Allen concentrates his practice on complex family law issues, including divorce, equitable distribution of business and financial assets, spousal and child support, contested child custody cases, paternity proceedings, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, and same-sex family law matters.

After graduating from Stanford Law School, Allen served as law clerk to the Honorable A. Joe Fish, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. He went on to practice general commercial litigation at Simpson Thacher LLP, and then, in 2003, joined Cohen Lans LLP, a highly-regarded matrimonial boutique.  Immediately prior to forming Drexel LLC, Allen practiced family law at Hogan & Hartson LLP, where he represented individuals in matters involving substantial estates and novel legal issues.

Allen has delivered CLE presentations and written on matrimonial law issues. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the New York State Bar Association’s Family Law Section and Co-Chair of the Section’s Marriage Equality Committee, and Allen is also a member of the Family Law Section of the American Bar Association. From 2005-08, Allen co-chaired the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Rights Committee of the New York City Bar Association, and he has been cited in the New York Times, the New York Law Journal, New York Magazine, The Daily Beast, Above the Law, and other publications regarding family law issues.

Admissions

New York State
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas
U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York

Education

Stanford Law School, J.D. 2000
University of Sussex, M.A. 1992
Dartmouth College, A.B. 1991, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa

Associations & Memberships

New York State Bar Association (Member, Executive Committee of the New York State Bar’s Family Law Section, 2012-present; Co-Chair, Marriage Equality Committee, 2012-present; Member, Family Law Section, 2006-present; Member, Family Law Section, Legislation Committee, 2008-present; Empire State Counsel Honoree for pro bono service, 2007, 2009).

New York City Bar Association, 2001-present (Co-Chair, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Rights Committee, 2005-2008; Member, Matrimonial Law Committee, 2010-present)

American Bar Association (Member, Family Law Section, 2005-present)

Select Publications

Report: 1,324 Reasons for Marriage Equality in New York State, project co-coordinator and lead drafter, with Ross Levi, Esq., for New York City Bar Association and Empire State Pride Agenda, June 8, 2007.

Children’s Best Interests: Divorce Law, Same-Sex Marriage Debate, N.Y.L.J., Mar. 23, 2006 (with Robert Stephan Cohen).

Before Paris Burned: Race, Class, and Male Homosexuality on the Chicago South Side, 1935–1960, in CREATING A PLACE FOR OURSELVES: LESBIAN, GAY & BISEXUAL COMMUNITY HISTORIES 119 (Brett Beemyn ed., Routledge 1997).

Professional Presentations

Life After Windsor: Where Are We Now?, Presentation to New York County Lawyers’ Association, Matrimonial Law Section (September 10, 2013).

Marriage Equality – The Paper Anniversary: Updates on Case Law & Developments, CLE Presentation, New York City Bar Association (June 25, 2012).

Advancing Equality Through Financial & Legal Planning, Panel Discussion, hosted by Bernstein Global Wealth Management (May 2, 2012)

Marriage Equality in New York: The New Legal Landscape for Same-Sex Couples, CLE Presentation, New York City Bar Association (November 9, 2011).

What Passage of the Marriage Equality Law Will Mean for Same-Sex Couples in New York: A Multidisciplinary Forum, CLE Presentation, New York City Bar Association (October 4, 2011).

Same-Sex Marriage in New York – What Every Practitioner Needs to Know, CLE Presentation, New York State Bar Association (September 9, 2011).

Presentation regarding (i) impact on same-sex spouses of federal Defense of Marriage Act and inconsistent recognition of same-sex marriages outside New York state, and (ii) related planning issues, New York City Bar Association, Matrimonial Law Committee (September 8, 2011).

Planning for Same-Sex & Unmarried Couples: Probate, Property & Family Law, CLE Presentation, New York City Bar Association (April 28, 2009).

Beyond Ozzie & Harriet: Representing Non-Traditional Couples in the Paterson Era, CLE Presentation, New York Law School (November 21, 2008).

Culturally Competent Lawyering for At-Risk LGBTQ Youth: Advocating Effectively in Foster Care & Juvenile Detention Systems; Chair, CLE Program, New York City Bar Association (May 15, 2008).

Love Among the DOMAs: Conflict of Law Issues Affecting New York LGBT Families & Domestic Partners; CLE Presentation, New York City Bar Association (May 22, 2007).

Honors and Awards

Selected for New York Super Lawyers 2014
Selected for New York Super Lawyers 2013
Selected as a New York Super Lawyers Rising Star for 2011