It’s that time of year again, when children head back to school. For parents without adequate custody orders, it may also be time to head back to court. With some advance planning for school and guidance from a lawyer about your legal responsibilities, it is possible to make the grade as A+ parents with Read More
Spouses and parents who are separating often use mediation as a method of resolving potential legal disputes. Mediation is an informal process through which an impartial, third party mediator works with the former couple to resolve their disagreements together instead of letting the judge decide their case. Mediators do not make decisions like a Read More
There are a number of changes to relevant laws and state rules that can affect how Pennsylvania family law cases are handled in 2019. The new year may bring new ways of thinking about your ongoing or upcoming divorce and custody matters. Tax consequences of alimony: The most talked-about change was announced early last Read More
On January 6, 2018, the new Public Access Policy rule will go into effect in Pennsylvania to limit the personal information contained in court files accessible to the public. It is likely to have significant impact in family law cases like divorce and custody, where attorneys and individuals representing themselves will be required to Read More
Couples often have lengthy periods of cohabitation without making plans to marry. When individuals anticipate avoiding the vows of marriage in favor of living together with a less formal relationship, it is still possible to clarify the terms by which financial responsibilities will be shared with a cohabitation agreement. In contrast, individuals with a Read More
Modern advances in scientific means of assisted reproduction (surrogate) have allowed prospective, wanna-be-parents to have children in new ways that we would not have imagined when we were children ourselves, but has the law kept up with the progress? In the recent case of In Re Baby S., 2015 PA Super 244, Pennsylvania Superior Read More
A self-imposed financial penalty in a custody agreement was recently upheld by the Superior Court against a father who had agreed to pay damages for seeking a modification of his own child custody schedule. In the matter of Huss v. Weaver, 2016 Pa. Super. 24, the Court held that the father’s custody agreement to Read More
Many Grandparents take over the role of custodians when their sons and daughters are incapable of taking care of their own children. Even if it is only temporary, there are legal ways to ensure that your grandchildren are safe and secure in your care when you are their primary caretaker. What do you need Read More
On May 20, 2014, the Honorable John E. Jones III, a U.S. Federal District Court Judge in Pennsylvania, ruled that the statutory ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. Since 1996, Pennsylvania law prevented two people of the same sex from marrying and prohibited the recognition of civil unions and same-sex marriages performed in other Read More
In life, relationships can turn sour. Sometimes a break-up is “mutual,” while some splits seem to shatter the lives of those involved. In some circumstances, a restraining order may be necessary after a rocky end to a relationship, especially if one person can’t seem to let go. For one man, however, the restraining order Read More