Neptune vs Berkman Bottger: Prenups in New York, Compared

May 22, 2026

Engaged NYC couple reviewing prenup planning together on a laptop at their Manhattan apartment kitchen island

For New York couples planning a wedding, the prenup conversation often starts with a search for an NYC prenup lawyer. That search usually leads to established matrimonial firms, hourly billing, and a process that can feel hard to price before the work begins. Two options that can come up for couples in New York are Berkman Bottger Newman & Schein, a respected family law and matrimonial firm with a Midtown Manhattan office, and Neptune, an AI-enabled concierge for couples that pairs each partner with independent family law counsel through a $5,000 flat-fee process. The difference is not simply online versus traditional. It is how the work gets organized. Neptune uses AI-led intake to collect financial details, surface key decisions, and reduce the document-gathering work that often consumes attorney time. From there, each partner works directly with an attorney, so legal judgment, drafting, review, and negotiation stay with licensed counsel.

Key takeaways

Neptune is built for dual-career New York couples who want a properly lawyered prenup without starting with two separate hourly retainers. The $5,000 flat fee covers both partners and two attorneys.
Berkman Bottger Newman & Schein is an established New York matrimonial and family law firm that handles prenuptial agreements, postnuptial agreements, divorce, custody, support, and complex financial matters.
The process is different. Neptune uses AI-led intake and structured document gathering first, then routes each partner to independent counsel. That lowers the flat fee structurally because attorney time is focused on legal work, not chasing basic information.
New York prenups need careful execution. Under New York Domestic Relations Law Section 236(B)(3), a prenup must be in writing, subscribed by both parties, and acknowledged or proven in the manner required for a deed to be recorded. Independent counsel and full financial disclosure can also help reduce the risk of later challenges.
Neptune is the better fit for couples who are aligned but want real legal support. A traditional matrimonial firm like Berkman Bottger may make more sense when the negotiation is already contested or tied to divorce strategy, custody concerns, or highly complex matrimonial issues.

Neptune vs Berkman Bottger: What Sets Them Apart

1. What do they do?

Neptune: Neptune is an AI-enabled concierge for couples handling the legal and financial admin of a partnership. For prenups, Neptune guides both partners through financial intake, values, goals, and key agreement terms before attorney time begins. Each partner is then connected with independent family law counsel so the agreement can be drafted, reviewed, negotiated, and executed with proper legal support.

Neptune is not a one-time document tool. It is built to support couples across the bigger partnership lifecycle: prenups before marriage, estate planning after marriage, postnups, joint taxes, marriage immigration, and updates as life changes.

Berkman Bottger Newman & Schein: Berkman Bottger Newman & Schein is a New York family law and matrimonial firm with offices in Midtown Manhattan. The firm handles prenuptial agreements, postnuptial agreements, divorce, custody, support, property division, mediation, collaborative divorce, and litigation. It is built for family law matters that may require direct legal strategy, negotiation, and, when needed, litigation support.

2. Are lawyers involved?

Neptune: Yes. Each partner works with independent family law counsel. Neptune’s AI and tech help with the intake, document gathering, and early alignment work that often creates back and forth in a traditional process. The legal work itself stays with attorneys: drafting, review, negotiation, and legal judgment.

That is one of the core differences; Neptune’s flat fee is lower because the attorney workflow is more efficient, not because attorney involvement is reduced.

Berkman Bottger: Yes. Berkman Bottger represents one party in the prenup negotiation. The other partner should have separate counsel, usually from another firm, so each side has independent advice. This can work well for complex or sensitive negotiations, but it also means the couple is usually paying for two separate legal teams.

3. How is the process structured?

Neptune: Both partners begin with Neptune’s guided intake. The AI-led process helps collect assets, debts, income, equity, real estate, family support, inheritance expectations, and the terms each partner cares about. That can include separate property, spousal support, business interests, startup equity, retirement accounts, inheritances, or future children.

After intake, each partner works directly with their attorney. Because the information is already organized, the attorney's time can focus on the parts that need legal judgment: drafting the agreement, reviewing terms, advising each partner, negotiating changes, and preparing the agreement for execution.

Most New York couples can expect the process to move faster than a fully traditional route because the intake is compressed. The timeline should still be a few weeks to a few months, depending on the complexity of the terms and how the partners can align.

Berkman Bottger: The traditional firm process usually starts with one partner hiring the firm. The attorney reviews that partner’s goals, financial picture, and proposed terms, then prepares or responds to a draft. The other partner retains separate counsel. From there, the two lawyers exchange drafts, comments, disclosures, and revisions until both sides are ready to sign.

