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Brett J. Zeitlin
Alternate image for Brett J. Zeitlin

Brett J. Zeitlin

Partner

bzeitlin@wwdlaw.com
215.656.3678

Philadelphia

1845 Walnut Street, 24th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19103

Haddonfield

101 Windsor Avenue Haddonfield, NJ 08033

  • 17 Willig, Williams & Davidson Attorneys Named Among 2025 ‘Best Lawyers in America,’ Deborah Willig and Irwin Aronson Named ‘Lawyer of the Year’
  • 16 Willig, Williams & Davidson Attorneys Named Among 2024 ‘Best Lawyers in America’
  • 14 Willig, Williams & Davidson Attorneys Named Among 2023 ‘Best Lawyers in America,’ Amy Rosenberger Named ‘Lawyer of the Year’ in Philadelphia in Labor Law for Unions
  • Willig, Williams & Davidson Name Brett J. Zeitlin Partner
  • Do I Have a Common Law Marriage and Will the Social Security Administration Acknowledge It?
  • Grandparents Are People, Too: Custody Rights of Grandparents in Pennsylvania
  • 17 Willig, Williams & Davidson Attorneys Named Among 2025 ‘Best Lawyers in America,’ Deborah Willig and Irwin Aronson Named ‘Lawyer of the Year’
  • 16 Willig, Williams & Davidson Attorneys Named Among 2024 ‘Best Lawyers in America’
  • 14 Willig, Williams & Davidson Attorneys Named Among 2023 ‘Best Lawyers in America,’ Amy Rosenberger Named ‘Lawyer of the Year’ in Philadelphia in Labor Law for Unions
  • Willig, Williams & Davidson Name Brett J. Zeitlin Partner
  • Crime and Custody: How Criminal Convictions Affect Custody in Pennsylvania
  • Couples in Civil Unions Can Now Divorce in Pennsylvania
  • Do I Have a Common Law Marriage and Will the Social Security Administration Acknowledge It?
  • Grandparents Are People, Too: Custody Rights of Grandparents in Pennsylvania

Brett Zeitlin practices family law, representing clients in divorce, custody, support, protection from abuse, restraining order, adoption and dependency matters. He also handles guardianships and has experience fighting traffic citations and litigating dog-bite cases.

Brett counsels and represents clients in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He advocates for husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, children and grandparents. He has litigated and settled divorces, support disputes, and custody matters throughout the Delaware Valley and South Jersey. Brett has helped clients secure child support even when the paying party is voluntarily unemployed or hiding their income. He has helped grandparents gain custody of their grandchildren. Brett has secured paternity testing for potential fathers, and disputed paternity in cases of fraud. He has helped abused parties obtain protection orders and restraining orders and has defended against the entry of those orders when the alleged abuse hasn’t occurred. Brett has extensive experience guiding clients through the complex custody relocation process, which can be lengthy, contentious, and emotional.

WHAT INSPIRES ME

“I represent good people trapped in complex and emotionally difficult situations. My job is to listen to each client’s story, to talk to them about the law in an understandable way, to guide them through the complex court system and to help them fight for what’s in their best interests and the best interests of their families. I don’t litigate for the thrill, or to generate fees. I litigate because I enjoy helping people through tough times. I’m happy when a client tells me that they’re satisfied with the results that we’ve fought for and achieved together.”

AWAY FROM WORK

“When I’m not at work I spend my time chasing my infant son around, walking my dog Hermes along the Schuylkill River, watching local sports, eating unusual foods, and reading epic fantasy novels. In the summer, I try very hard to spend every weekend in a beach chair at the Jersey Shore watching my son dig holes in the sand, or on the Chesapeake Bay swimming, waterskiing, and eating crabs. In the winter, I ski when I can and hide by a warm fire when I can’t. I love to travel, especially to tropical destinations. I’ll go anywhere that offers a cool breeze and crystal clear blue water.”

