Tilem & Associates, PC

Focus and practice areas

The firm is based in White Plains, New York, and it centers on litigation. It describes itself as a boutique litigation firm that has run for more than 25 years. It represents individuals and businesses across the New York metropolitan area, and its caseload crosses both criminal and civil courts.

The work covers several fields at once. The firm handles criminal defense, personal injury, business and commercial litigation, family and matrimonial law, immigration, real estate, and probate and estate matters. That spread reaches both the courtroom side of a dispute and the paperwork that surrounds it. A client whose single problem touches two of these areas can keep the work under one roof.

In my opinion, the range reads as general practice with a litigation core. The firm's own materials put criminal cases first, and the detail on that list backs up the emphasis. The other areas get named clearly, so a reader knows the door is open for civil and family work too.

How the team is built

Peter Tilem founded the firm and is its senior partner. He began his career as a prosecutor in the New York County District Attorney's Office. There he handled cases that included homicides and white collar crimes, so he saw serious charges from the government's side before he moved to defense.

His current work stays close to that background. It covers criminal matters such as homicide, drug and narcotics charges, gun and weapons offenses, identity theft, and driving related charges. He has also appeared on 60 Minutes and CNN, which points to a public profile beyond the courtroom.

Three more lawyers fill out the roster. Cindy N. Brown is a senior associate. Robert M. Schechter is an associate, and Nicole Walker is an attorney with the firm. A structure like this, one senior partner with a small group of associates, matches the boutique label the firm uses. It also means a client is likely to work with a named lawyer they can identify from the start.

Range of criminal matters

The criminal defense list is the most detailed part of the site. It names homicide, drug and narcotics charges, gun and weapons offenses, identity theft, and sex offenses. Driving cases appear here too, such as DWI, DUI, and DWAI.

A DWI charge in New York runs on two tracks at once. One track is the criminal case in court. The other is a separate action at the Department of Motor Vehicles that can affect a license before the court case ends. A firm that lists this work treats both tracks from the start.

The firm also takes traffic violations and gun licensing questions, and it names Second Amendment matters among them. Serious charges move through arraignment, pretrial motions, and, where the case calls for it, trial before a judge or jury. A criminal list this specific tells a reader what the firm handles week to week.

Family, immigration, and injury work

The civil side of the firm's work reaches into areas that touch daily life. The firm handles family and matrimonial law, which covers divorce, custody, and support. It also takes immigration matters and personal injury claims.

Personal injury cases follow a familiar path. They start with a claim against an insurer, move through the gathering of medical and financial records, and settle or go to trial depending on the offer. Family cases run through the county's Supreme or Family Court, where a judge weighs custody and support on the facts each side presents.

Civil, estate, and property matters

Beyond those areas, the firm handles business and commercial litigation, real estate, and probate and estate work. Within the estate group, it lists Surrogate's Court litigation and will contests.

Will contests and estate disputes run through Surrogate's Court in New York. These cases turn on documents: the will itself, witness accounts, and records of what the person intended. As a reviewer, I read the presence of Surrogate's Court work as a sign the firm litigates estates and handles the probate paperwork behind them.

The firm also names landlord tenant disputes and Article 78 proceedings. An Article 78 case is the New York route for challenging a government agency's decision in court. Matters like these go before a judge who decides on a written record of briefs and affidavits.

Where the firm practices

White Plains sits in Westchester County, and the firm works across the wider New York City region. County lines matter to a client, because a criminal or civil case follows the court where it is filed. A firm that already appears in these venues knows the local clerks, judges, and filing routines.

The firm keeps a public presence on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn, where readers can follow its updates. Its stated coverage includes the Bronx, Kings, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Nassau, Putnam, Suffolk, and Westchester counties.

The lawyers' training and earlier roles

Peter Tilem earned his law degree from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University in 1991. He lectures at continuing legal education classes, which puts him in front of other lawyers as well as clients.

Cindy N. Brown attended the University at Albany and earned her J.D. from the Charleston School of Law in 2012. Her practice covers criminal defense, civil litigation, family law, and landlord tenant matters. Before she joined the firm, she worked as a contract attorney at Epiq Systems and served as a judicial intern in the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court. That posting sits inside the state's mid level appeals court, so she saw how a panel reviews a record on appeal.

Robert M. Schechter holds a B.A. from the State University of New York at Albany and a J.D. from Albany Law School. His focus runs to gun rights, contract law, appeals, and business matters, and it includes CCW license appeals. Earlier in his career he worked in the United States Attorney's Office on crimes against children and immigrants and on technology crimes tied to intellectual property. He later worked at an international law firm in Hong Kong, which gives the roster a lawyer with experience outside the New York courts.

Nicole Walker earned her J.D. from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University and also attended the State University of New York College at Purchase. Her work centers on estate planning, elder law, probate, and real estate. Within that group she handles trusts, wills, guardianship, and probate administration. Her role gives the estate side of the practice a lawyer whose day to day sits in planning and administration.

In my view, these earlier roles give a small team a wide base to draw on, from federal prosecution work to practice abroad.

The office and reaching the firm

The firm's office is at 188 E Post Rd in White Plains. A client who meets the lawyers in person goes to that address. The firm offers a free consultation, and it lists two phone numbers for callers, 914-833-9785 and 877-377-8666. The 877 line is toll free, which suits callers reaching the firm from outside White Plains.