This process can be the right fit when the terms are sensitive, the negotiation is adversarial, or one side needs a broader matrimonial strategy. It can also take longer because each step moves through separate counsel and is often billed by time.

4. What does it cost?

Neptune: Neptune’s New York prenup process is currently a $5,000 flat fee covering both partners and two attorneys. The fee includes the AI-led intake, structured financial disclosure, attorney matching, drafting, review, negotiation, and execution support.

The price is lower than many traditional high-end matrimonial engagements because AI and tech handle the intake and document organization that can otherwise consume attorney hours. The attorney’s role remains central, but the attorney is not spending as much time gathering basic facts or managing preventable back-and-forth.

Berkman Bottger: Berkman Bottger does not appear to publish a flat prenup package price on its website. Because the firm is a traditional matrimonial and family law practice, pricing may depend on the attorney, complexity, negotiation posture, and whether the matter remains collaborative or becomes more contested. For broader NYC market context, Manhattan matrimonial attorneys typically bill $350 to $800 per hour, with senior partners often at the top of that range.

For couples comparing costs, the key issue is also the structure. With a traditional firm, one partner usually hires one firm and the other partner hires separate counsel. That can be appropriate for complex matters, but the total couple cost may be harder to know at the start unless both firms offer clear flat-fee arrangements.

5. Who is it built for?

Neptune: Neptune is built for dual-career couples at top companies who have real financial decisions to make together. That includes engineers, physicians, consultants, lawyers, finance professionals, founders, and other couples planning around vesting equity, inheritances, real estate, income differences, or future children.

The best Neptune fit is not a couple with “nothing to discuss.” It is a couple that does have meaningful assets or future assets to plan around, but wants the process to feel organized, fair, and collaborative rather than adversarial.

Berkman Bottger: Berkman Bottger is built for family law matters that may require a more traditional matrimonial strategy. That can include contested prenup negotiations, divorce-adjacent concerns, custody or support issues, complex property division, or situations where one partner expects the prenup discussion to become highly negotiated from the start.

For couples who already know the prenup will involve aggressive terms, disputed valuations, or a possible broader matrimonial matter, a traditional firm may be the better starting point.

Feature Comparison

Pricing model

Neptune: $5,000 flat fee for both partners and two attorneys.
Berkman Bottger: Pricing not publicly listed for prenups. Confirm directly with the firm.

Independent counsel for each party

Neptune: Yes, the model is designed around independent counsel for each partner.
Berkman Bottger: Yes, one partner can retain Berkman Bottger, and the other partner should retain separate counsel.

Financial disclosure handling

Neptune: Structured through the platform so documents and financial details are organized before attorney time is spent.
Berkman Bottger: Handled through the traditional attorney-led exchange between counsel.

AI-led intake

Neptune: Yes. AI and tech help collect information, clarify priorities, and prepare the matter for attorney review.
Berkman Bottger: No public AI-led intake process was identified. The process appears to follow a traditional law firm model.

Attorney time

Neptune: Focused on legal advice, drafting, review, negotiation, and execution.
Berkman Bottger: Focused on legal strategy, drafting, negotiation, and broader matrimonial counsel as needed.

Process pace

Neptune: Designed to move efficiently because intake and document gathering happen before attorney drafting. Timeline should still be a few weeks to a few months, depending on the complexity of the terms.
Berkman Bottger: Timeline depends on complexity, attorney availability, and the other side’s counsel.

Best fit for aligned couples

Neptune: Strong fit for couples who want a thoughtful prenup process with independent attorneys, organized intake, and a predictable flat fee.
Berkman Bottger: Strong fit when one partner wants direct traditional firm representation and expects more attorney-led negotiation.

Best fit for contested or broader matrimonial issues

Neptune: Best when both partners are willing to engage in a structured process.
Berkman Bottger: Stronger fit for contested negotiations, divorce-related concerns, custody issues, support questions, or other family law matters beyond the prenup.

Long-term relationship

Neptune: Built as a long-term partner across the legal and financial admin of partnership, including prenups, estate planning, postnups, joint taxes, marriage immigration, and updates as life changes.
Berkman Bottger: Built as a family law and matrimonial firm that can support prenups, postnups, divorce, custody, support, and other family law matters.

Weighing the Pros and Cons

Neptune

Pros:

$5,000 flat fee for both partners and two attorneys.
Independent counsel for each partner is built into the process.
AI-led intake helps organize financial disclosure and decisions before attorney time begins.
Lower price is structural: tech handles intake and document gathering, while attorneys focus on legal judgment.
Tech-enabled for couples who want fast, efficient document gathering and direct messaging with their prenup attorney.
Built for couples planning together, not couples starting from an adversarial place.
Long-term support across prenups, estate planning, postnups, joint taxes, marriage immigration, and future updates.

