate work and selected criminal matters broaden that stated focus.

The team has a visible internal structure, with two managing partners, two partners, two senior associates and two associates. Several attorneys have published education or prior-work details that help explain their roles. The legal entity is Clark Peshkin, LLP, and the firm lists eight attorneys across its New York practice.