Leslie F. Barbara
Matrimonial and Family Lawyer
Biography
Formidable advocacy, grounded judgment
Leslie F. Barbara is a New York City divorce lawyer and Chair of Davidoff Hutcher & Citron's Divorce & Family Law Department based out of the firm's New York City office.
With 30 years of experience representing a wide-ranging network of high-profile clients, Ms. Barbara handles all aspects of divorce and family law litigation, including custody and support, complex asset division, business valuation issues, and sophisticated marital agreements. She also handles prenuptial and postnuptial agreements as well as same sex divorces.
Ms. Barbara has tried matters in both Supreme and Family Courts and has argued before the Appellate Division.
Client profile
High-profile and high-net-worth individuals, including celebrities, professional athletes, restaurateurs, chief executive officers, and their spouses.
Contact
Education
J.D., 1991, Hofstra University School of Law
B.S., 1985, Cornell University
Admitted in
New York
Recognitions
Super Lawyers: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Nomination: Crain's Notable Women in Law (2021)
Quick links
Find answers to frequently asked questions on the firm site, or contact the office to discuss next steps.
Practice areas
Divorce and family law
Core focus: strategic representation in high-stakes matrimonial and family matters, including litigation and negotiated resolution.
- Child custody, access rights, and visitation
- Child support
- Collaborative law matters
- Complex business valuations
- Divorce
- Domestic violence
- Equitable distribution of property and valuation issues
- Mediation
- Paternity
- Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements
- Same-sex prenuptial agreements, divorce, and custody matters
- Separation agreements
- Spousal maintenance and support
Next step
If you want a calm, structured plan forward, request a complimentary consultation and outline the issue in plain English. The goal is clarity, not chaos.
Media and features
Quoted for insight, trusted for judgment
Selected features and appearances:
- Authority Magazine (5 Things You Need to Know to Survive and Thrive During and After Divorce)
- CNN (Child custody battle)
- Daily Express (Costner and Baumgartner divorce)
- Distractify (How Brady and Bündchen prenups factor in their divorce)
- Fatherly (Divorce, coronavirus, and child custody)
- Newsweek (Tom Brady on post-divorce challenges)
- New York Post (Leesa Rowland case)
- New York Times (Covid-19 and divorce court)
- People Magazine (Custody dispute during Covid relocation)
- SheKnows (Bill and Melinda Gates divorce)
- TechRound (The Tinder Swindler)
- USA Today (Bill and Melinda Gates divorce)
- USA Today (Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis custody matter)
- Yahoo and Yahoo Finance (major celebrity and business divorce coverage)
Recent items
If you want a dedicated "Media" page later, these can become clickable posts. For now, this section is built to look premium and clean on a single page.
Media Appearances:
- Leslie Barbara Returns to Dating Detectives Podcast (April 22, 2025)
- Leslie Barbara Featured in USA Today and Yahoo Finance (May 15, 2024)
- Leslie Barbara Appears on the Dating Detectives Podcast (November 21, 2023)
- Barbara Discusses the Costner Divorce with Daily Express (August 17, 2023)
- Barbara in Newsweek on the Brady and Bündchen Divorce (November 1, 2022)
- Leslie Barbara in Distractify on Celebrity Prenuptial Agreements (October 8, 2022)
- Barbara in USA Today on Celeb Process Serving Circus (April 29, 2022)
- Barbara Shares Insights on the Tinder Swindler (March 7, 2022)
- Matrimonial Law, Rise in Divorce Post-Covid (September 9, 2021)
- Barbara Weighs in on the Gates Divorce (May 3, 2021)
- Barbara on Surviving and Thriving During and After Divorce (March 18, 2021)
- Barbara Speaks to Fatherly on Pandemic Impact on Couples (April 8, 2020)
- Barbara on Family Stress amid Covid-19, People Magazine (April 6, 2020)
Speaking and honors
Professional leadership and recognition
Speaking engagements
- National Association of Divorce Professionals
Awards and honors
- Recognized and rated by Super Lawyers in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025
- Hofstra Law Review (designation noted on firm profile)
Standard of service
Straightforward counsel, precise execution, and a steady hand in high-emotion, high-stakes transitions.
Next step
If hiring counsel is on your radar, the first move is getting clear on priorities, risk, and timeline. Request a complimentary consultation and share the basics. The objective is an intelligent plan and clean execution.
Request a Complimentary Consultation