  • Successfully settled numerous divorce matters involving marital residences, rental properties, businesses, retirement assets and children.
  • Obtained an Order in a divorce matter confirming the existence of an unrecorded verbal property settlement agreement dividing the marital estate.
  • Obtained an Order closing a case initiated by the Department of Child Placement and Permanency (formerly DYFS) and securing joint custody for a client in an extremely contentious custody case.
  • Obtained an Order granting paternal grandparents custody of their grandson when the Department of Human Services removed the child from mother and father’s care due to drug use, and then obtained an Order transferring custody to the father six years later after he turned his life around.
  • Successfully defended against the relocation of two children from the parties’ marital home in Philadelphia to the Philadelphia suburbs.
  • Obtained an Order granting a client the right to relocate with her child from Philadelphia to Florida.
  • Obtained an Order granting supervised partial custody to a father who suffers from a severe mental illness (the father requested supervision so that he could spend time with his son in a safe and secure atmosphere).
  • Defended a mentally handicapped child’s right to continue to receive child support in Pennsylvania after reaching the age of eighteen and graduating from high school.
  • Successfully defended against a Petition for Restraining Order in a case where a client’s eyewitness was seriously disabled, could not speak, and could only communicate by pointing to letters on a board to spell out words.
  • Obtained an Order directing that a client’s child be brought from Florida to Philadelphia immediately because the opposing party relocated to Florida with the child without court approval or the client’s consent.
  • Obtained a Protection From Abuse Order in a case involving a high volume of mysterious texts and phone calls made to a client.
  • Successfully defended a pet owner against a “dangerous dog” charge and a “dog running at large” charge when his Maltese escaped from a relative’s back yard in the company of another dog that bit a police officer.
  • Successfully argued an appeal to the Public Utilities Commission for a client in danger of having his gas shut off.
  • Successfully prevented a client’s eviction from PHA Housing.
  • Successfully appealed a finding of abuse issued by the Department of Human Services in a case confirming that the use of corporal punishment as a form of discipline is not abuse if the child involved is not seriously injured and is not fearful of the disciplining parent.
  • Grandparents Are People, Too: Custody Rights of Grandparents in Pennsylvania
  • Do I Have a Common Law Marriage and Will the Social Security Administration Acknowledge It?
  • Willig, Williams & Davidson Name Brett J. Zeitlin Partner
  • Couples in Civil Unions Can Now Divorce in Pennsylvania
  • Crime and Custody: How Criminal Convictions Affect Custody in Pennsylvania
  • 14 Willig, Williams & Davidson Attorneys Named Among 2023 ‘Best Lawyers in America,’ Amy Rosenberger Named ‘Lawyer of the Year’ in Philadelphia in Labor Law for Unions
  • 16 Willig, Williams & Davidson Attorneys Named Among 2024 ‘Best Lawyers in America’
  • 17 Willig, Williams & Davidson Attorneys Named Among 2025 ‘Best Lawyers in America,’ Deborah Willig and Irwin Aronson Named ‘Lawyer of the Year’
  • Articles + News Coverage

Education

  • Temple University, James E. Beasley School of Law (J.D., 2007)
  • University of Maryland College Park (B.A., Government & Politics, magna cum laude, 2004)
  • University of Maryland College Park (B.A., Psychology, magna cum laude, 2004)

Honors and Awards

  • The Best Lawyers in America®, 2022

Associations

PROFESSIONAL

  • Member, Philadelphia Bar Association, 2007 to Present
  • Barrister, Nicholas J. Cipriani Inn of Court, 2007 to Present
  • Arbitrator, Philadelphia Arbitration Center, 2007 to Present

Admissions

Bar Admissions

  • Pennsylvania, 2007
  • New Jersey, 2007

Court Admissions

  • U.S. District Court for the, District of, New Jersey, 2007

Judicial Clerkships

  • Family Court of the State of Delaware, Clerk for the Hon. Aida Waserstain & Hon. Barbara Crowell, 2007-200

Employment

  • Willig, Williams & Davidson, Partner, 2018-Present
  • Willig, Williams & Davidson, Associate, 2008-2018
  • Monitor Data Corp., Data Analyst, Winter/Spring 2007
  • Temple University Beasley School of Law Family Law Clinical Program, Intern, Winter/Spring 2007
  • Temple University Beasley School of Law Domestic Relations Medication Clinical Program, Mediator, Summer/Fall 2006
  • Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, Intern, Summers 2005 and 2006
  • Philadelphia
  • Harrisburg
  • Haddonfield
  • Chicago
  • 215.656.3600
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