Cons:

Best for couples who are willing to work through a guided process together.
Matters with active disputes, aggressive negotiation posture, or divorce-adjacent concerns may be better suited to a traditional matrimonial firm.
Complex business valuations, family trust structures, or unusual terms may require additional review or referral.

Berkman Bottger Newman & Schein

Pros:

Established New York matrimonial and family law firm.
Handles prenuptial agreements, postnuptial agreements, divorce, custody, support, property division, litigation, mediation, and collaborative law.
Strong fit for contested or sensitive negotiations.
Useful when a prenup is connected to broader matrimonial concerns.
Good option for one partner who wants direct representation from a traditional family law firm.

Cons:

Prenup pricing is not publicly listed on the firm’s website.
Each partner typically needs separate counsel, which can make the total couple cost less predictable.
The process may take longer when every step routes through two separate firms.
The traditional law firm model may require more attorney time than aligned couples need for a collaborative prenup.

Bottom line: Which fits your situation?

Choose Neptune if you and your partner are aligned on getting a prenup, want independent attorneys for both sides, and prefer a guided process with a clear flat fee. Neptune is especially well-suited for dual-career couples planning around equity, real estate, inheritances, different income levels, or future children, without turning the prenup into an adversarial negotiation.

The reason Neptune can price the process differently is not that the lawyers do less legal work. It is that AI and tech handle the intake, document gathering, and early alignment work that usually eats into attorney hours. The attorney’s time is then focused on drafting, reviewing, negotiating, and making legal judgments.

Choose Berkman Bottger if you want traditional matrimonial firm representation from the start, especially if the prenup is already contested or connected to broader family law issues. A firm like Berkman Bottger may also be the better fit if one partner needs support around divorce strategy, custody issues, support questions, litigation risk, or a highly negotiated matrimonial matter.

For many New York couples, the choice is not “lawyer or no lawyer.” Both paths involve lawyers. The real question is whether you need a traditional firm-led negotiation from the first call, or a tech-enabled process that gets both partners organized before attorney time begins.

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

Is a Neptune prenup enforceable in New York?

A Neptune prenup is designed to be enforceable when properly drafted, reviewed, and executed under New York law. Under New York Domestic Relations Law Section 236(B)(3), a prenup must be in writing, subscribed by both parties, and acknowledged or proven in the manner required for a deed to be recorded. Neptune also builds in independent counsel for each partner and structured financial disclosure, both of which can help reduce enforceability risk.

Why is Neptune’s $5,000 fee lower than a traditional NYC matrimonial firm prenup?

Neptune’s fee is lower because the workflow is different. AI and tech enable more efficient intake, document gathering, and early alignment before attorney drafting begins. That means attorney time is focused on legal advice, drafting, review, negotiation, and execution instead of chasing basic information. The lower price comes from efficiency, not reduced attorney involvement.

Does Berkman Bottger publish prenup pricing?

No public flat-fee prenup package was found on Berkman Bottger’s website during this review. Couples considering the firm should ask directly about consultation fees, hourly rates, retainers, whether flat-fee prenup work is available, and what costs the other partner should expect for separate counsel.

Can Neptune handle a prenup if one partner has startup equity?

Yes, startup equity is one of the planning categories Neptune is built around. Neptune helps couples organize questions around vested and unvested equity, future grants, liquidity events, and how those assets should be treated in the agreement. Attorney review is still important because equity terms can be state-specific and fact-specific.

Can Neptune handle a prenup if one partner owns a business?

Sometimes. If the business interest is clear and the couple is aligned, Neptune may be able to support the process through independent attorneys. If the business involves multiple entities, outside investors, disputed valuation, family ownership, or contested terms, a traditional matrimonial firm may be a better fit.

What if my partner wants their own lawyer outside Neptune?

That can be possible, but it changes the workflow. Neptune’s model is designed around independent attorneys for both partners in a structured process. If one partner prefers outside counsel, the couple should confirm how that affects the timeline, pricing, document exchange, and execution.

Is Berkman Bottger better for high-net-worth couples?

Berkman Bottger may be a better fit when the prenup is tied to complex matrimonial strategy, contested negotiation, divorce-adjacent concerns, custody issues, support questions, or unusual financial facts. Neptune can still be a strong fit for couples with meaningful assets, including equity, real estate, and inheritances, when both partners want a collaborative process with independent attorneys and a predictable flat fee.

Do both partners need separate attorneys for a New York prenup?

New York law does not make independent counsel the only requirement for every prenup, but separate counsel is often important because it helps show that each partner had independent advice and a fair chance to review the agreement. Neptune builds this into the process by connecting each partner with independent counsel.